In Austin and around the world

Token update

2011-11-18T10:00:00.001-08:00

If you hadn't guessed, classes and teaching have eaten my life. I think I've had a max of 6 free hours a week this semester. And by 'free' I mean time other than classes, homework, and grading, or life-sustaining actions like eating, showering, cleaning my room. And I'm about to go grab lunch, and teach some more. But thought I would tell you. I don't really know why..... Enjoy!

This is what I do for my building

2011-08-15T10:07:00.001-07:00

Google apparently ate some of my careful divisions of recipes, which is really obnoxious as it took too long to do in the first place. I don't really feel like doing it all again, so I moved them all do a different site.

If you want to see what keeps me busy for 5-6 hours on the weekends, this is the link. It should take you to a website with tons of folders and often 'loose' recipes that I haven't moved to folders yet. It's on a site called Dropbox, which is a pretty popular file/cloud sharing site that I'm hoping will simplify things a bit with google docs not wanting to do what I am looking for.

If you're looking for large group recipes, then this may just help!

Bom Dia from Lisbon

2011-08-08T03:04:00.000-07:00

K, I have no idea if I spelled that right. I bought 30 minutes of internet access because a Moroccan guy was going to be rejected from boarding the plane if he didn't have the address of a hotel in the US where he'd be staying. (It was just 2 euro, and I'd hate to be in his place.) But now I'll get to post what I was writing before he started talking to me!

******
Sooooo tired. I think that I slept about two hours last night. Luckily, I got to the airport safely and in plenty of time. Then I went and got a bottle of water (since I didn't want to risk tap water in a new city right before flying for 24 hours - high disaster potential) and after a bit got on the plane and fell asleep as we were taking off. I woke up a couple of times because I was uncomfortable, but only really woke up 90 minutes later when we were landing. I'm typing this from the Lisbon airport, waiting for my flight to Newark.

Casablanca was interesting. Big, busy, and dirty are the adjectives that come to mind first. We stayed in the youth hostel there, which was surprisingly nice. For 75Dh a night, got a clean room with two twin beds, wifi in the common area, and a typical hostel breakfast in the morning (bread with butter & jam, cheap OJ, and tea or coffee.) They also were able to call a taxi for me so that I didn't have to spend the night at the airport as my flight was leaving too early to catch a train. The taxi cost a lot more, and is very expensive by Moroccan standards but when you convert it to dollars - less than $55 for my last two nights and then the taxi - I can't really complain.

A lot of the students in Fes were saying "oh, it'll be so hard to go back to dollars!" because when you compare them directly Morocco is so much less expensive. But I haven't felt like that yet. I don't know if I will. I feel like we just get lucky there in a way, but it's due to the fact that the people there are so economically UNlucky. Yeah, you can get an amazing peanut 'macaron' on the street for 25 cents (and I am so figuring out how to make those!) but there's a lot you can't get, and a lot that the people who live there and the little boys (8 or 12 at the very oldest) who wander around and sell those will never get or see or do.

Sometimes when bartering in the medina it's hard because part of me wants to show that you can't just tell tourists ridiculous prices and expect them to pay it, but sometimes I'm shocked at the low prices of things. I kind of want to say, "value your time more, you're a person!" But I know that they do think they're getting what they can. I mean, there's no way I'd pay much for a screen-printed t-shirt. I got one yesterday for 60Dh in Casablanca and I'm pretty sure I could have had it for less if I had thought about it more carefully at first (the guy started at 120Dh, which is absolutely ridiculous, but so much so that he dropped it to 100 when I just gave him a look and said that was a lot. In Fez they never drop that quickly, but they venders are known for being tougher.) I can accept that the restaurant next door in Austin sells me a breakfast for around $7 instead of 7Dh because we all get paid reasonable wages in the US. And while inflation is weird to me - like why should food costs be THAT different - that's the way the world works. And I can pay $7 now and then when I really want it because I have access to so many different opportunities.

The last two days in Casa gave me several quick impressions that exemplify Morocco:

Creepy guys walking 2-3 steps behind you, asking where you're from and if you want to drink tea with him in a voice that's quiet enough to be deniable. Welcome to Morocco.
Helpful guy walking same distance behind, same level of voice, warning of pickpockets. Welcome to Morocco.
Taxi driver telling you the pharmacy open on Sunday is very far away and offering to take you for 50Dh. Welcome to Morocco. And then lowering it to 40, then 30 as you walk away.
Another taxi driver giving you directions to said pharmacy, complete with road names and landmarks. Welcome to Morocco.
People almost getting in fights late in the day during Ramadan, and getting water splashed on your foot from a NASTY bucket as a guy goes to throw it on someone else. Welcome to Morocco.
Spotting a little hole-in-the-wall restaurant about 10 minutes before breaking the fast and being allowed to sit with 5 Moroccan men and have harira with mint green tea with them (which cost a total of 8Dh for the two of us) after we hear the local call to prayer. Welcome to Morocco.
Visiting an $800 million (Yes, DOLLAR) mosque paid for with public funds.... which isn't very far from some borderline slums. Welcome to morocco.
Catching a ride with a car of Chinese guys that took pity on you as you tried to catch a cab once you realized you were close to an area that you probably should *not* walk through. Welcome to Morocco.
The taxi driver at 3AM also saying he's in a famous Berber folkloria (sp??) group and has played around the country, in other countries and for the king. Welcome to Morocco.

I don't know how much more time I might have on my 30 minutes, so that's all you get for now! If I'm awake at all during the flight home, I might write you more. Or I might study Arabic. Or maybe watch whatever movie they put on. I guess you'll have to wait and see!

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2011-08-06T08:19:00.000-07:00

That's how I was feeling about 20 minutes ago. Where was I? Looking for the Casablanca Youth Hostel, and realizing that I had headed the wrong way to get there. As in the OPPOSITE direction of where I wanted to be. Lugging my 50-ish pound suitcase behind me. (Ok, I don't really know how much it weighs, but I'm nervous that it's going to be over my 50-lb limit and I keep re-writing a mental list of what I'll ditch if it's only a little over, b/c if it's too much over I'll have to suck it up and pay some crazy fee of $60 or sthg.)

Streets in Morocco tend not to be clearly marked with a name. It's apparently not a big deal. Here in Casa, from what I've seen so far they are marked a bit better than in other areas, but the map I was using (in the lonely planet) didn't show many of the street names, so that wasn't much help anyway. But then we realized (me and Michael, I picked him up in Rabat - ok, he was at ALIF, too) that we were walking parallel to the train tracks. And the map showed that the tracks should have stopped behind us. NOOO. So there were a few guys around, so he asked for directions. Yup, the other way, then turn right the guys says. Turning right does not seem accurate, but we do believe the 'go back where you were' part.

We headed back and saw a couple of girls, which meant it was my turn to ask. Yep, keep heading straight. The road forked and they had gestured to the left fork, but we weren't sure so we stopped to check the map. Yup, indeed that one would take us to the medina... and the opposite side from where the youth hostel was. Good thing we checked. We crossed the street to the correct fork and kept walking. After a bit we checked the map again, still looked right.

Then, what is that? Could it be? A SIGN, directing us to the hostel?? Amazing! We followed it and saw a cute, clean place. With women working there speaking English, French and Arabic. And being friendly. And it's got wifi. And a big, clean sitting space. And apparently breakfast, even during Ramadan. I bet it's just tea and bread with jam, but I have been dying for tea now every time I get up. Got too used to it with the host family, I guess. My body can't cope without the daily jumpstart of a tablespoon of sugar. I'll break it of that when I get back home.

We may be lucky enough to be able to stay two nights, but it's unclear as apparently the online reservation system seems to let them know each day who is coming, even though you have to reserve online 3 days ahead. Although I will have to ask anyway if they can call me a taxi at 2AM tomorrow because I have to be at the train station at around 4. Ridiculous, I know, but it's either that or take a train that would get me there at 11pm and make me wait ALL NIGHT. And the chance of a little sleep is better than no chance at all. I think.

Well, ok, Fes!

2011-08-04T10:12:00.001-07:00

I apparently failed to tell you about the city that I spent 9 weeks in. I suppose it's rather good that I have an extra week here without all of the distractions at home to take the time to tell you about such things. Because I will definitely be busy when I get back home. Finally. In 5 days. You can't blame me for counting, I'm in a silly HOTEL for heaven's sake, and it's Ramadan, so I can't even get a cup of tea in the middle of the day because I can't make it myself and there's none being sold. Mmm, tea.... iced tea... at home......

But Fes. Fes is a very interesting city. Fairly large. It's called one of the Imperial Cities, though honestly I never paid too much attention to why. It's something that the region is called. One of its biggest claims to fame is the medina - the English and French word for the old city. It is now a UNESCO world heritage site, which means it's protected and isn't allowed to change (in theory except to restore, but one person's 'restoration' is another's 'bullllloney.') It is, in theory, the largest pedestrian-only urban space in the world. Don't tell those people about the motorcycles, k? Or the little 3-wheeled guys that carry in building materials. The 3-wheelers stay to the outside edges from what I've seen, but the motorcycles may be anywhere. Don't think Harley, though, no way. These are very cute little motorcycles that maybe should be called mopeds. And definitely some scooters in there, too.

I guess it was the capital for a long time, too. Like 600 years. Now it's considered the capital of culture and handicrafts, at least by the people there. They consider the area generally well-educated, and very traditional. It's kind of funny, because the medina in Rabat has a lot of really neat stuff that kind of blends the traditional with the modern (like the leather bags and some of the shirts that look almost traditional, but have plunging necklines), while the Fes does mostly the traditional. And a whole lot of it. They say that most of the hand-made stuff comes from Fes, I suppose it's possible. But I can't believe it's ALL from there, I mean transportation here still takes effort and having a weaving loom in another city would make a lot of sense.

Walking around in the medina is pretty amazing. You can find probably everything you'd want. Ok, close to it at least. There are so many tourists and others coming through, though, that the shop owners can get kind of pushy and less friendly. They seem to get told by everyone that they're 'just looking' but of course some people end up buying stuff after this phrase, so they really don't understanding what 'just looking' means. And when you ask a price, some places will assume that you really want the thing and have whatever it takes to buy it.

Like I saw this GORGEOUS yellow amber bracelet in a store, made with sterling silver, and asked how much it was. The starting price was around 400Dh, I think, or $50. Now, had I wanted it, I probably could have had it for $25-30, but I didn't want it THAT much. I wanted it like $10 much. I honestly don't know how much real jewelry should cost, having only purchased one necklace that wasn't from Clare's or of similar quality. Oh, and one for my mom from France. The lady working was very nice, and was actually the host mom of one of my classmates who had just left, and was trying to get me to bargain, but I realized with that starting price, there was no way. I tried to tell her that I really hadn't known and really didn't have the money, and she was just like "tell me what you would pay" and I tried to protest and say I didn't want to offend her, I know it's nice, but she made me say, so I did (and I was honest, as I didn't want to get stuck buying it for $25 or more) and she was like "oh, no, this is original and quality" and seemed slightly offended, and in my head I was just like "which is exactly why I was just trying to walk away from it."

The guys in the medina aren't always friendly and can even be rude (sorry, "F* you" and "go home" are rude in any country as far as I know, it's not just a cultural difference) so you get used to just ignoring their constant calls and carry on your way. But it does get tiring to have to ignore nearly everyone who speaks to you. I've mentioned that before, that I know they're not all jerks, but there are just too many jerks to risk being nice to all of them. And that sort of attitude is also found in the new part of the city, though to a somewhat lesser extent. I thought that maybe it was all over Morocco, but Rabat is proving otherwise, luckily. There are still plenty of undesired comments and invitations, just a whole lot less. And more of them are from a distance, which I am finding makes a huge difference to me.

There are also plenty of historic sites in the medina, including the world's first university (according to UNESCO, and I guess they should know!) It's an old Mosque/University. From what I understand, there are 3 main ones - one in Cairo, one in Tunis and one in Fez. Maybe that means I am gonna go live in Cairo some day? Seems unlikely. Maybe just visit. I have loads of pictures of old buildings and stuff, but few of the streets of the medina. Partly because I am concerned for my camera, but more because it seems like people don't like it. My guess is that they feel like animals in a zoo when people come through and take pictures of them at their jobs like that. Well, ok, that's how I would feel. And you can definitely see they aren't happy with being part of the pictures many times.

The new part of Fes - actually, back up. There's an area called "Fes Jdid," or "new Fes" in Moroccan, that is from the 13th century. It's much more relaxed than the medina, and next to it. We used to walk home through there on a regular basis. We never decided if it's actually longer (I think it is) or if it just takes longer due to the need to weave through the crowds (does slow you down even more) but it's prettier than the 'shorter' way, which is along the road that runs around the outside of the medina walls. I bought a pair of sandals there that I wore to the wedding. So I now have a pair of heels that I will have to try out at an appropriate time. Like dancing.

Ok, on to the "ville nouvelle" or new city. As you might guess, it was the part started by the French, so you'll find more restaurants, more stores, and things like the train and bus stations in this area. I guess 20 or 30 years ago, people with money still lived in the medina, but apparently they have all left for the ville and left a good bit of poverty in the medina (which I'm sure contributes to it being less comfortable.) This area reminds me of Tunis a good bit, or at least Tunis other than the medina, which I really don't remember too well because I didn't go in there much. Now it seems SOOO silly that I was concerned about venturing in, now that I've gone into the medina on a near-daily basis for 9 weeks. Ah, hindsight and all that. People use a lot of French in the ville on signs and in restaurants, etc, etc, etc. It's not all terribly safe, because it still is a sizable city, and I guess because of the number of tourists in the area in general - I'm not quite sure why, really.

Overall, the city was really cool, and I'm glad that I was there, but even more I'm glad that I had people to share it with. Because I couldn't have done it on my own because one girl alone gets just as much harassment without anyone to ignore the guys with, or to laugh at the guys or to make comments after like, "did he just say 'look with your eyes'? What else do you look with??" or "dates are aphrodisiacs? since when?" I don't think I could live there for a year, on my own or with support. Which is part of the reason Rabat was such a pleasant surprise.

Who knows, though, I may end up with a topic that will be mostly completed from an apartment in Austin and not make it back at all. Seems super unlikely, but that's what I would have told you just 6 months ago about me spending the summer here at all.

Did I miss any details you're curious about?

Rabat!

2011-08-03T11:04:00.000-07:00

So, how's Rabat? It's nice. Other people had told me that they thought it felt like Europe. After two months in Fes, I still can tell it's not Europe. But I can see what they mean. The streets are wider, even the old city is less crowded and easier to get through, people bother you less, the buildings are cleaner, there's a bright new tram way (about a month new - so new that their ticket-validator doesn't work and instead they have a guy working on there to mark your ticket for you.)

I actually tried to change my ticket to come home earlier when I realized that most friends were headed home. For better or worse, all them planes was filled up by then. So instead I got to know Rabat a bit. It's a nice city. Quiet, not too big. Nice for just getting stuff done, like the people who work here, or for just relaxing, like I have been doing.

Even Ramadan here isn't too terrible. Yesterday I had lunch at a restaurant. It is inside the Institut Francais. I had heard that in some countries, you can eat during the day in restaurants that have their windows blocked off to the street. That's actually not so true. Or true at all. Several restaurants are plain just open for tourists (and kids) without any kind of shielding. It leads to an interesting question. These people are hungry and uncomfortable, for religious reasons, yet working. Is it better to go and eat there, in front of them when they're not supposed to have so much as a sip of water, and yet justify their being open and help pay their wages -OR- to not go their because you don't want to eat in front of hungry people? I don't know. And not too many are open. I went to La Veranda, but I'm not sure how many others I'll go to.

I have been warned that pickpocketing goes up, because it costs so much to get the special dinner and breakfast on the table, and that tempers are short (as I would expect!) but it seems like as long as you're a bit more careful than usual - or maybe just as careful as I was all summer in Fes - that it's doable.

Did I ever tell you what Fes is actually like? I don't feel like re-reading my posts, so if you would like more info on that, just tell me. Two guys from ALIF are coming into Rabat tomorrow evening, but until then I have plenty of time to help fulfill your curiosity. Unless I go out to the Chellah for a couple hours. We'll see.

Farewell, Fes!

2011-07-30T11:30:00.000-07:00

I'm now on the train from Fez to Rabat and will post this later. For my final week in Morocco. When I bought my ticket, I was sure that I'd find other students to travel with the week after the program. Oh, how very optimistic I was. There are some people staying around, but some only for a few days, others for other language schools, and yet others for places I am not really interested in and moving around far more than my 45-pound bag will allow. How did I let myself stick that much into my suitcase??? It was so easy because the bag still wasn't full. Ah, well, I'll find things to do.

The last week of classes was very busy, as you might imagine. I studied a bit, went to class (sometimes wishing I hadn't) and ran around doing things that needed to be done. Like buying goofy little presents. There are so many cute things that I tell myself, 'oh, someone will like that.' Hopefully I'll actually give them away this time. I think I still have a couple of keychains from Tunisia. You know, other than the one that I actually use on my office keys.

One of the things I did this week was to go to the hammam, or public bath. I still had never been, in part due to not knowing who to go with, and in part due to my dislike for saunas and jacuzzis. I had heard that the hammam is hot, and part of the idea is that you kind of sit around and sweat off the dirt for a while. That did not sound the least bit appealing to me. But then some of my friends went and said that there are actually rooms of varying heat, so it's possible to not be dying-ly hot. I was convinced.

Of course, going to the hammam is not as simple as grabbing your shower stuff and heading out. You need supplies. Typically, Moroccans use this stuff called 'black soap' that is made in part with olive oil at the hammam. It is thick and dark and doesn't really suds, but is supposed to be amazing for your skin. You can get it in tourist shops. And you may pay 35 MAD (about $8.50) for enough to last you 2-3 showers. My friends somehow had a Moroccan guy helping them, and they each got the same amount for just 2 dirhams, or 25 cents.

Well, our second Moroccan mama (she's the mom's cousin and lives with them, doing the traditional woman's work of cooking and cleaning) knew we were headed back and also that we wanted to go out in to the souk with her, so she took us the other night. Before we even left the house, she told us several times that we were not to say a word, but we could go with her. We agreed and set off, trailing close behind her, but trying to look innocent and uncomprehending. My roommate had brought a small tupperware dish that she wanted to fill, it would hold about 1 cup, but mama 2 said we wouldn't use it right then. We walked up to one of the general stores and she started talking to the guy, and I thought I heard the word "kilo" but thought she must be getting other things too. I mean, one KILO of soap?? It's dense, but still! No, no, we walked away a few minutes later with a rather large, heavy bag with half a kilo of soap for each of us. To use and then take home. Not in any nice container, but in a plastic bag. Our family is incredibly sweet. When we asked how much we owed her, she said it was 3 dirhams each, but that she wouldn't let us pay her back, that it was a present. It's crazy, less than 40 cents! And people are stilling it online for about $15 for a few ounces. Crazy, crazy.

[Now that I think about it, I don't know how well that bag is closed in my suitcase. I know that she said it stays better in the fridge, and I observed that it gets softer when it's hot. Ah, well, nothing to be done at the moment but hope that it doesn't ruin anything. And if it does, I guess it'll lighten the load a bit!]

Back to the hammam. You put the soap on and then scrub the heck out of your skin with a little bath mitt that is to a loofah what a loofah is to a t-shirt. They are incredible scratchy, and help get off the dead layers of skin. I got one the first time the others went to the hammam and have been using it in the shower, since it's hard (or impossible) to get a loofah in Fez, but I don't press very hard. At the hammam you're supposed to do it so hard that your skin turns red. Yeah, no thanks.

When you go into the hammam, at least the one we went to, you pay 10 dirhams and go into a room where you leave your clothes (and you give the lady who sits in there and watches your clothes another 5 dirhams... or at least foreigners do, who knows how it works really.) Well, there was a teenage boy there on Thursday that the girls hadn't seen before who was insisting that it was 50 to get in, because it was closed to everyone except those getting a massage. Don't let the word fool you, it's not actually a massage, but a brutal scrub-down by a Moroccan woman who knows how to wield a scratchy mitt. Not what we were looking for. One of the girls who had been there before speaks great French and started arguing with the kid, saying that was ridiculous, that we'd been there at the same time and always paid the 10 that we know it should cost, and that we weren't willing to pay more than that. He insisted and said it was a new rule and we could go find another hammam if we didn't want to pay. Then she asked him if it was a price for us just because we weren't from there. He said no, and that any Moroccan would pay the same. He said to watch and see.

A Moroccan woman came up and he asked her if she was getting the massage as well, and she said yes. Then somehow we started talking to her a little bit (I'm not sure how, now that I think about it, b/c she didn't speak French) and she told the guy not to be ridiculous, that if we wanted to come in without a massage, we could. Hooray for helpful lady! So we came in and she made sure we were comfortable and knew what we were doing and every now and then she'd make sure things were ok. I'm not sure if she worked there, or just felt like we should be treated 'right' because 10 or so minutes after we came in, three Belgian girls came in and she led them around a lot, too, and ended up doing their 'massages.' But she did pay to get in herself. I don't know.

So, we sweated like crazy and drank water (we'd brought some in) and soaped up and scrubbed down and poured water over ourselves and got clean and poured more water over ourselves and eventually went home. When we got home, mama 2 and papa's sister laughed at me, saying I must have gone to the pool and gotten a sunburn, not to the hammam. And then pulled me in front of a mirror so I could see that my face was tomato red from all of the heat. I don't know how it does that, especially since we'd been out of the hammam maybe 20-30 minutes by then, but eventually I became a normal color once more. I just don't like hot water.

How nice do I feel today?

2011-07-26T15:38:00.000-07:00

I turned on my computer to let you all know what I've been up to and I saw an email from my mom checking if I was still alive. Now, when I was young if we guessed where we were headed when something was supposed to be a surprise or treat, or said out loud what she was doing if she thought she was being slick, we wouldn't get to go there or have whatever treat. Punishment for spoiling her fun or something. So in a way, I think I'm not allowed to write anymore. But maybe I can move past that. Besides, I don't know the next time I'll get to update you!

The wedding was very interesting. Loads of amazing sweets and beautiful clothing, but I think I overdosed on sugar and my stomach hasn't recovered since. (Yes, that really was me who just typed that. The girl who will eat brown sugar pie and buttermilk pie in regular-pie-sized slices. And always has room for dessert.) Actually, I think it was weakened by the antibiotics for my supposed sinus infection (Dr gave me a second med just to help keep my stomach ok b/c their non-penicillin one is apparently good at messing with that) and the gallons of sugar made it worse. I will upload all the photos when I have a better internet connection and the time to do it. Maybe tomorrow? If you're lucky. We'll see.

I have been busy trying to figure out what to do next week. Classes end Friday and I have no one to travel with (there are a few people headed places that either I'm not really interested in, or feel too far, or would be a huge pain with my giant suitcase, or a combination of the above) so I have been looking at couchsurfers, but most that sound interesting are away from home right now! It's almost Ramadan, so that's how it is - foreigners who can are leaving the country and Moroccans are with their families. Plus I am picky about who I'd stay with, as I am sure you will all appreciate :) My basic plan is Rabat and Casablanca, in that order, and I do still have a few options that I haven't heard back from, so we'll all keep our fingers crossed there.

With classes ending soon, I am studying more to try to be ready for the final here and, more importantly, for the placement test at home that will prove that I learned enough here to be allowed into second year at home. Because if I don't make that cut.... you will not see a happy girl. Before I left, I talked to the department chair (and co-author of The Textbook) and she said that usually students who go abroad are a little behind, but don't have trouble catching up. Crossing my fingers for that, but with the other students in my class often sick or traveling or both, I don't know how my summer studies compare. I'm sure I'll be more or less fine because I will work hard and don't get scared by tests and remember things easier than some. But I still wish I didn't have to take the dumb thing. I'll definitely be studying for it next week when all the stores and fun stuff are closed for the afternoon (because of Ramadan) so that will help, too, because I have two chapters that I have to get through on my own.

Well, peoples, it be midnight and a moth is trying to get friendly with my ear so I will leave you now. Have a wonderful afternoon.

Today's lunch

2011-07-19T14:49:00.000-07:00

This was before she brought out the meat and squash (beef that was kind of slow-cookered and some squash I don't know, but was good.) You can see beans and fresh bread (still hot) and cucumber/tomato/onion salad, which also had lettuce this time, and potato carrot salad and okra and these tasty cumin vinegar carrots. Coming home for lunch is well worth it.

And lunch is the main meal of the day so, no, dinner isn't that big. But it's still pretty big.

Well, that's not fair!

2011-07-18T08:52:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we were at the beach. It was great, of course! I had forgotten my sunblock in the van, but it was really really cloudy (like, gray clouds) so I didn't worry. We played in the water and had a good time. Then we got hungry and when to one of the little beach-front restaurants (why didn't I take a pic of those???) and sat there for probably two hours. Barely after we sat down under the covered area, the sun came out. And guess what? I got a sunburn from the reflection off the water or sand or something!! I'm sure it was then because the lines are from both my suit and my dress, clearly at the same time, and the only time I had on both was when I was under that shady area. Stupid deceiving shade. At least it's not as bad as a full-sun burn.

More on the weekend when I have more time!

Um, a bonding experience?

2011-07-14T08:12:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I felt awful. Like horrible, no-good, terrible kind of awful. Today I went to all four hours of class so, as you might guess, I am feeling much better. That is also why I'm writing for you now instead of yesterday. "What happened???" You ask?

Well, it started on Tuesday, really. At 2, when we got back to school, my head started to hurt enough that I wanted drugs. Luckily my roommate keeps some in her bag. I went to class, and wasn't feeling much better. We'd all been planning to have dinner, so I went over with everyone else and talked and helped make food, to try to distract me from the headache. Probably not the smartest approach, I know, but sometimes my head hurts for a bit and then stops. And I didn't think it was from heat, since it hasn't been that hot, or from dehydration, because I felt MUCH different several weeks ago when I actually was super dehydrated.

So, we talked, we laughed, we ate dinner and had more tasty petit fours. I continued to feel bad as the night went on. Then we went home and I realized that if I still felt that bad I should NOT go to class in the morning. I did take some cold medicine and was drinking loads of water just in case, but I wasn't feeling any better.

As the interwebs are all public-like, here is the basic version:
I felt crappy and stayed in bed in the morning. My family checked on me and I still wasn't great. They asked if I wanted breakfast, I said no. At lunch they insisted I get up to eat. I just wanted to be in bed with my eyes covered (I think it was maybe a migraine, but who knows).

But I got up, tottered out to the kitchen, sat down, and fainted. They moved me to the living room and force-fed me yogurt and soup and called the school because they were worried and I ended up going to the doctor who decided the headache and fever (because I was feverish, so that's why I'm not sure about the migraine) were due to a sinus infection (and I have had a cold that's been hanging on for about 2 weeks, it could be) and gave me a prescription for antibiotics and told me what headache medicine to take and all is well now.

The funny thing, though, is that they have re-told the story a bunch of times, and partly joking around, 'oh you're not going to do that again, right??' so it seems maybe like they don't consider it that big of a deal, though I can't imagine they often have students passing out. I did get told about one of the more recent students that ate a ton of olives and was so sick in her bed that they had to have the doctor come to the house (which is done here, but more expensive) and told her she couldn't eat any more olives. Well, that's what I got from the story, who knows what exactly the whole thing may have been if I had understood it all :)

'Speaking' a language

2011-07-13T13:12:00.000-07:00

My roommate here knows a whole lot more Arabic than I do. She's in 3rd year(ish) and I'm only in first. But who does our family *think* speaks better? It seems to be me. I've made an effort to figure out some of the local dialect, while she's been really focusing on the standard one. Result? They don't always understand her. It's pretty funny in some ways, and I'm sure frustrating.

At UT they take the approach that students should learn standard as well as one of the most commonly understood regional dialects - Levantine (Lebanon/Syria) and Egyptian. Most people say that sounds like too much work, and I hear it does try to take over your life, but now I can see much better why. For any other language (or almost any?) when you learn it, you can go and speak with people. You may sound a bit too formal, but they'll understand. With Arabic, they might understand, but might not. And even if they do understand, they may not be able to carry on a conversation like that.

Today I have had a CRAZY bad headache and had to try to communicate in Arabic despite it. Ouch. But I've managed to make due, mostly, though I don't think I got across that there is nothing wrong with my stomach and I am not sick from something I ate. Whatever, we do what we can!

Note to self:

2011-07-12T14:52:00.001-07:00

Must find/create recipe for amazing coconut/chocolate/coffee cookies from tonight. Don't think it was even cooked. Or if it was, it had egg white in it.

Meknes!

2011-07-11T08:17:00.000-07:00

I went to Meknes yesterday. It's about 30 minutes away. We had fun. We took the train. It ended up not being at the time it says online. That happens now and then. So we are good at adapting.

After we got off the train, we decided to walk to the old city. On the map it looked straightforward, so down the hill we headed. And after a bit, we started to see more people and stuff. And we followed a direction with more people and more stuff and found a covered market. It was cool. I got Valinda a present there. I think it's cute. We also got little bags of popcorn there for about 5 cents each. After wandering a bit more and seeing cool stuff, we stopped at a cafe and had coffee and tea (we shared a little pot of tea that would be two American cups and it was only 5 dirham!)

Then we decided to figure out where we were, because we were certainly not in the main part of the old city, as we had planned. We showed a map to some guys and asked them where we were. They looked at it as if they'd never seen a map of their city. And maybe they hadn't. Because, for a lot of people, why would you? You learn where you need to go, and you get there. There aren't a ton of street signs or anything. And some people live in the same city their whole lives, so it's not like there is a big need to learn how to read a map of a bigger area. Plus, honestly, the map wasn't that helpful. They did know the name of the square we were on, and it was nowhere to be found.

We thanked them and left and decided to just ask a taxi driver. He similarly didn't know what to tell us about the map, but did know where the old city was. We decided to let him take us. Which may have been a bad idea, but we didn't realize it at the time. Think about it: You just told a taxi driver that you have no idea where you are. And how does a taxi driver make money? By driving you further. We are quite sure that he took the verrrry long route to the old city because when we left it in a taxi to get back to the train station, we realized that we had approached it from the west with him, though we had definitely gone too far east while we were walking. Ah, well, supporting the economy, etc, etc.

The medina was cool, though. We walked around, bought some stuff (we had all heard that it was easier and cheaper to buy stuff there than in Fes b/c Fes is so much bigger and more popular with tourists - I mean it's a UNESCO site and the largest car-free city area in the world. Who wouldn't want to come???) And we had a good lunch and then went to a museum that was in an AMAZING building built toward the end of the 1800s by some crazy rich guy. There was a sign that said no pictures. And then one guy told us pictures of the building were just fine, but not the exposition. And then we came to a room that was hard to tell which category it would fall into... and I will post the pictures for you later :) I just didn't think to bring my camera card today.

We had fun with the rest of the afternoon. Walked more, bought more, got told a thousand times to eat at the restaurants in the touristy area (we didn't) and went into the covered food market area. I feel weird about taking pictures of people I don't know going about their everyday jobs, but I certainly considered it in there. There was a whole row of cookie-making people. Soooo pretty and soooo tasty, I'm sure. The problem is that the bees agree with this tastiness. It used to creep me out a lot, but then you kind of get used to bees being everywhere. But there were more here than anywhere else I've seen, due to the density of the cookie people. Still, we walked through, drooling, and decided we'd come back. We passed some vegetables and meat and then it happened. Another girl said 'ah!' and looked like she almost tripped. The Moroccan guys who saw her said (in French) 'it's ok, he fell' and I'm thinking, 'what? yeah, it's ok, but SHE is fine and didn't trip.' Then she asked if we could see a bee stinger near her collarbone. Oh, THAT 'he' fell. So I guess the bees aren't as friendly as I'd like to think. We waited a bit before we got cookies, and we got them from a stand separated from the rest (and therefore with much fewer bees.)

In other news, my class schedule changed. Now it's 10-12 and 2-4. Gives me a nice amount of time to eat lunch and then get back. I am off to a nearby hotel and see if I can get a pool membership for 3 weeks. We'll see how it goes. There's a rumor that it's $13. And another that it's $13 EACH TIME you go. I'm good with the first, not the second. And I do have lots of sunscreen, don't worry :)

***UPDATE**** Neither rumor was true. It's *just* $11 per swim. (grumbles rude things about snooty hotel)

Slow it downnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn

2011-07-09T06:38:00.000-07:00

There are plenty of things at home that I miss. And will be thrilled to do/see/smell/taste/touch/etc when I get back. But there is still a lot left to do here! Most of the people who got here when I did are leaving this weekend, or shortly after. So I've heard a lot about their plans and about what they are gonna do back home.

Now I have one month left. I leave crazy early the morning of August 8th from Casablanca. That gives me 3 weeks of classes to enjoy (or not enjoy, depending on the specific class period) and loads of things to see and do and eat.

Lately I've been walking home with a couple of other girls. We've been stopping now & then to try different sweets and other foods sold by the guys on the street. Today I got a giant macaroon-like thing. It was tasty. I've also had a savory chickpea thing, a very thin-doughed pastry (kind of like phyllo) filled with 'sweet,' as the guy told me. I think it was left over fried honey-cookie-things, chopped up and wrapped in the pastry and either baked or fried and then coated in honey. Mmmmm, delicious honey. There was also a night that we got a box of different kinds of pastries from this one place and each had 1/4th of each. They were pretty big. And the other time that I got about a pound of petits-fours for $6. So tasty.

I'm sleepy, I may try to take a nap now.

Some pictures from Asilah

2011-07-06T06:43:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure why, but some of the others didn't want to upload. I'll have to try them again later, but this should get you started:

On the floor in the hotel

At the beach

And still the beach

The beginning of sunset (ate during it.)

A small fair we found while looking for suitable dessert (didn't find any I liked)

shta, shta, shta!**

2011-07-05T15:13:00.000-07:00

For some reason, my host mom sometimes repeats things, like a single word, 3 times. I think it might be b/c the last student did. Or maybe it's a typical thing here. Hard to know. Today seems to merit it, though, from all of the 'shta'-ing that happened.

Tonight there was a concert for free at the school's residence. I went over and saw that it was some sort of drumming group. They also had something like a tambourine as well as 2 long horn things (silver colored and seriously like 6-8 ft long when assembled) and two short oboe-ish things (dunno, reed instrument that reminded me of a recorder due to its open finger holes).

Here, people don't just listen to music. They clap. They sing along. They dance (shta). So I think that for these groups it must be really weird to play for Americans who don't know when to clap. Or any of the words. And sit and watch politely and silently. One of the drum/tambourine players would motion at us to all clap along, and it would happen for a bit. Then he came down and started trying to encourage people to stand up. We were sitting in the front row & felt like we should play along, so me & 2 others got up. We found ourselves soon drug along into dancing. Sometimes there would be two rows of people facing each other, and it was like a scene from West Side Story, as one person later said, as a person from one side would show the rest a movement and then the group would walk up the other row doing the movement (shaking a finger, clapping a certain way, kicking, holding hands and bringing them up in the others' faces, anything it seemed) and then back off. Then it was the other guys' turn to step up.

There was some really cool dancing, too. Some of the guys could do some cool footwork with jumping around - one of the American girls said it looked like they were made for stepping. And some of the dancing looks sooooooooo suggestive to us. It's funny that I, a person who has no hesitation dancing in ways that are absolutely suggestive (in the right company,) am surprised by it. But there is lots of hip and lots of shoulder movement. After a while, an older lady (guessing by her face alone, her body and hair were all covered) started dancing. And WHOA could she move. It was amazing. She danced with me for a little bit and I tried to imitate her movements. After maybe 15 seconds of one, she'd add something or change something and I'd try to follow along, mostly just mesmerized that her hips and torso could still be attached while doing all of those things.

We also had cookies and tea and got rose water sprinkled on us (traditional for the type of music, apparently for religious reasons as well as cooling affects) but, seriously, at one point I thought that I might just collapse from jumping around so much. And I was wearing a linen dress that went just past my knees. I can't imagine in a long-sleeved jellaba, with a full outfit underneath, how they keep going. I know, I know, they're used to it. But you know what I mean.

** Disclaimer: I keep mixing up the words for rain and dance because they're pretty similar to me as a non-speaker-of-the-language. I think this is dance... and that rain is 'stash'... but I could have it backwards. Or both of them wrong, come to think of it....

So, I paid $90 for this and it's not waterproof

2011-07-03T15:14:00.000-07:00

I went to Asilah with 10 other Americans this weekend. We all had a nice time, I think, except for the girl who apparently got sick from last night's dinner. Sad. It was much cooler, we got to swim in the ocean, and just relax and not worry about stuff.

Travel here is so much less expensive than France or the US. Obviously it's due to the general wages and cost of living, but it was about $25 for my roundtrip ticket to the city 3 1/2 hours away. I am well aware it's a lot for locals, but at least I can make it work for once. We stayed in a hotel a couple of blocks from the beach, ate food at a restaurant that I thought was pretty good (I had the same thing as the sick girl, so either I got lucky, her system is just different, or it was something else. Or all of the above) and mostly just had fun being somewhere different.

It was also pretty amazing that when we came back, it was actually chilly in Fez. It was a very pleasant surprise, and it's supposed to be a bit cooler this week than last. Wait, I'm feeling like I may have already told you that. Well, whatever.

I'm actually feeling tired now, though there are still guests in the main room. I may just close the door to my room. For now, then the mystery $90 item? ........................ Wait for it. Chimney's passport. Yep, boys are bright at times. Like when they run into the Atlantic with a passport in the pocket. Oops. (Chimney = nickname for the only one that smokes out of the group who went.)

Ok, goodnight!

I wake up in the morning feeling incredibly sweaty

2011-07-01T00:44:00.000-07:00

Yesterday some dark clouds rolled in and the wind kicked up a bit in the afternoon. A lot of places I have been, that means that it is going to rain and get cooler. Which seemed like a nice idea and we all started hoping for rain - as long as it started after we were in a taxi home because they seem to disappear the second that rain starts.

It didn't rain while we were at class, or later when we went to wander the medina to look at potential future purchases. It didn't get around to it til about 12:30 when I was finally going to bed. I don't know why I stayed up so late, but I planned to get up at 8:45 today, so no problem.

At 7:45, though, I woke up just nasty sweaty with sun in my face. I closed my curtain, but the darker curtain that blocks the sun, but still lets in a breeze, has been reappropriated to a window in the main room. I'm sure it needs it, too. It probably wouldn't have made a difference today anyway, it is just hot and pretty humid for once. I couldn't sleep anymore, but I remembered that I haven't updated all week, so here I am. It's supposed to be a little cooler this weekend, but if it stays this humid it won't be much of a relief, if any.

That's ok because I'm headed to the beach! It's supposed to be 91 tomorrow and 85 Sunday there. Doesn't that sound beautiful??? (It's supposed to be 100 and 94 here each day, which is actually cooler than it has been.) There's a city on the coast only 3 1/2 hours away that is the movie-typical mediterranean style (white walls, blue doors & trim.) It has about one paragraph on travel sites, which call it a break from the bigger cities and a 'sophisticated' introduction to Morocco, whatever that means. All I care is that it's got water to play in. And probably sand to sit in :) And I do have sunscreen, don't worry!

This week has been surprisingly packed with stuff to do. I've been hanging out with my roommate and a girl who grew up about 10 minutes from where I did, as well as a few others. Wandering the medina on your own isn't fun for me because you get too much attention in certain areas, and some people try to intimidate you. With several of us, we each get slightly fewer offers of 'help,' massages or aphrodisiacs (did you know that dates, olives and oil are among those? Just ask the guys here!) And if a shop-keeper tries to get you to buy stuff (we told them all we were just looking and most were ok with that) it's easier to just leave when you have company.

Tuesday night I went and bought some groceries (and wine and desserts!) with a couple of other grad student girls studying here and then we went back to the apt one of them has and made dinner. And ate it. It was wonderful. Really, it was just afriheims (taste like bell peppers, but shaped like big anaheim peppers) with rice, egg, spices, almonds 'in,' or on, them and some couscous. Plus the wonderful petit four things. We will probably do it again, but the boys will have to buy the wine and desserts if we are cooking. They were all properly appreciative of good food and even since then have been saying that they are for buying the expensive stuff if we cook. Yay for grateful people.

I'm very excited about my new clothes. Tuesday while shopping we saw that there is basically a used clothing market just up from where the food is, and one of the girls really wanted to go back. Wednesday she asked if I wanted to come and, having nothing better to do, I agreed. It was actually fun to look through all of the stuff. Some of it was obviously used or crap, but a lot of it was in really good condition. I got 2 skirts, 1 dress, 1 shirt. The shirt is 100% linen, white, and fits me very well for something to wear over a tank (gaps at chest when buttoned.) It was 10MAD ($1.25). The dress I actually can't wear here, but couldn't pass up. It is missing a strap to go around the neck, but it was still worth the 15 MAD ($2). It's cream and will go just above my knees, with a halter-style top. One skirt is a linen/cotton blend (50/50) and the other doesn't say but looks and feels like it could also be, but probably more cotton. Each 15MAD as well. For a grand total of 55MAD, or just under $7. I don't think I could have gotten 2 of them for that at an American goodwill. Goodwill is actually getting kinda pricey lately.

More to say, but I should be getting ready for class!

One month in.

2011-06-26T04:13:00.000-07:00

One month ago today I arrived in Morocco. Which means I have 1 1/2 more here. That's not a lot of time, really. I am glad I have it, even after all the sick yesterday (and I am feeling much better btw.) I can't believe some of the other students only have 2 weeks now. I have hardly bought anything and not seen very much of the country. More than I saw of Tunisia, as crazy as that is (which is why I hope to go back eventually), but still not very much!

I have definitely learned a lot of language here, both standard and Moroccan, though I do wish I had more :) haha, so hard to satisfy, but that's why I am staying longer than almost everyone else. I have also noticed some interesting things about the use of French and language attitudes that I may be able to wrap into something for a class at the very least, but possibly even my dissertation.

The next few weekends I am going to try to travel a bit more. Some people are going to a city near the coast and I may head over there with them (though if they continue on to a city further up, I may just stay in the nearer one. I also know people in two different cities within weekend distance - Meknes (45 min) and Rabat (2.5 hours) and I plan to go to both before leaving. Since I have one full week here after my classes end, I am starting to look at possible destinations and potential couchsurfers to stay with. Most of the Moroccan couch offerers are guys (or at least it's a guy who made the page) so I'll end up staying with non-Moroccans, but that should be fun, too.

It turns out to be very hard to meet Moroccans. There aren't a lot of groups to join or classes to take. People tend to meet others through their friends. I realize it's a lot like that at home, but there are a lot more places at home that it's acceptable for young people to hang out. Here, some more modern people will go to cafes, but it's still mostly older males. And that's not really my scene. It's typical for guys to get married around 30 or 35 to a girl significantly younger - and I have no interest in being seen as a possibility by them. So people meet their friends mostly at home and maybe go out walking or shopping together. Maybe get something to eat, depending on how much money they have, what their parents are ok with, etc. I was hoping to meet younger people, in order to get ideas on what kind of research might work (plus it's more fun to talk to people of a similar age/interests) so I have been trying outside and now have one Moroccan friend. The first couple times we talked I think she didn't know what to do, so we just helped each other learn more words and phrases. The third time started similarly, but we talked more after that. She speaks pretty English and ok French as far as I can tell so far, so we can get a lot across. We'll see how it continues.

Well, it is time to leave the study center - it closes from 1-4:30 on weekends. So I suppose that is all you get for now!

(home) sick

2011-06-25T12:34:00.000-07:00

I think many people here would agree. The distance from home becomes most obvious when you are feeling like crap and just want a hug/shower/the medicine you know/the foods you know/your favorite movies, etc. I don't know what exactly I did, but this is the worst my stomach has been from food. Really, it's not that bad - my stomach hurts and I'm uncomfortable, but I'm not accidentally pooing my pants or anything (has happened to a few others here, poor them.) But I do want to be at home. With some bland soup. And gatorade. And crackers. And people to go 'awww, you're not feeling ok? Have you tried this?' But over the internet it won't be the same, so don't try. Oh, right, and definitely the movies. May try to download Casino Royale. Can't feel crappy watching Eva Green, right?? I did figure out how to download this Moroccan soap opera I've been hearing about, though. They switch back and forth between Moroccan Arabic and French, it's pretty cool. And so much in line with my research interests. K, that's all for now :)

Turning the tables

2011-06-22T06:41:00.000-07:00

In the mornings, I meet with other students headed to school and we take a taxi together. Today we were trying to see if one other person was coming (turned out she was at school already) and while we were standing there a group of Moroccan teenagers walked past. One of the boys asked us (in arabic) if we could take a picture. We could tell by the looks on his friends' faces that he was kind of messing with us, so we said we didn't have a camera. (I bet none of us actually did.) Then he was like, 'no, we have a camera.'

We were still confused at what was gonna happen, but he called his friend with a 'camera' (a handheld game - maybe an old sony one? Or nintendo ds before the ds? I recognized it as old.) Then he started to act like he was going to take a picture WITH us. As in him & his female friend standing goofily with us with the other boys watching. And I told him "whoa, no, no, we will take a picture of you, but not with us in it." (K, don't know how much of that actually got across with my major lack of words.) Understanding well or not, they laughed and walked away.

While it was kind of odd, I am pretty sure that is what tourists here do to people sometimes and it was pretty funny that the kids decided to do it right back. I suppose we could have just taken a picture with them, the other girls may have been willing, but since it just seemed like a big joke, it didn't seem worth it.

Another interesting thing this morning was a comment my teacher made in class. One of the girls got our morning teacher to go off on a tangent that was actually pretty cool. He was talking about the purity of the Arabic language and how there is a saying that basically says you can tell who someone is by the way they talk (meaning whether they speak a language well, I think.) He also said that he judges news and television channels first by the language and second by the content - that if it's 'bad' Arabic he just can't listen to it no matter what, but if it's fluff news presented well, then it's fine.

The fact that the language used in the Koran is seen as the 'pure' language gives the people a really different relationship to it, and I'm still surprised by it at times. The teacher said that a king or president of an Arab country would never give a speech without reading it directly unlike American or European presidents (I sort of wanted to bring up teleprompters, but was enjoying his little diatribe too much.) He also said that if a king or president started speaking 'bad' Arabic or Darija (dialect), he would turn it off no matter what the topic or proposed program was because it is not the 'right' way to speak. I know from some of my research that in Tunisia the former president would sometimes give speeches in Tunisian Arabic, so now I'm curious what people here and there thought of it. And what language the speeches for the upcoming elections are in. He said that even the parliament uses 'pure' Arabic speeches, often written by someone else, so show how educated they are.

It's so hard to think of being required to change your language THAT much. If someone was raised without learning 'standard' Arabic, they would understand some words, but not really get the tenses or a whole lot of information. I can't figure out a good comparison, but maybe as different as Spanish and Italian - definitely some words in common, but different pronunciation. Some grammar similarities, but plenty of differences. You know, some dialects may even be more different. But don't tell that to some native speakers. For religious and political reasons, they're all considered the same language. K, I'll quit being a nerd now.

Sweating is good for you!

2011-06-21T14:33:00.000-07:00

I was lucky that the first two weeks here the weather was cooler than normal. Last week it started to heat up. And now it is high 90s all week. Still cooler than Austin (105 the other day) and much dryer. But the big difference is that there is no AC in my house here. Which means lots of sweating. For the next 6 weeks. My host mom says it's good for you, and that AC is bad. Wake up sweaty. Walk to taxi. Windows down, but no AC. Get to school. AC in classroom (reasonable amount) but before and after class, again none. But all the trees and plants surrounding the school keep it shady and cooler. In the afternoon, I head over to the school's study center. It's in a big, old house that is built properly for the heat, so it's cooler. But still not actually cool. Less sweating, anyway.

I have been drinking loads of water (and trying to keep enough salt in me to not just lose it all immediately) so I can tolerate it. I am actually starting to get used to it, which I find pretty disgusting in itself if I stop and think about it. But what can you do? Accept it and move on. And hope you can actually fall asleep.

Camel 'saddles' are not comfy and sand dunes are big.

2011-06-20T07:33:00.000-07:00

The title is all you need to know.

I had a lot of fun over the weekend. I saw a ton of Moroccan countryside as well as the Sahara. We set out Friday after lunch (skipping all afternoon classes) and made our way down to a hotel in Erfoud. The city seems to be pretty small - mostly just a place for hotels. Or all of the hotels are outside of the city (totally possible, I just don't know which.) They are definitely built around people headed to/from the desert. Since the trip was organized by school, we stopped on the way down there for bathroom breaks at set hotels that knew we were coming.

The hotel we stayed at in Erfoud was ridiculously nice. Giant rooms with two double beds (and directions on how to make them stay together in case you wanted one realllllly giant bed. Then a TV and two couches to sit on. The bathroom had the toilet separate with its own door, which is pretty standard in France as well as many hotels, but the rest of the bathroom didn't have a door at all. So to get to the shower, you walked around this corner, and hello!. I ended up rooming with a very nice girl that I hadn't met before. She actually isn't studying at ALIF, she's doing an internship in Rabat. A group of students from her school is here, though, so she asked the professor and got permission to come on the Sahara trip with us. That first night we swam and ate. The food was a big buffet and for once there was plenty of fruit and vegetables! I was so very happy about that. I didn't even have a piece of bread.

A bunch of students had decided it would be a good chance to get drunk, too (no drinking in homestays, of course, or at school or the study center, so you are limited to not drinking or to drinking in hotels.) As you might guess, many of us felt that actually drinking was probably about the worst thing to do before heading into the desert as it would probably just make you dehydrated and possible hung over - not the things one wants to be while riding a camel in the heat. So I swam a lot and talked and showered and went to sleep.

The 'sitting area' of my hotel room the first night

The next day, we ate breakfast, had the option for more swimming (since it was all sunny I didn't want to be in the water for fear of getting totally worn out) and hung around for a bit until we moved to the second hotel. The second hotel was really just a staging area to get out on the camels. We had lunch there, could swim again if wanted, but a lot of us just relaxed. There were two rooms - one for the girls' stuff and one for the boys'. And these rooms were quite a bit smaller than the last ones, so it really was just peoples' stuff in them.

We grabbed what we would need for the desert (a lot of water, scarves, jeans and long sleeves) and met around 5:30 to meet the camels. Camels are pretty big animals. When they sit down on the ground, they are not that tall, but they have some serious legs on them! The guides would gather a small group of people and then start putting us on camels. And those serious legs make for an interesting experience as they stand up or sit down. Hold on tight and lean in the opposite direction of where you're trying to fall off. No one did fall, though. The saddles or seats or whatever you want to call them were the problem. Sort of boxy and squared. Covered in a blanket, as well as wool sewn directly on to it, but I have no idea what was under there because it was sooooo square feeling and awkward. The way out there wasn't much of a problem. It was waking up the next morning and standing up that you realized how uncomfortable you must have been. Which did not make the prospect of getting back ON a camel to head back the least bit appealing.

My view from the camel's back

The first ten minutes of the ride, I think that the only thing I was thinking was why hadn't I thought about the fact that camels are BIG animals. And not always happy to have riders. They move around, you shift with their every step, and I am not so sure what to do with animals. I've only even ridden a horse a few times, and you are closer to the ground with horses. Or at least the saddle feels better. After I got a little used to it, and quit gripping the thing you hold on to quite so tightly, I would take off one hand to take pictures (strap securely around wrist.) Like so very many things, pictures just can't do it justice. I mean, you're in the middle of a sea of sand. And it's so pretty but so big and dry. And those kids in A Far off Place? Never would have made it, even with the native friend's help. I know it was a different desert, but they were not dressed well and would have needed sooooo much water.

After about 2 hours of bumpy camel ride, we made it to the oasis that we would stay at. It was pretty funny because the place was divided into about 4 'camps' that are apparently owned by different families or people at least. We got settled and, as it was a little before sunset, some of us decided to climb the sand dune directly to the west of the oasis. It really didn't look that big. We started climbing. And got tired. And kept climbing. And climbing. And became exhausted. But refused to stop all the same. Forget stairmasters, some genius should make a sandmaster - that would be the true work out.

Brilliant me, I had left my scarf at the camp because I was hot and sweaty. So when I was about 15 feet from the top (maybe 5 minutes at my pace by then) the wind started to pick up. On our way in, we had heard thunder and I just thought it was cool. When that became sand blowing in my face, it wasn't so cool. I stayed at the top for a bit, feeling the sand attack my skin, lips, ears, nose and eyes. It didn't hurt in my eyes, really, just felt weird (at least not til I tried to get some out of my eyes.) After maybe 15 or 20 minutes at the top, enjoying but only having time for one picture before the wind was too strong (don't want sand in camera!) we headed back down. Some people had been up there longer than me, others shorter. Walking down was soooo much fun! The annoying part of getting up - feet sliding backward all the time - became a game of seeing how far a single step would take you. But that thing was much bigger than we thought, as my pictures of the tiny camels from the top should tell you.

From the very top of the sand dune.

Back down at the bottom, the winds continued. It wasn't a full-on sand storm, but it definitely got sand EVERYWHERE. At least I was at the bottom with my scarf by then. Still, it was very uncomfortable. Someone said we were all getting free microdermabrasion. And it's true that my hands were really soft afterward and my lips stung when I had orange for dessert. Didn't make up for it all, though. We had to have dinner inside this big, low tent. It was very hot in there, and the bodies of 45+ people did not help it in any way at all. We had a giant dinner for here (lunch is the main meal of the day) with different vegetables and tuna with rice, followed by kefta (meat balls) and fruit for dessert. I'm pretty sure the stuff was brought in on ATVs, not camels, as we saw plenty of tracks on our way it. I would much rather ride a four-wheeler than a camel.

After that there was drumming by some berber guys that was really cool sounding and a bunch of people got up to dance. I'm find with dancing, especially if it's having fun and learning how they do it. But instead it was a bunch of sweaty Americans sort of moshing around. And being covered in sand and hot, I decided it was better to stay out of the dancing and enjoy the sky. I think I have seen more stars once - at the MacDonald Observatory in west Texas. And probably only because there were some clouds and the moon was near full. It was still amazingly pretty. So pretty that two other girls and I decided to sleep out of the tent (most everyone did in the end). One of them grabbed pillows, but as soft as sand is when you're directly on it, when it's covered by a heavy carpet it's just hard and lumpy. We lied there for about 5 hours, but I probably slept 3-4.

We got up early to climb the dune again to see the sunrise. I guess desert sunrises can be amazing, but this one was very nothing. The sky just lit up, and the sun came up. No cool colors, nothing surprising at all. There were some people who stayed on the hill longer, and later it sounded like they were waiting for more. Um, sorry people, that's not how a sunrise works. We headed back, uncomfortably, on the camels and I was soooooooooooooo ready for 'breakfast' once we finally got there! I was crazy hungry, but unfortunately they didn't think fruit was a breakfast thing at that hotel so it was mostly bread stuff. I did have a hard-boiled egg and a tomato at least.

Then we showered (there was a shower building, not just the one in the room) and headed out. The van was hot and sticky both directions. The air was on, but not high enough. And I was just in a skirt! I don't know how the people in jeans survived. After lunch at another hotel (which seems to have upset my stomach) we made it back to Fes about 11 hours after we left Merzouga (camel start/end hotel city.) It was cool and I had fun and it was great to do something different, but I was also tired and happy to be out of that car!

I think I got a little sick from lunch at the last place, but here I am at school all the same. I'm sure I will live!

Ants for breakfast!

2011-06-16T07:43:00.000-07:00

My host mom is very nice. Every morning she makes tea and puts it out before I get up, as well as bread, butter and jam. Then she goes back to sleep. I think she stays up on the phone til 1 or 2, so I don't blame her for sleeping late. With the heat that is starting to set in, it makes even more sense.

Today I went out to pour myself some tea (it's always really hot, so I pour it a bit before I want to drink it) and noticed a few ants on the table. Odd, but considering that there aren't screens, the windows are usually open, the door is usually open, and the windows and screens probably don't close very well anyway, no big deal.

I came back a couple of minutes later to drink the tea and eat something and when I went to grab some bread I realized that it was fulllll of ants. Yay, yummy. Ant bread. So I brushed a few off and cut a piece in half, trying to decide if I'd eat it anyway, and found more ants wandering through the interior of the bread. That decides it, no ants for breakfast. There is a little food stand at the school that has lots of stuff, I just usually try to not spend money on food there when there's plenty of similar stuff at my house.

I was just told that I'll be getting a roommate tomorrow. She's not with a program, which I think is good - no built in group of people. It sounded from the housing coordinator's description that she's not excited about sharing a family, which is also good in my book, since I'm not either. Maybe we'll end up with different schedules. Only time will tell... I don't think I'll meet her til Sunday night since I have the desert trip. Yay, weekend!

2011-06-15T06:11:00.000-07:00

I found a place that I can reliably upload photos! It's a miracle! And it's close to school and it's not a cafe, so I don't have to buy something to use their internet! It's the student residence for the school - people who aren't living here are allowed to hang out from 9am to 6pm. It's pretty handy. So here's what you get now. More pics next week - of sunrise and sunset from the desert!

Inside old traditional house American fulbright girl lives in.

scaffolding holding up said house

Fountain in ville nouvelle (new city) looking towards old city.

Cute kitty, don't know how it got there.

American playing keep away with Moroccan kids :)

Inside the study center

Floor of study center. I like all the stars.

Morning in the medina

2011-06-11T11:03:00.000-07:00

This morning I walked around the medina with Karen and her host sister. Her host sister is 11 or 12, I think, and doesn't seem to mind wandering around with us, half showing us places and half just seeing with us. We speak mostly Arabic, but when I totally am lost Karen will use French with me. It's a nice way to get in some practice, unlike in class! Plus she speaks more slowly than native speakers, so I understand more. And we talk about immediate things that are easier to understand anyway.

Here is a picture of some plaster carving that I think looks really cool. The whole place is.... old. I just checked - apparently built in the 1350s. I don't know if this is that old, or if it's part of the restoration efforts, but the cedar in the building is apparently at least from the 1500s. CRAZY.

I am sooooo hungry, I am going home for tea! (at study center now.)

Food and laundry

2011-06-09T13:18:00.000-07:00

The other night for dinner, we had a goat's head. Or maybe a sheep's. As in the whole thing. It was pre-cooked over a fire from the flavor, and then soaked for a few days and boiled in a little pressure cooker that Malika uses for just about everything. The flavor was fine - the hard part was the texture and knowing what was edible or not. I had been warned ahead of time, and when she brought it out there was the familiar direction, "eat!" I started slowly and was again urged to eat. So I asked, 'eat what?' and then she kinda realized I didn't know how to go about it and started pointing out good bits. Then handed me some. I started out with what I recognized as meat, and when there was something unfamiliar I asked "and this?" Every now and then, no, that was not a good eating part. Then she handed me a piece and said 'that's its ear.' Gee, thanks, as if this wasn't difficult enough already. Some of it, the texture.... ughhhhhhhh, just thinking about it makes me want to puke. But, with a decent dose of bread I made it through.

Tonight I got to do some laundry. They do have a little machine, but I don't know how gentle it is so I asked if I could wash my underwear. I did learn things in Tunisia - like how to effectively wash underwear by hand quickly and how many rinses it actually takes to get the soap out. Plus here I didn't have to lean over a bathtub - there is a part of the roof that's about chest height that I put the little tub on so I wouldn't have to lean over on the ground. But even that is better than leaning over a bathtub. Plus with the music festival in the background, it wasn't so bad. After hearing so much of it, I decided to spring for one of the shows, so I'm going to see Ben Harper on Sunday. It's like $35, so a small splurge, but way less than it would be at home! Like most (ha, out of like 5) of the concerts I've been to, I know the name, and am sure I know some songs, but honestly can't be sure of what they are. Always fun, though!

Still here

2011-06-08T10:44:00.000-07:00

Since I've settled in, things have really slowed down. I go to class for 4 hours a day, with a 4 hour break in the middle when I go home, eat lunch, and do some homework (they tend to give us hw for the break.) I'm pretty frustrated with how slowly the course is going, especially since I found out that one of the other classes that started from the very beginning has been moving faster than us. I have to get through a certain # of chapters in order to take Arabic in the fall, and at this rate we will never make it - if some of the students can't even remember their alphabets still, how much will they slow us down later?? I thought at first maybe it was just ppls' motivations differ, but the two other girls who are doing well are learning arabic more or less for fun, so that's out as an explanation. I'm sure it will end up ok, blahblahblah, but I wish our profs would tell them, "go home, memorize this, you should know it by now." We're taking a whole 40 hours to do what I know they do in the program in Austin in 25-28. More people come in 1 1/2 weeks, maybe they'll mix up the classes then.... I kinda hope for that, but at the same time it could get worse probably, too. I'm hungry so food and slow class are the only things on my mind, which means I should stop now. Hope you all are well!

Two more pics

2011-06-06T11:21:00.000-07:00

See more below!

A small part of a mosaic at a not-running public fountain in the 'ville nouvelle' (new city)

Couscous lunch on Friday - that reportedly made a few people sick. Oops.

Rude or smart?

2011-06-06T11:01:00.000-07:00

It is SO hard to know what to do sometimes here. Lots of people try to talk to us. You can tell a lot of them are just jerks trying to get a response or who would later ask if you need a guide and then insist on money. We were told to ignore everyone and not feel bad about it, and in the old medina I feel like that's a very good rule. Sometimes outside of it, though, it's harder.

The other day I was walking home with another girl in my class and a guy tried to say sthg to us. Assuming he was just another jerk sitting near a store in a touristy area, we ignored him and went into a little store-stand to see if they had stamps. They didn't, but when we left, the guy we had just ignored told us where to find them. Oops. Still, with several shouts of "beautiful" and for some reason "Spice Girls" I don't feel bad for ignoring adults.

I had been wondering about what to do with kids. Little boys in the medina can be pretty aggressive, and again I was comfortable with brushing them off. But outside of there, maybe they are just trying to practice their language skills. I was staring blankly in the direction of a store area and a woman inside waved at me. I smiled back and heard a little girl call "bonjour!" and her mom corrected her, so she changed it to 'bonsoir!' and I laughed and said bonsoir back.

After a few minutes, a little girl came up and looked like she was going to pass me. On her way past, she said bonjour. I decided to say it back. Then she stayed with me. And asked for a pen. I told her no. Then she asked for candy. I said no again. If she asked me again I was going to tell her 'shame on you' which is sort of an effective thing - apparently in public people care, but when no one else is around (like me & the little girl) other students have said they don't care because there's no one there to enforce the 'shame.' Luckily she gave up on me and went back the other way. Brat.

It feels ridiculous because I think the nice, honest people are going to start thinking that foreigners are all unfriendly jerks, but it's not worth it to get followed or harassed by the jerk locals. And I bet that some of the Moroccans are well aware of the treatment of foreigners, but certainly not all. And not the little honest little kids that I will now be ignoring.

I also get annoyed by the tourists who fall for it - who would just give the little girl stuff not realizing that it's not cool and it's going to get her to keep asking everyone for gifts, or money. Or the girls who giggle or chat with the boys when they call them spice girls or britney spears. If they would all just knock it off, the rest of us could probably walk down the street without so many shouts. Brain-dead jerks. I think some people do it out of wanting to 'help' when they see the level of poverty, but that is NOT the way to do it.

I made some pictures work!

2011-06-06T07:38:00.000-07:00

View from my roofMe on the giant castle stairs in Lisbon (where I apparently left my umbrella. grrrrr.)

Sunset from the plane!

Ok, it's not much, but it took like 15 minutes for these to upload from school, so you better appreciate it! Time for class now!

Answering questions

2011-06-05T02:06:00.000-07:00

K, I'm not feeling so hot this morning, so I guess it's a good time to answer questions. Several asked about the marriage conversation - the guy was speaking in French, so I was translating that to English for the girl. Every now and then, she would ask him questions directly in Moroccan, or he would clarify a bit in English.

I am sure that the chicken will last just fine, but 3 chickens and only 3 people, one of whom is an 18 yr old who almost doesn't eat... it seems like a ton at the moment. We'll see how it goes.

My classes are at a place called ALIF. It's actually a bit like the place I worked in Tunis. They mainly offer english courses, and have a bunch of centers that do, but they also offer arabic - standard or Moroccan - to foreign students. Mostly, if not completely, American students. The instructors are all Moroccan as far as I know. I have two and they both are. One teaches us for two hours in the morning, the other for 2 in the afternoon. They definitely have different styles, so it's nice to have them both. I think some of the teachers may do it as a summer job, but others it's definitely their full-time job. One of my instructors is the language coordinator, so he would be there year-round. I know there are 4-5 times as many Arabic students in the summer than the rest of the year, so I imagine they must pull in extra. Or maybe they all just work more in the summer, who knows.

I live in what I guess is an apartment. It's in a 3-story building that probably used to be a big house. We live on the top floor, there are 2 bedrooms, a big main room, and a tiny kitchen. At least the kitchen's its own room. On the roof there is what I think of as a study/relaxing room, as well as plenty of space to dry clothes. There's also a storage room up there. The bathroom is sort of separate from the apartment, but we have it to ourselves. It has a western toilet and a shower whose drain is not in the curtained off shower 'space,' but on the other side of the toilet near the sink. Unfortunately not quite the lowest spot in the bathroom (anymore?), so you get to use the squeegee the excess water into the drain. I have practice with such things from the Taos kitchen. There isn't a yard, but there are trees here and there because some people do have them in courtyards. The streets are sort of a modern cobblestone, I guess. Bricks that are laid in together. On the bigger streets they are big stones that have a very pretty pattern to them. I'll try to upload some pics sometime, I just don't know where I might. There are also poured concrete sidewalks that are sometimes funny because they look like they were 'leveled' with a rake. (At least there ARE sidewalks, unlike some parts of Austin.)

I had some cheap local chocolate last night. I don't know how it passes for 'chocolate.' It's all waxy and doesn't taste like much. Mostly left my mouth feeling like I'd eaten 5 cookies worth of oreo guts. gross. My stomach doesn't feel great today. My host mom gave me some tasty instant coffee stuff made with milk. How to explain that milk will NOT help my stomach? I just took some lactaid and drank it anyway.

No pictures for you!

2011-06-04T07:55:00.000-07:00

I decided Saturday would be a good day to try to upload pics. It turns out that while my internet is helpful and relatively speedy, it does not agree with pictures. I shall try this again somewhere at some point. But for now, you all must be patient. Not fun, I know, but I am quite sure you will survive it!

On the menu for today is a walk through the old city with Karen (that I met in Lisbon) and her host sister and then maybe watching a soccer game with Selma (I'm horrible at fake names) and *her* host sisters.

Week 1 of classes left me tired, and not perfect at everything we're doing, but still feeling like I wish it would go faster. Having to learn a new alphabet for a language makes the process so much slower! And when our professors pronounce words, it's easy to her the long and short vowels/consonants. Not so much from the dvds we work from. Good practice and all that, I'm sure.

cool

2011-06-03T15:10:00.001-07:00

This evening I wandered around the medina a bit with Malika. She got Amira's watch strap fixed (guy did it in 2 minutes and was less than a dollar - people are cool about easily making things usable for longer here) and then bought some chicken. Yep, you may have guessed - whole, live chicken. She didn't kill them, the guy did. But just easy as that, picked out 3, one at a time. She'd kind of point, the guy would grab one, twist its wings together so it wouldn't move, weigh it, tell her a price (I gotta get better with numbers!) and she agreed. Then, slit it's throat, put it upside down in the blood-drainer-thing. Then we walked a bit more to see where they're going to have a bunch of the concerts for the next week (google fez sacred music festival, it's maybe 10 min from my house on foot and I could hear it from the roof this afternoon), bought some soap and noodles, and went back to pick up the chickens. All nicely plucked now, of course. I wonder how long they last like that. At home, it's supposed to be 2-3 days after buying, but clearly these are a BIT fresher....

Apple, apple, apple!

2011-05-31T09:32:00.000-07:00

(Make sure that was in a dancy/singsong voice.) My host family has bread with butter & jam for breakfast. With super sweet tea. Not surprising, not unusual, but I am used to fruit with breakfast. Usually a banana. I have actually been putting butter on my bread in an effort to have breakfast get me through til lunch time. This morning I had to go get a notebook because I didn't bring one (assuming they'd be cheaper here, and I think they are) and once I secured two - using only Arabic - I decided to look for fruit. There was a place that sells fruit juices and stuff, and had a ton of whole fruit. I asked (French this time) if I could just get an apple. She seemed surprised, but said ok. Then she looked for a prettier one, washed it for me, and gave it to me. Before I could even ask how much she said I didn't owe her anything. 'Are you sure?' 'Yes, yes' and I suddenly forgot the word for thank you in Arabic but found it after a second and she was just like 'no big deal' (assuming the words matched the body language.) It looks like they have good juices, too. And they're like 1.50 for a fresh whatever. I will certainly have to go back to try them.

Where I am

2011-05-31T07:43:00.000-07:00

I have sthg I wrote on my netbook, but the internet's not connecting right. So a quick note on where I am living. Go to google maps, type in fez, morocco. Once there, type in Batha. I am not too far from the bus stop (comes up on my screen with a bus symbol and on the left says 'Batha bus stop'). A lot of the other students live in this area, too, so we tend to get to/from school together. Taxis cost the same as a the bus if there are 3 of you, and it's much quicker and more comfortable. And that way walking home there is no problem. Class time!

First day of class!

2011-05-30T20:00:00.000-07:00

Today went by pretty quickly. There are a CRAZY number of American students at the school during the summer. I heard that there will be about 100. The first session started today, the second starts in 3 weeks. Some people are only staying 3 weeks, but more will be here for 6. It seems like not many are sticking around for as long as I am. I don't think it's going to be a place that I will hang out, though, because today at 6 when I was done with class it was tough to even walk around outside, with few to no places to sit. I don't mind, my main goal isn't to meet other Americans anyway.

I have two class sessions per day, like I said before I think. There are 2 different instructors, which is kind of nice because they have different styles. Today it didn't feel much like they were on the same page with what we should do, but it worked out anyway. Hopefully it will be a bit smoother in the future, though. The first one told us what to expect and all that, and the second one pretended not to speak any English as the start of class. There was one girl who kept translating everything he said at the beginning. I think that she was trying to show that she understood, but I mostly found it annoying. (And if she ever sees this, sorry, it's true!) Luckily the girl next to her leaned over and whispered that she thought he was going for immersion, so the translator stopped.

Like I kind of expected at first, I have a definite advantage over the others from learning to read the alphabet in Tunisia and the studying I've done since then. Things like vowel and consonant length distinctions don't surprise or bother me. For example, there could be a word ba and baa that have the exact same vowel sound except that the second one is longer. Same goes for a word like hamock or hammock. Actually, the words for pigeon and bathroom are distinguished (phonetically) by just a double consonant in the middle.

I'm typing this from the roof of my host family's place and will post it tomorrow. I did my homework here and really like being able to come up here. It's quieter, there's a nice breeze, and of course a gorgeous view. I finally paid attention to the sun, too and realized that the windows of my room face NE, as does the view from the roof. My host mom is really upset right now because there is a sort of bed & breakfast next door that has decided to build a patio on their roof. Nice for guests - awful for her and her privacy. Normally, she walks around in the house however she wants and won't feel able to do that with peeping tourists 10-20 feet away. The new patio is higher up, too, so the 3-4 foot wall on the roof won't help. What makes it worse is that the whole medina is a UNESCO world heritage site. In theory, you can't make changes to the outside - it's all protected. In practice, if you pay off the right person you definitely can. And if you are a small hotel/B&B, you probably have that money.

Questions?

2011-05-30T01:51:00.000-07:00

I just posted two things that I wrote over the weekend, so ask me questions and I will answer them.

Slowly, slowly

2011-05-29T12:06:00.000-07:00

Things are getting better already. The first day (and the following morning) the about-to-leave student, Jamie, wasn't around at all. She had a farewell dinner for her program that went late, then slept late. But it turns out that she is really nice. After the initial shock of seeing a new student walk unannounced into her host family, she cleaned up her room, and made it so I could put some stuff in there. She packed up one of her suitcases, so there is some room on the shelves. Wednesday the rest of her stuff will be out, so I can put all mine away and banish the suitcase.

I've been able to ask her a lot of things, like 'how do you say x' or 'how do you get this message across?' Seeing her talk with them as well gives me an idea of the level of words she does/n't know and how they get around it. As always, lots of gestures, no fear of looking silly, and plenty of sound effects all help. Even the mom said today that I'm learning more words. Ha, starting from 2-3, it isn't hard to add more! With Jamie on her way out, too, there are some things that she isn't taking with her, like a different travel guide. I have found it useful for the different language section in the back. They complement each other fairly well. Plus in her program, they take 2 content courses (culture/history stuff) and a language course. She chose to take the local dialect since she doesn't study Arabic at home and came more to experience everything. From the class, she has a textbook that I also got to flip through and pull out more basic words to add to my gestures and noises.

Right now Jamie is writing a paper on arranged marriages in Morocco. She's gotten a wide variety of information about them, from those who are (or were) in them to those that say only rural people, and maybe just 30 percent, still do them. Today we got more information from a guy that she knew already that owns a cafe close to our house and a snack stand at the language school. I'm not sure how old he is, but I'd guess 35-40. It was fun - she speaks some darija, but obviously it's a complicated topic. He speaks some English, but again not enough for the topic. So I played interpreter, with some conversation directly between them, and he could understand me well enough to correct anything that I might have forgotten or severely misunderstood.

Basically, arranged marriages definitely still happen. From what I can tell from her notes/reports, they are more common with poorer people and more rural people (of course, those can overlap.) The man often has some say, sometimes a lot, and the woman's say depends on a lot of factors. Even when they both are allowed to agree to it, the families have to agree as well. I think it goes back to times when marriage was more about the money and connections than anything else. In some areas, it still seems to be.

All of the young people she talked to are happy to wait. They are not in any rush. They all say that a man needs to have enough money first. The guy today added that this shows he is responsible. 'Enough' varies widely, of course, and while he insisted that it doesn't have to be a lot, he himself owns two places and seems fairly comfortable, but isn't married (yet, inchallah.) I only saw her talk to one girl, who was with a bunch of younger guys, but from what Jamie has seen there tends to be an age difference of at least 10 years. Yikes. I know that she talked to a 20 year old about to be married to someone 16 years older, and a 22 year old that has a kid and is either divorced or separated, I forget which.

A common thread is that they all agree that family is the most important. If you don't have money, your family will help you. If you get married really young, that's fine because both families are around to help you out, give you tips, help take care of things while you finish school. Even if you have a kid relatively younger, you might still go to college (according to the guy today... I wonder how many actually do.) If you have more kids than you planned on (natural birth control methods are the only ones ok w/ religion, but others are used by some people) then your family is expected to help you make ends meet. As you might guess, some families are better at putting this into practice than others.

Divorce is seen as a last resort, but sometimes necessary. The guy today said that if people get divorced, it tends to be after just a couple of years and that after 28 (an American he knows) it's basically unheard of. Traditions and expectations vary by region as well as by class, so in one area he heard that girls get 'married' for the first time at 13-14 (first period), and if it sticks, cool, if not, no big deal - she'll find a 'real' husband later. The point is to have a kid and show you are a woman (gross oversimplification, yes.) The younger people in the city said that they think it's normal for girls now to get married closer to 25-28, and the girl there thought that 25 or 26 was the right age, but they were all hanging out at a cafe - not exactly a traditional thing to do, but with a high level of unemployment, a relatively common reality.

Classes start tomorrow, so I'm enjoying bumming around right now. Looking over my textbooks, the travel guides, Jamie's stuff. Lazing about because I can. Playing spider solitaire on the computer, snake on my new phone. And writing to let you all know that I am still alive and well. I have had some slight allergies since Lisbon, but nothing else yet.

I don't know why still, but the time zone in Morocco isn't what I thought. I am 6 hours ahead of central time, not 5. But the 2-3 sites I saw had Morocco 5 hrs ahead. And someone else's iphone said the same. We asked a Moroccan on the train from Casablanca to Fes if the whole country shares a time zone as the answer was a confused yes. We explained why & he was confused, too. His only guess is that they just started doing summer time a couple of years ago, so maybe the sites weren't taking that into account. It's the most logical explanation, but still weird. Why wouldn't the iphone ppl and others just get it right?? The world may never know...

First day w/ host family

2011-05-28T10:04:00.000-07:00

Whoa. So much has happened in the last two days that I don't even know where to begin. Mostly just yesterday, actually. I'll start with now.

I am writing this from my host family's living room. Maybe "all purpose" room would be more accurate. They live at the edge of the medina, not too far from the touristy areas (but not too close, either) This is where I slept yesterday, but I will get my own room on Wednesday. At the school, they said that you would only have to share a host family if you agreed to it. They failed to mention that if you don't share, you may not get one. Yesterday, I wondered about a thousand times if sharing would have been a better idea, as long as the other person spoke more Arabic than me, but I'll make this work.

The guy at the school asked me what I was expecting from a host family. I told him I could deal with any location, food or bathroom style (three things he asked about) as long as I was with a family that would be willing to talk to me and help me with my Arabic. Then he said about sharing, I said I really wanted to be on my own, he found a solution. There's a group from a university here that is leaving on the second (which I just realized is actually THURSday) so he put me with a girl from there instead. She's got the guest bedroom right now, so I am in the main room until she leaves.

So............... be careful what you wish for. The mom came to pick me up, said hi, and one of the guys from the school accompanied us to explain a few things to me on the way and spoke to me in English and her in Arabic. The first guy at the school said I should stay in a place where they would speak MSA ('Standard' variety used on news and stuff, but spoken by VERY few) and I wasn't excited about that, but he was insistent since that's what I'll be learning at school. It won't be a problem because they don't speak the standard variety here. They speak Darija (Moroccan Arabic.) Period. No French, no English. Oy. Talk about headaches. Try explaining that you need to go get your suitcase from the American girl you stayed with last night, and you need to call her but don't have a phone. We did eventually get it figured out and I had my stuff at about 10:30. But there were hours of gesturing, talking slowly, me trying to ask questions (that were clearly NOT understood) and general confusion. I don't think they were terribly impressed, but what can you do?

The daughter is in high school, so she does speak some English, but not a lot. She has helped me some by giving me phrases and words as I ask them. Some of these are just "how do you say 'how do you say'?" The little things that are so helpful. But even then it only gets you so far! Then you need words like what, where, when, why, but those barely do anything when you don't understand the answer. At all. I find that one of my most helpful classes has been field methods - getting information on a language from a native speaker informant. We had to read a few things with suggestions on how to do that, and a lot of them were kind of obvious after you read them, but I actually am thinking about it now that I am stuck with no choice but to try to gesture and guess my way through conversations. And that word can only be taken in the loosest terms since we can't get much across.

I'll be taking classes starting Monday for 4 hours a day. My first 'shift' is 10-12AM, then 4-6pm. I wasn't real excited about the later time, but the girl I wandered around with all yesterday (til 4ish) has 8-10 and 2-4. I can't decide which is better. Then I found out that Karen has classes 8-10 and 4-6. Ok, she wins for worst schedule. She can't even get a nice nap in the middle for most of the time, though, because she's got 2 hours of tutoring because she's on a grant that requires 200 hours of class. And she's staying only 6 weeks. Yeah, that sounds a little crazy to me. No, thank you! K, I'm not sure what's going on exactly today, but I shall go try to figure that out.

Written in Lisbon airport

2011-05-26T15:09:00.000-07:00

[And posted from the Fez medina where I am sleeping tonight in a cool house rented by an American girl and two (I think) Brits.]

Ok, I am at the gate and my flight starts boarding in 50 minutes. So: Lisbon. It was nice. I'll have to talk to Karen to see how it went for her, doing the long layovers to eventually get to Casablanca, but if that was a pain then I would stop here again. It was fun to be able to go around and see some different stuff, but at the same time, it's also nice to just get where you're going and be done with the whole travel thing.

I stayed at the Goodnight Hostel here. It was nice, clean, really friendly staff, and pretty cheap. At the same time, I am not sure if they have AC. I didn't see evidence of any. They just had the windows open the last two days, which was fine because the weather was pretty much perfect. But later in summer, I couldn't stay there without it.

But who's Karen, you ask? Funny, that. I was waiting with the rest of the people from my flight to get through customs in Lisbon (which seemed really slow, but we were out of the airport an hour after we landed, so not bad, really) and lots of people started kind of chatting. After being bored for the last 7 hours, it might be natural, but maybe it was just a talkative bunch because people don't usually do that. Instead, they stand there, staring boredly at each other. The guy behind me was heading to work in Toulouse. He's already worked in Strasbourg, and speaks a little French. The guy behind him was going to Amsterdam then... Armenia, I think. Sthg like that. He was chatting with a girl that was heading into Lisbon. While Toulouse and I were talking, I said something about learning Arabic, and when there was a lull in the conversation, the other girl asked if she had heard me say that. Why, yes, I'm going to Morocco. Her too. I'll be in Fez. Her too! At the same school. She's had a year or so of Arabic, so we won't be in the same classes, but we'll be at the same school.

She was sticking with the 12 hour layover, so we decided to go explore the city together while she was there. She had heard that you really have to go up to the top of 'the hill' for a great view of the city, so after dropping my bags at the hostel, we set off up the nearest hill. There are actually a bunch of hills in and around Lisbon, but we could see what we guessed was a fancy church at the top of one, plus it was close. We didn't have a map (another employee at the hostel gave me one later and tisked that the first guy hadn't) so our only direction was 'up.' Come to a crossroads, how to choose? Which one goes up more? That way.

At one point, we were on a road called 'costa do castel' and figured there meant there was a castle nearby. We went on the up side once more. And eventually came to a big old church. Not a castle. But there was a cute garden, and a nice view, so no problem. 'This is our hill,' she said. Then we wandered back a bit, a little bit down, and through several back streets. Kind of nice not having a map, when you know that where you need to be next is in the center of town (and I had printed a google map for that area.) We ended up finding another giant church, Sao Vicente, and a lady was just opening the doors so we went in. It was big and old, of course, but it also had one of the most ornate priest areas I have ever seen. Ok, I don't know what it's called, but it's the area that I imagine the priest should be during church service. I could be totally wrong. It was nice, though, and when we got back out there was a British couple with a map trying to figure out where they were. We figured it out together, and I looked up and saw the top edge of what looked like a castle! A 'proper' castle to the American imagination, with the up-and-down top edge and all. I wanted to go that way, but the British people had pointed out something nice the other way, so we went there first since it was further from town. It was nice, but it was castle-finding time.

We headed back toward town, and up a little more, but it got less clear where exactly to go because the ground was somewhat level. Then I saw a sign with a little man walking toward a castle and an arrow. Castle this way. About two minutes later we did find it! You had to pay to get in, and I wasn't sure, but Karen said, 'we don't have to, I can come back later.' And I realized how silly it was to not go in since we were there. It turned out to be 3.50E for students and there was a map of inside the castle grounds that made it clear that the price would be well worth it. Hooray for student IDs.

It was nice inside. Of course, THAT was the tallest hill in the area (where else would you build a castle??) so the view was very pretty. We saw a peacock, too. He must've been there for the view. Or something. Then we headed toward the 'archaeological site' because it was furthest from the door on the map. Turned out that you had to go through the castle to get there. It was cool, though. The hadn't made it into a museum inside or anything, and there was no ceiling, but with the walls you got a very good sense of how part of it was. The stairs were really tall. It was funny to think that people would have been shorter (which could mean my height, who knows) with stairs that were 9 inches tall and uneven. I can't imagine running around on them during a siege.

Over at the archaeological site, there were the traces of housing back to the 7th century. Pretty crazy. And then artifacts back to the iron age. Honestly, they should have put a date range for us historically-challenged folks, because I'm not sure when that was. There was an old islamic 'quarter' that looked to me like two houses put together. The word in Portuguese I think meant 'neighborhood' but it was more like 'these are your quarters' to me. There, though, they had made a cool walk-through display thing. You could see the original walls down at ground level, some sticking up more than others, and above that they had built a big white plastic thing with a ceiling to be like the quarter might have been in the 11th (I think!) century.

It was really neat, and we wandered through the museum, but we were getting hungry and the sun was getting hot, so we headed back toward town. I bought a small thing of sunscreen and allergy meds. The allergy stuff because I didn't have any, the sunscreen because I didn't realize that we were just 2 blocks from my hostel. Darn it. Totally unnecessary as I had a whole bottle in my bag. That's what you get for wandering without a map. Lunch was ok, nothing great. I asked the guy what the main dish came with, he said potatoes. Tasty. When it came out it was fries. Soaked in grease. No thanks. Should have realized we were in tourist zone.

Then we headed out to Belem for 'world famous pastries.' The trip was worth it, but I bet they had the same pastries in the main town. We took the tram out and while waiting, an American guy starting talking to us, so we all went to the pastries together. It was good we had him because we didn't know where it was so he just asked someone. He spoke Spanish, not Portuguese, but most people we ran into actually spoke English. Oh, except the pharmacy lady, we spoke in French. It was fun. She didn't know the word for sneeze, or 8, but we had an easy conversation otherwise.

After the pastries and coffee (both tasty) Karen had to head back to the airport. Nick, the guy, had a picture on the front of his map that he thought was out there, so we went searching for it. It turned out to be a cool little old fort place that wanted 5E to get it. It was really small, and didn't seem worth it, but we got pictures from outside and then headed back to town. We split up, I finally got to shower and find a map, then I went up another hill on the advice of a super sweet girl at the hostel.

Even with a map, I got thoroughly lost, but it turned out ok. I ended up at a park overlooking the city outside of the touristy area and had another coffee and a different pastry. It wasn't as good. It was like a cornmeal bread surrounding a center that I couldn't figure out. It definitely had cinnamon, and the texture was kind of custardy, but there wasn't much flavor. I was getting really tired by that point but told myself I couldn't go back to the hostel til 8 (it was after 7 already). I found another cool park with another cool view, this time of the castle, took more pictures, then wandered to a street the hostel girl mentioned as having stuff made my young Portuguese people. I went into a hat shop where the guys who own the place design most of the hats. There was a really cute one in a style that I hadn't seen before, but though I should get one that would cover my ears a little. I got a different one that was somewhat unusual with a small brim all the way around. The guy gave me their card and made sure I knew my hat size so I could order online if I wanted to. Right....

I finally got to go home by my own rule. I wandered back down the hill, found a place that sold cheap sandwiches on a baguette near the hostel, went home, ate (there was a bug in it, I flicked it off and continued eating. It was gross, but I was hungry and tired and really didn't want to go the 2 blocks back to complain.) And then I made sure I had the info on where to meet the girl in Fez, packed my stuff, and went to sleep. For about 10 hours. Very nice. This morning I walked around a little more, had a tasty spinach and cheese pastry for lunch, and headed off to the airport.

I hadn't thought about when I should get there and arrived a little less than 2 hours before takeoff. I was nervous on the bus here, but it was no problem at all. No long lines for check-in, passport check, security or customs (all separated, which I think helped) and a leisurely stroll to the gate. Now they've just started boarding, though, so I suppose I have good timing

Flights. I know, exciting.

2011-05-25T10:00:00.000-07:00

(Started around 3pm Austin time while at the Newark airport, 5/24)
whoa.... I am going to Morocco. Like *really* going. As in, very much on the way. Of course, there will be a stop in Lisbon, which should be lots of fun, but then, it's Morocco. My banks know to expect my cards to be used there, it must be real.

The trip so far has been fine. Austin airport - no problems, but there never have been so far. It was more crowded than I expected for a Tuesday morning, not long after graduation. Now I'll expect that. Still, made it to the gate in plenty of time before boarding.

Getting to Newark kinda sucked. I was going from one terminal, where all of the continental flights come in, and switching to another. Leaving the first terminal, I noticed that there were TONS of restaurants, and several looked decent for being in an airport. There was even a nice little map to show you where to find what food and shopping. I could only find a map for the terminal I was in, but figured another must be around. Must be..... and I left the security area. Only to very shortly regret it.

There was 'food' at the other terminals. Yes, I went to both of them. In search of something decent to eat. They both had fast food (Wendy's, Subway, some burrito place I didn't recognize) and one "restaurant." One of them had a Chili's, the other Tony Roma's. Yum. I actually looked at the menus, but there was basically nothing vegetarian so the only things I would have eaten were what I could get for cheaper at the fast food places. And couldn't get back to Terminal C inside security because, of course, I no longer had a valid travel reason to be that direction. Wanting better food didn't count. As one of the ladies at security pointed out, I could have caught a bus into Newark and gotten something better. Well, she said I could have seen the city, but since food was my main interest, that's what I took away from her input.

Lesson: If you ever have a long layover in Newark, stay at Terminal C if you start there!!!!!!!!!!

(Continued around 5:30pm Austin time)
Now I'm on the plane. It is surprising. Did you know that planes without individual screens still make transatlantic flights? I sure didn't. What a shock. I mean, I don't usually even get through a whole movie before falling asleep or getting bored, and I brought my netbook with a couple of movies on it, but it seemed like a bad omen for the trip. I do like it when they have games, though. And I read the in-flight magazine about entertainment, which says that they have sudoku on their little screens on other planes. I like sudoku. And someone near me smells funny. The air is on now and is helping.

Things are looking up, though. I guess they kind of have to! They passed out a little card with meal info (forgot to order a special diet meal, darn it! I hear they're better quality b/c they make fewer.) and it looks like it could be worse. They also passed out headphones for free. I didn't think to bring mine for movie-watching. Theirs have each audio channel in a different plug, but I expected that. It's only annoying because you can't hear as well. Whatever. Movie time.

(Continued again 11:00pm Austin time)
I decided to listen to more of an audiobook instead of watching a movie. The volume was better. They just gave us our breakfast. A sad little sandwich of dry dark bread (but didn't taste like much, so not sure why the color) with a piece of cheddar and turkey. And a funsize milky way bar. Catering to the American passengers? I dunno. I got Tine a funny little spoon that was most likely meant to stir coffee or tea. As long as it doesn't break in the next 10 weeks, I have her covered!

I'm kind of fascinated by sunrise and sunset from above the clouds. It's cool how the same thing looks so different. I took some of sunset that worked ok, but now that the cabin lights are all on, I can't get any of sunrise. Sorry. It looks kind of like a spreading dark orange stain on the edge of two shades of black. Like if Drox had some paint his favorite color, thinned it, then spilled it on a table cloth that is black on one half (the cloud side), charcoal blue on the other (the sky side), with a thin stripe of light blue. So where the spill shows is on the light blue.

My first impression of Portugal is entirely based on the flight crew and others aboard - everyone speaks English, American English even, with barely any accent. And if a word is the same in Spanish & French, it's likely to be the same in Portuguese. With a funny accent, of course.

I only got a few hours of sleep, so we'll see how today goes. It's only 11pm Austin time, which means it's just like a long day so far. We'll see how it feels in 15 hours when it will finally be a passable bed time in Lisbon. Yikes. I may take the time to post this, but there will be no typing during my 30 short hours in Portugal! (Unless I can't fall asleep or sthg.) So consider yourselves contented, as it could be Monday when I next get a chance. I'll stay with an American girl from Seattle on Thursday, then probably my host family starting Friday. And no promise of wifi there! At the school on Monday, though, I should at least be able to report that I am doing fine.

REI is so cool!

2011-05-23T06:50:00.000-07:00

I bought this awesome bag a year and a half ago before going to France. It has thin cables in the strap and a mesh of even thinner cables across the lower sides and bottom. So that no one can just cut the strap off your bag or slash the bottom open. And I have met people who have had both happen to them. Well, my awesome bag proved that it had a major flaw a couple of months ago: the nice hook that allows you to put the strap around a solid fixture (say, a table) parted ways with its friend that held it to the bag. Permanently. I've been using a zip tie to hold the strap on, but it isn't the same as being able to hook it around stuff!

So, after being sad for a while, I realized that my bag was still under warranty. But I lost the receipt. But then I remembered the wonders of REI! It was bought under a membership, so they keep all your info on their computer. When I walked in with my wonderful bag and explained the issue, they told me to get a new awesome bag and exchanged it. Easy as that!

And the hook that broke? Yep, it's since been updated.

Less than a week...

2011-05-18T17:10:00.000-07:00

I am hungry. Yesterday was the last day of classes, which means that no one in my building is making food for me. The food that I tell them to make, as the all-powerful menu planner girl. Ok, not all-powerful, I have to have the food buyer on board with me. But he often is. Was, I guess, since the semester's over. I have gotten so out of the habit of making food for myself that I'm kind of sitting around waiting for someone else to do it. Even though I know they won't. And I don't much feel like paying someone else to make it for me.

But being hungry doesn't help that I am starting to get nervous about leaving. First, I don't have much packed. I washed all my dirty clothes today, at least. And washed some dishes that I had thoroughly rinsed so that they wouldn't get gross, but not really taken the time to get completely clean. Disgusting to admit it, but true. I hadn't re-used them or anything, don't worry. My tea mugs get really washed regularly.

I am concerned that I might get hungry a lot. I know that they're two very different countries, cultures, etc, but I keep having ideas in my head of how hungry I was when I got to Tunisia. I know, I know, I arrived the first day of Ramadan and it's not going to be the same at all. I will be living with a family, so I won't even have to wait to find a store. And I know there will be food there. And I know I'm not terribly picky. But sometimes I just want what I want, and I keep feeling hungry til I get it. That's the kind of hungry that actually concerns me.

I am concerned that I might get sick, too. Again, I know, I have learned. Bottled water it is. Even though I kind of hate the bottled water industry. But having an upset stomach for 3 months straight in Tunisia is even worse than an industry that takes a free product, puts it into a not-very-eco-friendly package, some of which may encourage cancer, and ships it all over (heavy, takes lots of trucks, gas, etc.) and then charges too much for it. Not to mention the communities that sometimes end up with a LACK of water due to these companies. The hassoles. And seriously, why am I so stubborn even to the point of being sick due to a cause of stubbornness?? Guess I thought I would get over it. Lesson learned: Not gonna happen. Won't try again.

What if I end up not very quick with the language? That's the whole point of going! I know I am smart. I know I catch on to things quickly. I know that I am curious, which helps a lot with these things. But what if, with all that, I manage to fail miserably all the same? THEN what am I going to do? Have to change my dissertation area, I guess. I don't have a specific topic yet, so I know it could be worse, but I like the idea of looking at contact between French and Arabic. It's interesting.

Ok, I guess I'll go get my clothes from the dryer now. And make food.

Yikes!

2011-05-08T07:58:00.000-07:00

I just looked over at my calendar, and I leave in 16 days! How did that happen???

Je pars le 24 mai

2011-05-02T07:35:00.000-07:00

Peut-être je dois écrire en français maintenant que vais partir. Comme ça vous auriez tous besoin ou d'apprendre quelquechose, ou de me comprendre a travers des traducteurs automatiques affreux. Bon, ils s'améliorent chaque jour, mais il y a tant de tournures qui paraissent similaires mais en fait ont des significations tout a fait différents!

I'll be flying out May 24th, super early in the morning. Then off to Newark, then Lisbon, Portugal, where I'll spend a day before flying to Casablanca and taking a train to my final destination of Fes. I'm doing the long layover in Portugal because the shortest it could have been was 12 hours. I mean, 12 hours??? What's wrong with you people!? Luckily, it's the same cost to make it a 30 hour layover and get to leave the airport and see something of the city.

That puts me in Fes on the 26th. I'll go to the school the next day to find out what host family I'll be living with. I'm excited, but a little wary. Apparently, some of the host families live in the old medina. Which is (according to Lonely Planet) the most intact Ancient Medina of the Arab world. (side note: do people say Anglophone world? Probably...) Intact to the point of possibly not having hot running water in the building. And not having drinkable water from the tap. Though in Tunisia the tap water wasn't drinkable in the fancy brand-new apartment I lived in, so that one doesn't surprise me. Now watch, with all of this being concerned I'll end up in an apartment in the Ville Nouvelle that may as well be in France. Like this one, other than the bathroom: http://www.louervendreaumaroc.com/appartement-a-louer-fes-42051.html

No matter what, it will be an adventure! And I promise not to write 'clinical' this time, Tine, so just tell me if I do.

Money? yes. Strings? no.

2011-03-28T17:39:00.001-07:00

Now that I'm basically decided to go do this crazy thing, the reality of the cost has been trying to set in. There aren't a ton of options for grants, etc to help out, though. There's one through my department, which could help nicely, but at the same time they expect you to write a paper to try to get published or to submit to a conference... and I don't want to have to worry about that in Morocco. I want to go with one thing to focus on: learning the language. And the culture. And meeting people. Ok, three things - you see how complicated it is with just that!?

Last summer I worked at the study abroad office (yay!) and worked on my thesis (hard.) I really do enjoy working on things that aren't related to my classes during the summer, but combining it with spending my out-of-work hours on my thesis made me go AGGGGHHHHHHKKKK. When classes started back up in August I was already fried and uninterested. I don't want that to happen again. The 2011-2012 school year should be my last year of classes. After that, I will be free to dissertate to my heart's content. Or my committee members hearts' content, more likely.

Why don't people offer me FREE money without the strings? :)

How's this sound?

2011-03-21T15:32:00.000-07:00

I think I might go to Morocco this summer. Fes, to be exact. (I always thought it was Fez, but it gets more search results with an 's'. Ok.) Oh, and I would go to learn Arabic. To use for my dissertation.

$385/person, so just translate it right.

2010-12-14T13:19:00.000-08:00

Since I am soon off to Las Vegas, I am having fun looking at all the restaurants. I'm NOT going to be eating at. Like Joël Robuchon at MGM Grand. It looks interesting, I admit. I mean, a 16-course tasting menu? I've never even heard of such a thing! At $385/person, I'm not interested in trying it. I mean, that's round-trip ticket almost anywhere in the US. Or an upgrade to business class from economy on an overseas flight. If I am going to indulge, let it be on something longer lasting! Or maybe a year of car insurance. Ha, which I am saving by not having a car, I win!

French menu items are traditionally worded very flowerily. To the point that distinguishing what the actual dishes are may be difficult. Every time I've seen an English translation, it either tries to be flowery and fails or goes for more straight-forward, but then leaves off actual elements of the dish (not just the extra words.)

Just the first one is all it took : Caviar on a fennel cream served as a surprise
Oh, really? As a surprise? But it's on the menu! How is it going to surprise anyone? The French version, Le Caviar en infusion de corail anisé, en surprise, implies it's going to be stuffed, or covered. If you're interested, this girl took pictures of almost the whole meal: http://cravingsofafatgirl.com/blog/?p=1693 She shows it was served in a cute little tin, with caviar on the top with the fennel cream (& something in between) underneath.

But, really, is the poor translation supposed to be for 'authenticity'? Or do they require the chef to do it himself and lock him away in the kitchen so long that he doesn't ever find out the proper English equivalents. Maybe it 'adds to the mystique'??? Whatever, I ain't buyin.

who is this kid??

2010-10-18T21:11:00.000-07:00

A friend was looking for a pattern and so I found something decent on the McCall's site. Then I noticed they had a section for religious costumes. Turns out they're mostly christmas/easter-y. There are shepards, wisemen, a king (?), an angel, generic peasants, maybe Mary. But who the heck is this kid???

Weird. http://mccallpattern.mccall.com/m2340-products-700.php?page_id=914

I am fine

2010-09-28T08:17:00.000-07:00

Situation updates here if you're interested: http://www.examiner.com/us-headlines-in-national/shooter-opens-fire-on-ut-austin-campus-then-kills-himself-campus-on-lockdown

All classes for the day have been canceled, so I will be sure to stay safely away from campus. Apparently someone had a gun (maybe an AK-47) at the library, fired shots, killed himself, didn't hurt anyone else. Someone else is possibly in a building next to mine (but I'm NOT there) so we will just have to wait and see what turns out to be true.

Best picture ever

2010-09-18T16:40:00.000-07:00

In case there's anyone who didn't see this. Because somehow I missed it when it was posted 2 1/2 months ago.

DREAM Act

2010-05-18T10:22:00.001-07:00

Well, not all of you are going to agree with me here. And that's ok. First, what is the DREAM Act?

The DREAM Act is a bipartisan legislation ‒ pioneered by Sen. Orin Hatch [R-UT] and Sen. Richard Durbin [D-IL] [...] Under the rigorous provisions of the DREAM Act, qualifying undocumented youth would be eligible for a 6 year long conditional path to citizenship that requires completion of a college degree or two years of military service. (From their site)

It's not all undocumented (illegal, if you prefer) people who could use this, but just those who came here as kids before age 16. You know, the ones who were brought over by their parents, some of them when they were 3 or 4. Who have never even been back to the country they're from because they wouldn't be allowed back into the US. Which means the only culture they know is the U.S. The only country they know is here.

Some people say they didn't arrive legally, and that's the end of it. To them, I would say, you work on fixing the holes that let them arrive here in the first place, but if they can make this work, let them stay.

For them, completing a college degree is no small task. It takes a whole lot of money. A couple of states offer some aid to undocumented students, but most don't. The federal government certainly doesn't. They're not getting free college educations. Somehow, they and their parents are getting the money together every single year for it. And it's not like getting into college is any easier for them than it is for a regular citizen. They qualify in the same way as everyone else.

A recap of these students: They come here as kids, having no choice, they go through our school systems, they make their way through college, and then face crappy jobs and the possibility of being sent back to a country they may not remember.

And the military option - I hope you all can appreciate the risks associated with that. Fighting for the US. Right now, likely to be sent to Iraq or Afghanistan. Possibly dying. Things that a whole lot of citizens would rather NOT do, me included.

I do think that our whole immigration system is messed up in a lot of ways. I think that the ease with which people come into the country illegally needs to be fixed. I also think that more people should be able to get visas. If they are here legally, it is better for all involved. They would have responsibilities as well as rights. They would pay taxes and be able to fully benefit from living here. But we can't go back in time to change things for the kids, or some now young adults, that are all here now. Fix the source (make sure people get in the right way) but fix the current problem, too. Let educated, contributing members of our society continue to contribute. Don't tell those with a college education that the only jobs they can get are day laborer or field worker.

One of the reasons I'm writing about this is because four students were arrested in Arizona yesterday to try to raise awareness. Three of them were undocumented, which means they are now facing deportation. I have tried to look for information about it, but very few news sources actually have anything. Here's one, if you're interested.

K, putting away soapbox now :)

HAIRCUT!

2010-04-29T13:00:00.000-07:00

I got me a much-needed haircut today. I approve. I never exactly know what I want, and it seems like that really annoys stylists, especially ones you've never been to before, but it worked out well this time! Here are before and after shots for you. I was having issues getting them all lined up, so I just threw them all on one page in publisher. I wore super-grover on purpose, so you could have a reference line for length, even though he is a little short. Please ignore the ridiculous, tired smile in the first before picture, I was worn out from making lunch today! Oh, and I was talking to my sister for the one with the phone, not trying to look cool.

ugggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhggghhhhhhhhhh

2010-04-25T07:55:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty sure my head's been stuffed with hay. Some days it might feel cloudy or foggy, but today it must be hay. Jammed in there real tight. Hard, uncomfortable. And not at all what a head should be full of.

Dear allergies,

I hate you.

With all the energy not put towards my paper,
Me

Cool Penny!

2010-04-17T11:14:00.000-07:00

I just picked up some change I got the other day, and wondered where the copperish coin was that had a design I didn't recognize. I flipped it over and saw it was a penny, but with a different back! Ok, lame maybe, fine, ignore me....

And they're off!

2010-04-10T21:41:00.000-07:00

Well, almost. In the morning, I shall be doing..... This. Me and 20,000 of my closest friends. Still haven't run that far. Wish me luck!

dreamy sigh

2010-03-30T15:04:00.000-07:00

Did I ever tell you how much I love my Eee PC? And, yes, I do think I might marry it.

sigh Failed again.

2010-03-27T12:03:00.000-07:00

Last night, I taped up my packages. I made sure the labels were ready to put on. I even looked up where nearby post offices are that are open on Saturday. I was all ready! And then at brunch someone pointed out that those post offices likely close at noon on Saturday. Well, they were sort of wrong. They close at one. And I realized that at like 1:30. Boo. WILL send boxes on Monday!!!!!!!!!!!!

Read those labels!

2010-03-10T20:30:00.000-08:00

I just watched a short clip on "organic" food from China that is (surprise, surprise) turning out to maybe not be organic all the time.

My favorite part? At the end, the anchors are talking to the reporter and saying "wow, gotta do your research before going to the grocery store."

To which the reporter replies, "that's right, read those labels!" I swear she sounds serious. I think she just missed her own whole piece. If the label says organic and the audit says it's not... right, lady, read those labels.

Still not as good as this guy, also from a news station.

how?? (and sorry!)

2010-03-09T12:07:00.000-08:00

How do I manage to lose my keys in about 200 sq feet? That doesn't even make sense!!

At least the weather is gorgeous, right?

Oh, right the point of making a post. I am picking up my room in search of my keys. And there are 3 boxes that keep staring at me, every single day, begging to be sent. I apologize, boxes. As well as to the people that have not received the contents of the boxes. Like LeAnna's nearly 3-month late Christmas present. That's no good at all!

Climate

2010-02-27T20:07:00.000-08:00

I didn't think I could handle Texas weather. Or at least central Texas weather. It's still a complete mystery to me (it was 72 last Sunday, then snowed more than it has in 10 or 20 years on Tuesday) but I will take the 72 in February. Or the 63 we got today. It's gorgeous, the sun is bright and gives my hair natural highlights, and the summer is survivable. I'd still rather spend at least March to October in western WA, but this is an ok place to be for 6(ish) years.

Mmmmm

2010-02-23T18:23:00.000-08:00

I am drinking a delicious rice milk mocha, made with organic fair trade coffee and organic fair trade chocolate syrup. All for the same price as any 'regular' mocha from anywhere else. Now isn't that an easy decision? I thought so.

Yes, I'm fine

2010-02-18T09:48:00.000-08:00

I've already had a couple of people ask, so yes, there was a plane crash in Austin, no, it's not near me, yes, I'm fine. I do know where it is, it's super close to where I lived last year but like 10 miles from where I am now. Thanks, guys!

I feel so decadent

2010-02-15T19:55:00.001-08:00

I hold in my hand 50 cents worth of Valrhona cocoa powder. I am going to make hot chocolate with it. And with hershey's. And with a swiss miss mix. 3 separate cups. All at the same time. And have a personal tasting party. And then we will see if the Name lives up to its Reputation. And then I will probably go for a run or something. And it will be so worth it.

Wha??

2010-02-14T19:27:00.000-08:00

I installed windows service pack 3 and it ate my calculator (and the games and paint and a few other things.) Apparently this is not that uncommon. To top it off, after installing the dumb thing, I realized that I didn't need it. Thanks, Microsoft, I appreciate your "help."

Cafe, you are supposed to help me study!

2010-02-12T14:02:00.000-08:00

I am sitting here, working on homework and lesson plans for next week, and what comes on the TV at the cafe?? What Not to Wear. I say I don't watch reality TV, but in reality I watch two shows as often as possible: Project Runway and What Not to Wear. Notice the similarity? Even if you've never seen either? Yep, clothes. Both are fantastic wastes of time. Both have things that are quite similar in every episode. And yet I have trouble not watching while they're on. I guess it means I should finish my tea and head out, away from this distraction... *sigh*

Well, when you put it that way...

2010-02-07T18:28:00.001-08:00

I was talking to a friend here about how much I don't like grading for the level I have this semester. It's much more difficult and time-consuming. He says something like, "that's what's paying for your free ride, right?" I contend that it's not a free ride if I have to work for it! But I have to admit that, yes, grading and teaching is indeed what pays all my bills... and I can't exactly complain about that... will whine to someone else next time :)

hmm

2010-01-31T18:54:00.000-08:00

I have very little motivation to do homework. What would I rather do? Make good food. I have liked making food for... as long as I remember. (And I remember getting to make 5 eggs for breakfast all by myself for my 5th birthday. I'm fairly sure it was a Sunday, too. That's how excited I was.)

Now that I live in this building, it's taking on a different aspect. Here, making food is not a requirement. Other people make food for me every day of the week. If I don't make lunch, someone else will. It will likely be edible. If not, I can fall back on the cereal or canned soup in my room. Once or twice a week (max), that's not a bad lunch. So making food is completely a choice.

There's another difference here. Lots of people to eat my stuff. I like making sweets. Cookies. Cakes. Chocolate ganache. Most ingredients are readily available in the house kitchen. But if I make it, I often eat too much of it. Here I can share. With 106 students in the building, even if something goes wrong (hasn't yet) there are plenty of people who will eat anything. And when it goes right, there are plenty of people to let me know. Like tonight's gingerbread. After at least 15 happy faces and happy tummies, how can linguistics hope to compare? For the immediate satisfaction, it certainly cannot.

Laziness wins!

2010-01-28T13:15:00.000-08:00

And I'm not trying to talk down... I might use this.

Over the summer, they moved the Audiovisual library from near the student union (i.e. convenient location for me and many others) to the east side of campus. Now, instead of a 10 minute walk to go check out a dvd for free, I would have a 20ish minute walk. Yes, the 10 minute walk is also on my way to/from classes, but still, it's just a little further.

Well, apparently enough people complained, and now they are willing to send your dvd/cassette/cd to any campus library. Like the one just one minute from my office and classes. It will take 2-4 days, which seems a little inefficient, but I suppose that lazies in Texas win this round.

http://www.lib.utexas.edu/about/news/av_retrieval.html

Manastash

2010-01-24T15:19:00.000-08:00

Somebody put my Eburg hiking hill on wikipedia! I know, it's super simple to do that, it just makes me happy.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manastash_Ridge

Heartbreaking

2010-01-22T08:53:00.000-08:00

I don't use that word often, it gets bandied about by people looking to inspire sympathy or empathy or some other strong feeling. But it was what came to mind after reading this article about super poor people who get arrested, can't make bail, and then pretty much have their lives destroyed compared to those who can make bail. The system has problems.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=122725771

Turnips are good!

2010-01-19T06:43:00.001-08:00

There was something I ate a few times in France that I totally did not recognize. It was a white-purple vegetable that was somewhat spherical. Well, as close as natural food ever gets to spherical. Then yesterday at the store, I saw the same colors. On turnips. I was surprised, but realized I'd probably never paid any attention to turnips. It's one of those things that I wouldn't know what to do with. I went home and looked it up and, indeed, it was turnips! In France they were sold with the leaves all cut off and the long stringy root bit cut off, too, so I just didn't recognize them at all.

Also, I was looking at one of my cookbooks, and it had a recipe for dark chocolate or for milk chocolate. I know that milk chocolate there does not equal milk chocolate here. I also know that the percent of cocoa beans is always included on the label in France. I'm not sure if it's required, or if people just won't buy it without that info. So I looked up the percentage of cacao mass/chocolate liquor (the English terms for reduced cocoa beans) in one of my favorite brands of chocolate chips. Yeah, according to their site, in the US milk chocolate is only required to be 10% cacao. That is... amazing. No wonder Hersheys is so lame. Luckily, the brand I like has 38% in their milk chocolate. And chocolate only needs 35% to be called 'semi-sweet' or 'bittersweet' - the choice being left to the manufacturer. Crazy, crazy...

Made it alive

2010-01-17T10:10:00.000-08:00

After an unexpected 5 hour lay-over in Atlanta, due to the extra security measures taking a full 2 hours (all hand luggage gone through, everybody got a pat-down) I made it back, very exhausted. I have mostly unpacked my suitcases now. Went with one, came back with two. What did I get??? Some clothes, some presents. Lots of presents, actually. Something like this much:

If you can't see it all very well, that's ok. Many pieces will be headed in different directions over the next few days, so the pile will decrease, too.

Au revoir, la France!!

2010-01-16T00:51:00.000-08:00

Well, a few of you asked, but I ignored the questions. But now that I am safely in the Paris airport, flight expected on time, headed home, I can tell you. What is the secret to my amazing vacation and finding people to stay with? Couchsurfing. It’s through an incredible website where you can find people all over the world who are willing to invite strangers into their homes for a night. Or six. Other than Cam’s sister, I had never met anyone I stayed with before. And I am leaving a group of people I will seriously miss, and who I got along with amazingly well. Never mind all of the things I did that I never would have been able to do without staying with locals.

For couch surfing, you fill out a profile, put up a pic, tell people a little about yourself. And then you can search people to stay with. And, of course, host other travelers when you are at your own place. Which I fully intend to do. It’s all free, no payments expected, and the site actually discourages them. It’s up to your host when you can be at the house, whether they feed you or not, what you have access to. But I stayed with such incredible people and had so many fantastic adventures, many of which I never had time to tell you about. If you go for karma, I must have done something pretty amazing. (Chloe sort of does karma.) If you prefer a supreme being, then s/he/it likes me. Personally, I’m just happy to have had a great trip. K, I am going to look for water before my flight boards.

Macarons and fudge

2010-01-15T02:42:00.000-08:00

That was dessert last night. We had pizza, too. But Chloe's flatmate made macarons. I watched attentively. It's a slow process, but not terribly complicated (well, for me, anyway.) She also gave me the site she uses for it, and an idea of where to look for a cheap kitchen scale. (After asking, I remembered my building has one, so I may not get one here anyway, but they're still cool.) Then we were talking about making stuff (I made cinnamon rolls for breakfast yesterday, with cream cheese frosting and all - Chloe and her flatmate were stunned. It's funny what is new and interesting to different people) and Chloe mentioned that I know how to make fudge sauce (here it only exists at McD's) and the guy that had come over (oh, yeah, there was a couple of their friends over) was like, 'you have to get that recipe!!' and I said it was actually very easy and i had all the stuff for it, so I jumped up and made a small batch of microwave fudge. I didn't measure, so intending to make actual fudge, I ended up with more of a very thick sauce. They didn't mind. I forgot to mention, though, to take it easy. I for some reason thought it was obvious. But after a bit, two of them were like "uggggg... too much sugar!" Oh, right, that. I'm gonna go wash the dishes I've diritied, so more later, maybe. Since I leave tomorrow (sniff, don't remind me!) I may be too busy and you'll have to wait til I'm back to hear more.

Good Morning, England

2010-01-13T16:00:00.000-08:00

Saw that tonight. You probably know it as Pirate Radio. It was $4.50. At ten at night. COOL! It came out here early last year, at the same time as it did in England. There is a movie theater that re-runs the best things from the last year at the beginning of the following year, and that was the one for today. It was really good! If you are thinking about seeing it, but not sure, go.

Today, I walked around with a camera glued to my hand, taking pictures of loads of things. Things that I've been walking around without really noticing. Or that I noticed at the beginning, but have gotten used to. Or that I noticed the first time I was in France and now sort of take for granted. But is actually really cool. Tomorrow: cinnamon rolls! And probably more pics to take.

I forgot to tell you! I found the second half of my present from V! It is super cool, she did a good job. A small book called 'Aperitifs Dinatoires.' A very nice little cookbook with party-type food. Drinks (avec ou sans alcool), cold finger food, warm finger food, and single-serving size sweets. One of the things I love is that there is a main recipe on the left page with a picture on the right page. On the left side of the left page, there are 3 or 4 (usually 4) variations. I mean, I can dream up my own variations, but it's cool that they have some there for me to start with!

Grocery shopping

2010-01-13T09:30:00.001-08:00

I went to the extra-big Fred Meyer-ish store today (and for those of you who have never been to Fred Meyer, go to the west coast and buy sthg there) and may have.... how do you say it... gotten the tiniest bit carried away. Maybe. I think it'll all fit in my suitcases though. I think. All for the greater good, right? Sthg like that, anyway...

L'Opera

2010-01-13T04:12:00.000-08:00

But first, today's breakfast (lunch?) menu:
Banana bread with quince jam
Homemade yogurt, using half milk half soymilk, with honey stirred in
Tea from a bowl
I approve!

I scribbled down part of a post during intermission, so I'll start with that:
Well, here I am at the Lille Opera house. Chloe wanted to see the show, but the cheapest tickets (5E) are in sections where you are quite high and can't see all of the stage. The next step up is a bit better, but is 11E ($15ish) and starts to be more difficult for students. Chloe has a friend who works here so she called her Monday to see if the audience was full for tonight. The friend said no, so Chloe asked me to come wait at 7 for last-minute tickets. I get here at 7, and the ticket girl tells me they are available at 7:45. But at least that made me the first in line (other started showing up literally minutes later, so that's probably why I was told to be there at 7. Chloe was babysitting so she wasn't there.) I waited, wishing I had brought her Lille guidebook with me. At 7:45 the ticket girl says it's time, I ask for 2 tickets, hand her the 10E and am handed two category 1 tickets. The usual 5E tickets? They're category 5. Category 1 is... the opposite. You know, down low with a great view. Chloe was thrilled, she's never had seats that good before. She didn't even know where exactly we should go, but with the help of an usher (her friend, who was also impressed by the seats) we found our way. To the ninth row, middle section, on the aisle. Everyone around us clearly paid a lot more than $7.50. Most of them are over 40. In the Opera house info booklet, Chloe flips to the page with the categories and pricing. WOW. Regular price for our seats? $93. Each. I shit you not. I definitely don't mind waiting 45 minutes for that. The show so far is great, too. Lyrics in Russian, subtitles in French (they're supertitles, actually, they're above the stage and to the sides as well.) I don't think I've seen a full-on opera before. It's pretty fun and in many ways like other theater. Except things happen V E R Y S L O W L Y..........

I could spend all day writing, but I'd much rather go out, with the giant chunks of snow drifting silently to the ground, and do something. For now, then, just this: it was fantastic - the singing, the music, the costumes, the dancing, the lights. All of it.

Tasty!

2010-01-12T00:58:00.000-08:00

Just a quick note before I start my day - ended up not making cinnamon rolls because by the time I got started I was too impatient to wait for them to rise twice. Instead I went with banana bread. That went over smashingly well, thank you! As long as there are last-minute seats left (just 5 euro!), I am headed to the opera tonight, to see Eugene Oneguine, by Tchaikovski, and this morning I am headed off to Where the Wild Things Are. In part because it's listed as being in Eng w/ sub titles (which I am not holding my breath about at all, in case that's wrong) and in part b/c right now it's only paying at the discount movie in Round Rock, and when I search for Sunday, I can't find any times for it at all. And missing it would be sad! Will let you know more later :)

Chez Chloe

2010-01-11T01:49:00.000-08:00

Nah, that's not really her name, either. But I bet you're curious what it's like here. And what I did til 5am at the other place. What if I decide not to tell you? What if I would rather sit here and eat my breakfast? Drink my bowl of caramel tea (mmm, a box of this is coming home with me.) Eat my slice of frangipane galette (dictionary says the word is the same in English, but it's a sweetened almond meal sort of filling, and the galette is the traditional epiphany dessert, another thing made with puff pastry) and eat my orange. Speaking of good fruit, I had strawberries and cream yesterday. Whenever I hear that at home, I think strawberries and whipped cream. And I'm actually not a big whipped cream fan. I know it's full of fake ingredients, but I honestly prefer 'non-dairy whipped topping' for the flavor, and sort of the texture. Though homemade whipped cream, well-flavored, can be very nice. Back to the point: here, strawberries and cream means strawberries and creme fraiche. An ingredient that you can get an imitation of in the US, if you want to pay like $5 for 1 cup, but only an imitation because the real thing contains the forbidden evil: raw milk. Creme fraiche goes very well with strawberries.

About my current host then? Fine, if you insist. She is a student in Arts & Culture - a sort of practical blend of sociology and anthropology for students who intend to later work in... hmm, how to explain the sector? Bah, not really sure. Well, students that plan to work with sort of community-based organizations. Vague, sorry, but will have to do. Personally, I like subjects that incorporate lots of different things, kinda like linguistics. :P She has a studio with a cool set up. There's a door that leads to her and her 'flatmate's' studios, so they have their own little section and a bit of shared hallway, but they each have their own space, complete with corner kitchen (rather typical for student studios here.) The bathroom is outside of the shared area because the building used to be a big house. It's a nice, big bathroom, though, and a much more practical use of space than trying to squeeze that into her studio.

I haven't done much here yet, just talk, had some food, watched some TV. I am very excited, though. Chloe likes to cook, likes to learn new recipes, AND has an oven!! Ok, in the US it would qualify as a toaster oven, but they work somewhat differently here, so it's a small oven. She also has a bread machine. So someone will be making cinnamon rolls today. She also has a small notebook with recipes copied from other people. Like her grandma's recipe for tarte au sucre that she got from her grandma. (Tarte au sucre is from this region. Yes, it means sugar tart. Yes, it actually has chunks of sugar on top. Yes, almost all of the regional specialties are horribly unhealthy.) So I will have a few recipes to copy down for myself as well as sharing mine with her. I made a shopping list this morning, she doesn't have any classes today so we'll be doing some shopping. K, she'll be out of the shower soon, so that's all for now.

Tired.

2010-01-10T16:27:00.001-08:00

Just a short post for you. Last night, hung out with family I stayed with before and some of their friends and one of my hosts (the other was in Paris). We stayed there til 5am, got back to the apt at 5:30, went to bed around 6. So I slept a bit, then went to the market for stuff and made fajitas for lunch (you can find tortillas in the international aisle of a lot of grocery stores) and then packed my bags to head to the new place. Am at my final host's apt now, a cute studio. Now I can buy presents and not have to haul them around :) K, it's 1:30 so I'm going to bed!!

School!

2010-01-09T03:49:00.000-08:00

Well, let me set the scene for you a bit. The students that I am staying with are at the drama school. It’s not part of the university here. It’s a competition-to-get-in kind of school. And they one have one group of students at a time, so the competition is only every 3 years. And yet people from other schools still apply and if they get in, drop out of the other school and go there. Like 900 applied and 15 got in. And it’s free because of the type of school it is. Yeah. Cool, no? I was stunned that the directors and profs were ok with me being there.

The day started off ok. I had set my alarm, but of course hit snooze once out of habit. Then when I forced myself to get up, THWACK! Ouch, yes, that is the cross beam of the low, sloping ceiling of the bedroom. I knew that. Wander downstairs, have a nice bowl of tea (side note: traditionally, morning drinks are served in a large bowl. Like probably holds 3 cups. It’s nice to have steam and a pleasant aroma in your face and a warm bowl in your hands.)

Then, to the metro! We get to school, and it is a small building. A former gym, actually, but with 15 students, that’s fine. It works because there are separate changing rooms and different spaces. The day starts with hip-hop class. It was only their 3rd class, so I wasn’t too worried. A little worried. Not the world’s best dancer, here. Was supposed to start with hip-hop class, anyway. Turns out the prof had car trouble and couldn’t make it. The students practiced what they’d learned for about 30 minutes (basically til it was confirmed that the prof was a no-show) and then went to the kitchen to have coffee, tea, and lament that they got up 1 ½ hrs before they really needed to. They are still students, after all!

After that, tai chi. Why so many physical things? Acting is all about presenting your body, so being able to use it in different ways and trying different things really helps to expand the ways you move. They have a strength training class once a week. And I think other physical stuff in other mornings. Some of the energy focus stuff in tai chi I had heard before myself, but the way their instructor explained it was really cool. He’s a real instructor in the area who comes for an hour (I think - maybe two) each week for their class. I had seen tai chi before had a teacher in high school who was into it, but all I remembered was that it was about slow, fluid movements. Well, it’s not really about slow. You start out slow, you practice slow, but it is totally a type of martial art. Practicing slow creates the muscle memory to react without thinking. The instructor spent about 5 minutes explaining how the placement of your arms is important - the angle from your shoulder to your hand. He showed us how to do it, and then demonstrated why with a large guy in the class. With the guy’s arms in the proper positions, the instructor tried to push him. No go. We could see both of them shaking a little. Then he had the guy lower his arm 2 inches. Pushed him back in about 10 seconds. Had another guy show it. I was impressed, but a little skeptical. These were guys, after all, who had been in the class. Were they cheating at all? Then he had me come up. Arms in right position, I could feel him pushing but it really wasn’t difficult to hold it there. Elbow lowered, I expected it to be just a little harder, so I didn’t prepare myself very well. Yeah, pushed back in about 3 seconds. By this fit, but not super muscley 71 year old man. Cool.
Then it was lunch time. Everyone ate there, some people went to get lunch, some people had things in the fridge. There was a double hot plate, so people also made lunch. We talked, ppl asked where I was from, why I was there, I asked them the same, asked them about expressions when they lost me (so rare now, it’s so cool and sort of unbelievable.) They had 2 hours for lunch (typical here) so after eating, they cleaned the kitchen started rehearsing scenes they’ve been working on, napped, or wrote thank you letters for a recent internship sort of thing.

Then, their current director came. They’re working on stuff by Marivaux, a **th century playwright. I didn’t recognize the name, but I am sure I know one of the plays. I must have read it in high school. It’s a sort of Adam & Eve ish story, where several people are taken and raised apart (or is it sort of ’created’ as adults? I forget) and then introduced to the world and each other. Two guys, two girls from what I recall. The scenes were so familiar, a guy and girl meet and are instantly attracted in an innocent way. The two girls meet and immediately hate each other. The two guys meet and immediately are friends. Le, V, any bells? I could have also read it in French or theater, tho…

Enfin, bref, the director is from Paris and comes to work with them on these scenes. They are almost done with this unit, so they rehearsed from 2:30 til 7pm. (or was it 7:30?) It was fun to see what they are doing, and how they do it, and what the director says. That length of a day is nothing new. Sometimes they work til 10 at night, rehearsing together. And some have part-time jobs at the local theater. It is seriously intense. They will be with the same 14 other students for 3 years. For a very large portion of their waking hours. They’ve been there about 3 months, and all get along. I can’t imagine what it would be like to have so few people in my world. Many are from different cities and regions, too, so the only people they really know are each other, so a lot of them end up hanging out after classes, too. Last night we all went to one guy’s apartment that lives about 15 min from here. (I had dinner with some girls, and we had an adventure on the way, so maybe later you can ask me about the Great Metro Escape.) Everyone hung out, we played a game. I know that loads of group games are culturally-based, and this one was somewhat, too, and I always wondered what it would be like to be the one who didn’t always know. I certainly found out. Although it was based around people, so I did know most of them. Trying to get someone else to guess a person in a second language, even if you both know the person but from completely different angles… it was fun. I’m glad I didn’t have a competitive partner. K, I meant to eat breakfast while writing and did not at all. So I’ll stop here. Maybe I’ll get something from the bakery… my hosts aren’t up yet (I wouldn’t be, if I were them!) and that may be a pleasant surprise…

LES SOLDES! and theater.

2010-01-07T10:21:00.000-08:00

After well-nourishing myself for breakfast, including fresh fruit from the market this morning, I grabbed my hat, gloves, sweater and coat and headed off to centre ville and the maze of stores found there. This morning, I noticed that my toes hurt. They've hurt a few other mornings, too, and I always thought it was strange that they hurt in the morning but never at night! And it hit me. Here, in these shoes, my toes quickly get frozen when I'm outside and don't thoroughly thaw out for a while. My shoes are pretty good and comfortable, but just where the seam is on my socks I have slight blisters on several of my toes. NOOO! I had said from the beginning that I would think about getting another pair here because I only have 2 pairs of close-toed shoes at home, and one really isn't good for walking much. This is mind, a shoe store was my first stop this morning. Lots of interesting looking things, tried a couple on, but not *that* comfy and nothing quite what I was thinking.

I continued on, finding several cute items at different stores. It's difficult to shop for a warm climate when it is COLD outside and there are so many cute sweaters on sale. But I forced myself to look for things that would work in Austin. I got 3 things at one store that I didn't like that much before, and nothing at two that I used to really like. Either the stores have changed, or my tastes have. I vote it's them. I actually got a cute short-sleeve shirt from my "make other women jealous" store. It's very tame for being from there, which means I can really wear it. I had fun wandering in and out of stores along one street, moving from one center of heat to the next. I didn't put on my hat and gloves even, just kept them in my coat pockets. After finding a funky t-shirt that I absolutely needed at one store, I came out and realized that I'd gone through all the stores on that end. (Don't worry, there were plenty where I didn't buy anything, I won't start begging for spare change on my return.) I turned and started to walk back. And remembered how cold it is out. Left pocket, grabbed hat, put it snugly on my head. Right pocket, grabbed - ANGRY![insert your favorite expletive here]! - the inside of my pocket. I somehow lost BOTH gloves this time! And they were cuter! And one glove of a $3 set isn't too bad, but losing a $4.50 set 10 days later... I was not pleased. I shoved my cold hands into my pocket, and decided to eat the yogurt and granola I'd brought with (borrowed a small container from the house.)

I kept walking and was reminded about the stupid seam on my socks and my need for shoes, so I looked for shoe stores. Found two right next to each other, but still not really anything. I was kind of thinking short boots with little to no heel, probably laces, cute, not necessarily super girly, and comfy. The things that seemed to generally be lacking was comfy and cute. I'd find something almost cute, then look at it... and realize there was something weird about it! I left the second store and realized I was close to the train station, which is right next to the big mall. Destination determined.

I got there, and went into a couple of stores, but still nothing. I was getting seriously annoyed. I looked at my watch and realized the time, and how little I'd eaten since lunch. Probably a partial source of the annoyed. I stopped for a pain au chocolat, but of course the place was out. Luckily they had something else croissant-ish with chocolate to have instead. After that, I realized that my feet did really hurt, too. I looked at the map. 5 shoe stores. I went to two on the lower level. Gross. I went to two on the upper level. Still not right. I went into a clothes store that also had shoes. Crappy crap for too much.

Then I thought about how much real shoes cost at home. And how much they were likely to cost here. I couldn't go looking for shoes for like 30 euro and expect comfort and looks! duh! So back downstairs. Tried on a couple. One or two that might have worked, but not in my size. No, still don't like. Decided to return to the previous two places within sight of the train station. Even looking a little higher priced, just no good! I started to leave, defeated, when I spotted a more expensive place. I started to just walk past. Then decided, no, it's the sales, why not see???

The sales floor was FILLED with shoe boxes, quite similar to many of the other places. Even on sale, a lot of them were still 100 euro. $150. Not gonna happen, especially for a brand I don't know. I saw one pair that just might work. Black, no heel, laces, and some sort of buckle across the laces. Tried them on. Fairly comfy. Ok price. And looked down with my jeans over part. No, just very unattractive. I decided to give up, go home, and hope for better luck another day. Then as I was on the way out, I noticed two different shoes sitting together atop a pile of boxes. Usually one shoe is set on top of a stack of its boxes. One of them was a short, brown boot. With laces. And no heel. I held my breath and... they had my size! I put it on. ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh........ comfy. So nice. Finally, the price (crossing fingers) - YES! woo-hoo! I had been thinking black, so I looked at them again. Put both on. walked around a little. yes. I took them to the register, the guy rang them up and asked if I wanted matching polish. I said no. And then saw that there were 10 colors behind him. Well, if I'm gonna have leather boots from france, i may as well make sure they can keep their original color! And told him, actually, yes, I probably should since i am not from here and can't be sure of matching the color later. So I have my lovely boots. I am ok with them being brown. I hardly every wear black pants, and if I do I can wear other shoes.

To the theater!!
I am staying with two theater students now, a guy and a girl, let's call them Tom and Lynn. Last night there was a play that they got tickets to see as part of their school. Tom happens to work part-time at the theater, so he offered me his ticket since he'll see it 6 or 8 times while working there. Of course I couldn't turn that down! I asked what it was about, and they didn't really know. It's the fifth one they've seen since October. They did know it had two alumni from their school in it.

I met Lynn downtown in Lille, and we walked over to where the shuttle was waiting. Apparently, there was some question about how the seats had been reserved and how many people would really fit, but we all got on without a problem. About 20 minutes later, we were in front of the theater. We all walked in, waited around for a little bit (since we were early) some people got food, some people got drinks, and then we filed into the seating area. The set was very sparse, and the program listed just 5 actors. The title was "Dehors peste le chiffre noir," which means "Get out black number plague." Really didn't help give a clue about the play.

The show started. Lots of lights. Some music (piano, violin, and guitar on stage.) There are some cool lighting effects with the cast moving around behind a screen, so all we see are vague colors and their silhouettes. Then they come out. And start talking. Talking about whose fault it is, or isn't, when bad things happen. They talk about stereotypes of poor people, of people with money, of how people get in debt and how easy it is. I quickly realize that there is no plot, it's more of a social commentary piece. Even so, it seems a bit... odd to me. I keep watching, thinking maybe it will all come together. How statistics lie. How many people have trouble with money. The twisted ideas we have about how those with (or without) money should act. Or are allowed to act. It was interesting in a way. The whole thing basically talked about how as a society we have a very strange, unhelpful relationship with money. But was still seriously weird, I thought. Maybe it was just me.

The lights go out. After a bit, people start to clap. It's sort of slow, restrained clapping. It was a heavy topic after all. Then we all go out into the lobby. Questions are being asked. "Did you get it?" "What were they going for?" "What was with them all repeating the same thing so much?" Ha. It wasn't just me. It was seriously weird. Still, a neat experience, and I'm glad I went. I'm just also VERY glad I wasn't the only one who wondered what the heck was going on and why. :)

Tomorrow I am headed to school with them, they got permission for me to come. I am rather sure it will be better than the play!

Four words.

2010-01-07T02:06:00.000-08:00

Rhubarb yogurt with granola...................

Volets are deceptive

2010-01-06T06:39:00.000-08:00

I don’t know if that’s how it’s spelled. It’s a kind of shutter that blocks out pretty much ALL light. I am not very good at waking up, even if I’ve slept 9 hours, when there’s no light. Every night here, I’ve told myself that I was gonna wake up earlier the next day. And yet, each time I have not. Oh, well.

I went to the market again yesterday! It is apparently biggest on Sunday, but also on Tuesday and Thursday. A friend of Valerie’s mom from Venezuela (he used to live here - traffic jam made him miss his flight Sunday) came through for a few days. I never ended up making Mexican food because he got here Monday and we hung out and had dinner at her mom’s place. Fish and potatoes - it was good. Then yesterday he got spices and stuff to make couscous. There was a round thing that I didn’t know the name of in English, but the rest I recognized.

When dinner time rolled around, I wasn’t quite sure what to think of his great cooking plan. I didn’t know if he knew how to cook or anything. The spices he was putting together I recognized, and they seemed pretty normal. And I’d like to tell myself that I *didn’t* see the bottle of olive oil both before and after he used it… It was almost done, and he asked Valerie’s mom if she had a mortar & pestle, or something to crush the whole spice that I hadn’t figured out the English name for. She did not. So instead, she ended up crushing then on a plate with a glass. It worked pretty well, and very quickly everything smelled like… gin. Sort of pine tree-ish, but sweeter. I now know the word for juniper berries in French. Honestly, I was seriously wondering about his recipe after that. Then everything came out, and it looked and smelled great, and he sprinkled on the final ingredient: orange tree flower water. (K, not sure that’s its real name in Eng.) And then I was super concerned for this recipe. When we tasted it………. I don’t feel like I will ever say anything was the best food I’ve ever eaten, but that was definitely the best surprise for food that I can remember. It was good! Really really really good! The juniper berries added an interesting flavor, but combined well with the rest. I couldn’t pick out any orange flower taste. It was just super tasty. While we were eating I found out that he actually DOES know how to cook, does it a lot, and the couscous we had (with chicken, onions, eggplant, carrots, cucumber, chickpeas and raisins) is something his aunt makes a couple times a year. Everybody ate too much and we sat around and talked a bit and played music from her mom’s computer (we were out there again) and I found one of my recent favorites for them (from Spring Awakening) and then we had to leave too soon to make sure and catch the bus. Although that left us time for more adventures… that I will recount another time.

Changing apartments again today, likely will not have internet for a bit. But can still drop in now and then to say hi to you all!

Wazemmes, take 2

2010-01-05T03:38:00.000-08:00

Yay, put this in the right format to share today!! An extra note - changing places again tomorrow, so we'll see what the internet situation is there.

As you may have guessed, I don’t have internet where I’m staying now. I’m actually writing this from the apartment and plan to go out and post it later. I am staying with a girl around my age who is a comics artist. I’ll call her Valerie (nope, not her real name.) Don’t go thinking Batman or Snoopy - comics here have a really wide audience, with different ones for all ages. She had one published that she was the illustrator for, it’s a short book for kids, and it’s cute. Now she’s working on something bigger, with a collection of short stories. She has a terribly cute little apartment in the same neighborhood as I stayed in after Paris.

I arrived here Saturday afternoon, so we mostly talked a bit, then she worked a little (adding colors to a comic on the computer). After that we went out for pizza and beer. Beer is the drink of choice in this area - definitely more than wine. The climate here is a lot like wester WA/OR - it’s mild and wet. A good climate for growing hops (that are later made into beer) but not for wine grapes. And yes, I like pizza here even though I don’t like it at home. It’s completely different here - thin, crispy crust with a different sort of sauce and less cheese.

Sunday, we went to the Wazemmes market. It was cool! There were vendors for EVERYthing: vegetables, fruit, hair dye, boxed candy, pick-a-mix sort of candy, clothes, roasted chicken, and even live chickens. I kid you not, the first guy she bought vegetables from (and they were CHEAP!) was also selling live chickens. They were in these sort of stackable pens that reminded me of over-sized milk crates lined with straw. Someone would ask for one, he’d ask what size, then pull one out of the crate, tie its legs together, weigh it, ask them if the size was ok, and if so, he put it in a cardboard box, tied the box with twine, and cut some holes in the sides so it could breathe. I was impressed that people would know what to do with a whole chicken. I did notice that it was foreigners buying them, at least when we were nearby. I also replaced my gloves and hat. Because it was COLD. Plus it was cheaper there than anywhere else I’d seen. I also bought two persimmons because she’d never tried it, and they are much bigger and cheaper here than at home.

After that, we met her mom in a café, had a drink, walked around a bit (her mom was supposed to be meeting a friend who never showed) and then had lunch. It was fun. Her mom is a teacher, so it was interesting to talk about the differences in the school systems and how teachers are paid at different levels. After lunch, we headed down to the museum. It’s a pretty good size! Even better, since it was the first Sunday of the month, the permanent collection was free. I might try to go back for the temporary exhibit later.

After a stop at a café for hot chocolate and a snack (pear tart - mmmm!!!) we went to a small movie theater a good bit away (we took the metro) where she works as a ticket-taker on Sunday nights. It’s really basically volunteering, but then she gets to see the movie for free, as does the person she brings with her. Yay, me! The movie was Vincere, about the secret second wife of Mussolini. I want to look up how much of the story is known for sure, and how much is made up. Apparently, the lady had his first son, who was officially recognized by Mussolini for a bit, but afterwards it was all completely hushed up. Both the secret-wife and her son died in psychiatric hospitals where they had been hidden. Both also died before the fascist regime was brought down.

Today, she’s working some, I washed some clothes, am now writing this. After lunch, I might do some more thesis reading, and then I’ll go out. I have to remember to go by the supermarket, too, because I’m gonna make some fajitas for dinner tonight… as long as I can find tortillas. I have seen them some places in town, so hopefully there are some around here, too.

Boo

2010-01-04T06:20:00.000-08:00

Still alive, no internet at the apt, wrote a blog post but forgot to save it in a universal format! Very silly of me... More when I can, then. (Am at internet cafe on their comp, didn't bring mine b/c no wifi.)

Bonne annee!

2010-01-01T13:20:00.000-08:00

I haven't installed accents on my laptop yet, need to do that. So! What might New Year's in France include?

Champagne.
Smoked salmon.
Fois gras.
Cheese platter.
Tasty desserts.
Dancing.
Coffee.

That makes: check, check, check, check, check, check and check. I sort of new that it was mostly going to people a bit older than me and their kids. When I arrived, everyone said hi and was very friendly. I even got some wine splashed on the bottom edge of my pants (khaki cords!) to start the night. The dancing started pretty much right off. And I realized rather quickly that I had three options. Hang out with kids (oldest ~12.) Watch people dance. Join in the dancing.

Join in it was. Here, meals are often (compared to home) very structured. An aperitif (we'd consider it a snack with a drink, or an appetizer, depending.) Then a main dish. Then cheese. Then dessert. And so it was at the party. At first, actually, they fed the kids chicken nuggets and fries. There were also a few little things on the table, like endive leaves with tuna salad on them. Once the kids were full, out came the foie gras. The tapenade. The smoked salmon. The other kind of salmon, in a sort of tuna salad. One that was gone, one savory tart was brought out, but everyone was pretty much full by then (it got saved for lunch today, don't worry.) Then a bit later, a platter with 10 kinds of cheese (I kid you not!) Then around 1, out came the dessert - la buche. It's a Christmas (and apparently New Year's) sort of cake. That is very rich. Very good. There were three, chocolate, raspberry, and orange. I had two slices of a raspberry one at the Christmas part I went to, so I went for chocolate and orange here. They were both quite good.

That's the food, then what about the music? It was a bit of everything. American. French. English. Abba. Other. Some sort-of-recent stuff at first, with current stuff. A 2008 or 9 'hits' was brought out for the 12 yr old girls. And then once the kids went to bed (when the parents pulled out the whiskey and gin) it was mostly 80s stuff. 80s French music? It's mostly like American 80s music. As far as I could tell, anyway. A lot of the stuff was American for sure. It was fun listening to some of them sing along. There was a good bit of 'yaourt' - yogurt. Means indistinct singing along when the person has no idea of the real words. One of the songs they played for the younger girls was Katy Perry's "I kissed a girl." Everybody seemed to know the one main line. And sort of went mushy after that. A pretty dumb song anyway.

We were out at a house not far from the Channel, so everyone slept there. And got up in the morning, the adults cleaned up while the kids played in gorgeous sunshine, even though it was cold out it was a beautiful day. Had lunch. And went up to see the channel. Or started to. Right before we left, it started doing a weird hail/snow thing. Looked like little styrofoam balls all over the windshield. The other cars turned around, but we continued on, to at least *see* the water. Then - miracle! - the snow let up! It was still FREEZING and the wind was blowing really hard, so just 3 of us got out and walked down to the water. And Valinda now has wet Cap Gris Nez sand waiting for her.

I had fun. As I got more tired, it was sort of frustrating because I kept having to ask people to repeat themselves. Especially with the music and everyone talking in the background, it was really tough for me to understand sometimes. And then a few people were joking around, and I understood, but didn't think I understood because I wasn't expecting sarcasm.

This morning I also read a bit of a graphic novel (i.e. long comic-style book for adults) made from Howard Zinn's 'A People's History of the United States.' I knew that the book was interesting, but it was extra interesting to see it in that format. It's bits of history, but told from the point of view of people involved. Not of the main actors that we normally think of, but people who made a big difference and are often left out. It starts out with Wounded Knee, but from a Native American who arrived on the scene after the massacre. I am sure the full book has a lot more.

Well, I'm super tired, so I believe that's it for me today. I am headed somewhere new tomorrow and you should know by now to have patience :)

New Year's party

2009-12-31T09:08:00.000-08:00

Well, I am headed out to a New Year's party. We'll see how this goes... there will be lots of kids, and of course their parents. I can't tell if there will be anyone really MY age, but shall enjoy myself all the same. I would tell you happy new year now, but it's quite early for all of you. So I'll leave that for whenever we get back tomorrow. Hope you all have fun plans!

Brat.

2009-12-30T13:26:00.000-08:00

I taught someone a new word in English today: Brat. Because there was a kid being an absolutely rotten, horrible brat. I suppose we all have our moments.

Yesterday, I thought about going out. And then I realized it was raining. Raining, raining, raining, all day long. I don't melt in the rain, but at the same time, when one is walking without much of a goal, rain is not the best company. At least not when one has such a limited wardrobe on hand, as is my case here. So I did work. On my thesis. Aren't you proud?? Not too much, don't worry, because I was also playing with the 4 yr old. Later on, the dad and I went out for a beer, to show me a little bit of Lille night life, and it seems like he likes to get out of the house sometimes, too. The mom's sister was maybe going to come, but it turned out today that she fell asleep early instead. At first I didn't know what to say, I'm not very good with new people lots of times, unless they talk a lot. Then once I get comfortable, it's easy. But after a bit, we got talking and had a good time. When we got back to the house, we were talking about whether there were any current French authors worth reading, and so I got a few recommendations. In the form of two large piles of books to flip through, to see if I like the authors. You can't get stuff like that at a hotel.

Today it was nicer out. Me and Mr. 4 read for a while in the morning (yesterday, there was plenty of "sabres lasers" with him being Anakin, and me any random bad guy, so I was very happy to read.) It's interesting to see what's in kids' books different places. Turns out that, for that age, it's mostly the same. But at the same time, different. A boy is sent out by his mom to go shopping at the market. He goes around talking to all of the different merchants. You know, things that don't exist in the US now. I don't know how much they ever did. After lunch, I rectified a serious problem. Well, two, actually. Since arriving, I had not eaten a single crepe! C'est pas possible!! So while wandering in the city center, I got me a crepe au creme de marrons (chestnut creme, such a ridiculously good thing, you have no idea.) I also went into the bookstore a bit, to check out the cooking section. I haven't decided what all I'll bring back, but at least one dessert cookbook. I also got a long-sleeve tee to put under some short sleeve shirts that I brought thinking... well, not thinking, actually. But I can wear them now! I think I will wear one tomorrow...

Yep, really old.

2009-12-29T03:36:00.001-08:00

Grandpa's job? Antique dealer. So that paper was really 463 years old. And the US/France treaty was probably printed in 1778. (It didn't have the signature and seal, though, so not the official original, just the version printed up for other people.) Crazy...

Old.

2009-12-28T13:39:00.000-08:00

In museums you see old stuff. Pretty often. Sometimes you find old stuff other places. Like in the UT library, I've checked out books that were published in the 1800s. But today, I had very old paper in my hands. It was crazy. The original of one is dated 1778. A treaty between the US and France. I don't know if the copy I saw was that old, but it was on yellowed thick paper with an uncut edge. And in the old-style typeface. They used a slightly different alphabet then - I think it was used some for English, too - and the spelling was quite a bit different. Still, I could more or less read it.

The other one was definitely older. The estimated date for when the original was written was 1646. I can't imagine someone just handed me something that old, (and it's sort of hard to believe the paper would still hold together at all) but I also don't know how they would have made a copy like that. It's all written in this slanted, scrawly handwriting, quite different from writing today, with loads of old spellings and letters. I could make out very few words. The French people there could make out barely more. And the paper, a thick, dark yellow-brown, had gotten wet in a few spots and the ink there was illegible.

So where the heck was I? Museums don't let you handle the collections! At the house of the dad of the people I am staying with for the next 5 days. The two older kids went to spend the night at grandpa's, where they also have an uncle who is 8. (I said that wasn't too different from my family - though I don't know how old dad's brother is now since I don't really know anything about him... I guessed like 6, but it was a total guess. But the kids are much younger, and their grandpa looks about 60, so still, it's different.) I said something about studying French, and out come these two very fragile-seeming old documents. Amazing.

The apartment I'm in now is just 5 minutes from the center of Lille, but on a fairly quiet street. It is in an old building and I LOVE the place. The mom called it a small apartment, but I think it's a very nice size. 3 bedroom (though one is fairly small) with a decent kitchen, a living room, and a large office. Really neat floors, everything is clean and well taken-care-of. For an apartment in a city, it has a great view. And the family is very nice. Mom teaches English for French homeschool (they have a really well-structured home school system here, I never knew that!) Dad is a project manager for a company that creates websites. Kids are friendly and fine with new people. Well, the 4 yr old took a couple of hours, but what do you expect from a 4 yr old?

As I sit and type, I can look out the window at the city library. May have to go in tomorrow. When I replace my hat. And buy more minutes for my phone. I sort of want to go shopping, especially for warmer things that I can layer (so that they'll be useful in Austin, too) but I know that Les Soldes begin Jan. 6. Giant sales, somehow determined by the government. Everywhere. Well, everywhere that has stock to get rid of. Must find good balance between warmth for the next 9 days and waiting for better prices. I wonder if bookstores participate in them, too...

K, I just looked it up. Books are not allowed by the government to be sold with a discount greater than 5% except in very specific circumstances. Apparently a somewhat controversial law. And now I understand why nobody has a book cheaper than anybody else. Well then, I may have to lose myself in the bookstore one of these days... before the clothing sales begin...

Pictures, you say?

2009-12-27T11:56:00.000-08:00

Well... my photo software on here is... lacking. I can't make it save the pictures as turned the way I want them. Um, stupid! But, if you really want pictures, then here we go. Not too many, though, b/c it takes a bit to get them on here.

We begin at sunrise, 30,000 feet above England. Yes, I was over the wing.

Welcome to France, country of fashion, croissants, wine, decadent desserts, and toilets that look like this:

This is an airport toilet. Which means it's nicer than some. See the handy foot-flush? I like that. No dirty handle that I typically push with my foot anyway. But nope, no seat at all. At least I didn't have to pay to use it. You know, beyond the price of the ticket.

From there, time to jump onto a train to Lille!

And this is where I stayed the first four nights! It was actually about 30 min outside of Lille in a cute little town. Tiny town. Perhaps 'hamlet' would be more appropriate. We got a good bit of snow the day after I arrived. It was pretty. And cold.

In Paris, then, here is some chocolate I definitely did NOT buy. I don't even think I could eat that. Too pretty. And then it would all just go to waste, so what's the point?

The view of the Champs Elysees from the Louvre/Tuileries end:

And the crowd around Portrait of the Artist:

And a lesser-but-still-well-known VanGogh that I somehow missed getting a pic of the title:

A poster that would have been SO cool to... re-purpose, but they apparently were aware and kept it behind glass. How cool would that look on my wall? No silly art-nouveau cocoa boy for me, just a gregorian chant concert that was at Notre Dame.

And my middle-of-the-street view from the Arc de Triomph (aka opposite from other pic) end of the Champs Elysees.

Pretty.

Rainy Sundays are good for sleeping in.

2009-12-27T04:06:00.000-08:00

Especially when you stay up til 6. Everyone is now awake and breakfasted. I was up for a bit around noon, because I had drank all the water in my bottle and needed more and then once I did that I couldn't get back to sleep. But we had fun yesterday and last night. It's neat, everybody who lives here gets along pretty well and they actually eat meals together and clean up together. Probably not all the time, but often. I'm sure it's related to how meals are treated in general here.

Turned out that the market is on SUNday, not Saturday, so in the morning we mostly hung around a bit. Then in the afternoon, went out to eat something around 4:30 and get food to make dinner (that we ended up not making because, really, when you eat at 4:30, who wants to eat a lot again at 8 or 9?) After that, we came back here and hung out. Not doing anything in particular - talking, listening to music. Then we went to a really relaxed bar a couple of blocks away (luckily! since we were walking and it was COLD. Oh, and I lost a glove *and* my hat somewhere between my hotel in Paris and the train station here. The hat was old and ugly, and the gloves were super cheap (though still warm) so it's not a huge loss, just a major annoyance when one is cold.) There was a guy DJing at the bar, and one of the guys here is really into that. Like mixing and 'scratching' and stuff, not like lame-o radio DJing. It was interesting to see someone doing that. It seems like it's a bigger thing here, too. Or maybe I just don't the 'right' people at home. After that, more music, talking, some dancing. And around 5:15 we sort of realized the time and everyone wound down and wandered off to bed. Quite nice.

I may post again here before I leave, but tomorrow I'm going to stay with a family for about 5 days and I don't know what their internet situation is, so consider yourselves warned to be patient.

Wazemmes

2009-12-26T00:31:00.001-08:00

I'm staying, til the 28th, in an area of Lille called Wazemmes. It's supposed to be very cool. I've figured out two things: It's very international. The people I'm staying with are cool. There's a couple, and then a guy and a girl who live here. All are near my age, 3 work, one is in school still. They remind me somewhat of people I know. Some of the movies they own: Pulp Fiction, Requiem for a Dream, Little Miss Sunshine. That may not help some of you, but others should get an idea. Today we're going to go to an outdoor market right near here that's pretty popular. So this is me, off!

WHAT A DAY!

2009-12-24T11:29:00.001-08:00

Last night, I couldn’t think of what to do today. So I just went to sleep and set my alarm. This morning, I still couldn’t think of what to do. I headed off to Montmartre, remembering that I *had* thought of a reason to go there, but not what the reason itself was, and a little bit worried that the day would turn out lame. I got off the metro, walked up some stairs, looked at the city, and remembered: the fabric district!! I’m sure there are other places in Paris to get fabric, but this area has lots of stores. Cam’s sister that I stayed with (who studied design and sewing) had mentioned it to me. I wandered around up at the top, since I was already up there anyway, and then took the lazy-ppl thing down.

I went into one four-story fabric store. Not a JoAnns with loads of crafts, just fabric and findings and patterns. And not a small floor each, or all spaced out, either, rolls lying in piles 2-3 deep on tables all over this place. So many different kinds! And so expensive! I think the cheapest thing I saw was 3E a meter, and that was lining. Real fabric started at 6E a meter, and went up to over a hundred (you know, silk, really fancy stuff.) In that neighborhood, I found V’s present to me. Perhaps the best present she’s given me. Certainly the most unique. And will be the best souvenir from Paris I have EVER had, and maybe even could imagine. I was terribly thrilled by it, to be honest, and it took me a while to find just the right one. At the time I thought maybe I’d get two, but then I wanted to check in other stores (that weren’t as easy to look in) and ended up with just the one. So that leaves me a second present for her to get me. Un coupon! Yeah, that’s what I thought too, when I saw the first sign, what the heck is that??? And I kept walking. Then the next one made it obvious. Les coupons - 3M a 5E. OH! The basket below contained fabric. Very large remnants - the ends of the roll (usually 3 meters, sometimes a little less) that was either discontinued or they didn’t need or didn’t think people would buy. My first thought: that’s more than enough to make a pair of pjs! I need! I went into the store and there were allll kinds. Suitings, silks, fleece, cotton, knits… the list goes on. I narrowed myself down to either a cotton or a knit. The lace was gorgeous, but was still 15E a meter. The beaded and sequined shimmery, translucent fabrics were AMAZING but still 20-25 a meter. The silks ranged from 50-75 for 3 meters, some that I didn’t see may have been more. Wow, this is getting long. In the end, I went for 3 meters a knit that will make terribly cute long shorts/short pants. I will send V a pic when I can, but no one else gets to see til I finish my bottoms. And maybe a top, too.

After an hour or two, I continued on to another festive area: Notre Dame. Also the cheapest place I’ve found to buy ppl stuff. Mostly postcards, really, I’ve gotten stuff from Paris for tons of ppl I know, so I’d rather find something more unique in Lille. There was one person that something just jumped out at me, and I got it, but I’ll probably get something else as well. After that, I wanted to have a little coffee and write a card or two. I was scared, though, because yesterday I had an AWFUL coffee. Like, tastes bout as good as the stuff at my co-op. I realize that no one reading this drinks that, but it’s gross. Fits the stereotype of bad American coffee. The place had this “fancy” new machine, and after watching the servers I realized why it was bad - they just put a cup under, press one button, and ANY kind of drink pours out. Espresso, capuccino, hot chocolate… I think being so close to a busy tourist area let them get laze. I wandered, looking for a better café, and each time I just didn’t think so. In the latin quarter (where the Sorbonne is - latin b/c that’s what universities used to teach in) I found something else that caught my attention: Patisseries tunisienne du sud. Well, I just HAD to get something there! I walked in and said hi (in French, after I left I kicked myself for not saying it in tounsi!) and looked around, they asked if I knew what I wanted, I said I was looking b/c it reminded me of when I lived there, talked a tiny bit. I asked for two things and the guy got them, and then I saw a small sign: 1E for coffee. Anywhere else in the area, it’d easily be 2-3. A quick glance at their sturdy, old machine told me it would be worth it. He asked if I wanted it there or to go, and I said there. In true Tunisian fashion, it was served in an over-sized shot glass, standing at a small counter. And it was good. Better than one of the places by Amideast, and probably about as good as the other. I finished, paid, said thanks (in French and Tounsi) and continued happily on my way. That was better than writing postcards.

Plus I found a bench on the Champs Elysees (google it) and wrote there instead. I ended up at the Champs Elysees to have more festive atmosphere. I wandered in and out of stores. Including some that I had NO intention of even thinking of buying anything in. There’s one that I absolutely love that’s full of party clothes, or at least dressed-up day clothes. And some HOT dresses. Not all slinky, not all revealing, but with just the right touches here and there. I wish I had a reason to need a dress like that. They had up a couple of ads with shots of women in the fabulous dresses that said more or less, like giving a toast, “to making other women jealous.” Yes, I like that. Last night I was there at the other end for the Christmas Market, and all the trees were lit up. They weren’t lit up when I arrived today, so I made sure to stay til it started to get dark. Still not lit. Decided to stay til 5. And I won! They turned on right at 5! And I went out and took a pic straight down the street from the middle of the road (with the walk light, don’t worry!)

When I got back, I was feeling all flushed, but I thought it was from being in and out of the cold so much. After 30 min with my jacket off, I got concerned that it wasn’t. What would my helpful people tell me? More water, take some medicine, get good food in you. The pharmacy across the street (can’t get meds in grocery store) had my favorite Tunisia headache/fever medicine, and the kind with Vitamin C. Tastes much better than the plain kind, and made me start feeling better quickly. (you drink it, it hits your blood faster that way.) I also got bread, stocking fruit (and orange and a pear - the best apples here are from home, but the pears are from France, why not eat local-ish?), and water from the grocery store. I still had enough from the other night to make a decent dinenr (kept stuff cold by putting it on the outside windowsill - it was only up to 6 C today!) Taking it easy the rest of tonight. We’ll see how I feel in the morning, and that will decide if I go anywhere before checking out and heading for the train station. Back to Lille - will be staying at a house with 4 people around my age. YAY!!!!

Of metros, museums, meals and ‘mericans.

2009-12-23T13:59:00.000-08:00

I honestly don’t know what I’ll do with myself tomorrow! Today was a fantastic day, even if I think I am getting a blister on my little toe (I knew I should’ve brought moleskin!)

In order to avoid what Tami called my “clinical descriptions,” you get 4 small things instead.

Metro: I had the coolest metro ride. In Tunisia, the buses sometimes got sardined - so full that everyone was crammed together and when the doors opened, people literally fell out. It was stinky, suffocating, and not fun. Yesterday and today the metro was sometimes sardined, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. For one thing, the deodorant here works very well, and people like to wear a small amount of cologne/perfume. I waited on a rather full metro platform, wondering if we’d all fit in an empty train, when the train pulled up. Rather full. A few people got out, and then the mass moved forward, everyone jostling their way aboard. I wasn’t sure how it was going to work, but when in Rome… I stepped on with my bag safely in front of me. There was no way to hold on to a pole, but I soon realized it didn’t matter. We were packed in so tight that we all swayed when the train started up, but no one fell. The weight of body against body against body was funny, you could feel everyone, but it wasn’t a big deal, especially with everyone staring dutifully into nothingness (that’s what they all do here.) When it stopped, the same sort of group sway. Then to let people off, some people stepped out the doors, and a new set crowded on. It was a bit warm, so someone opened a small tilt-out window, designed for that exact purpose, I’m sure, and we all stayed a reasonable temperature. At my stop, I pushed my way out to the platform and continued the journey.

Museum: (Actually written while I was there this afternoon.) Museums are interesting places. Loads of old stuff, not all of it necessarily what catches my attentions. But the things that are cool are pretty damn amazing. Not everyone seems to notice, though. Take the room with Gaugin and VanGogh paintings, for example. Van Gogh’s ‘Portrait of the artist’ (google it, I’m sure you’ve seen it) hangs visible from the entrance. A small, lonely painting on the back wall, crowded by people taking pictures. Some of the people come in just for that, and leave without a glance at the others in the room.

To me, some things here are just paintings, or just sculptures. Nothing particularly fascinating, and some even make me wonder what else the museum has in the collection that isn’t being displayed so that THAT one can have a spot on the wall. Others, though, just draw you in. The pastels, for instance. If someone had told me to be sure to look at the pastels, I would have called them crazy. But wow. I tried to take a few pictures, but it was annoyingly off, no matter what I tried. [I also looked in the gift shop - they had a couple of postcards that were no better than my pictures.] No way to catch the glow. If I had just seen one somewhere I would have thought it was lit from behind. The colors seriously jump out. And it works, not cheezy at all. Two night scenes - a park and a forest with dark greens and blues - that looked magically lit, like the lanterns hanging in the branches of the trees would flicker at any moment, or clouds might momentarily shroud the moon and turn everything back to normal.

Meals - I had dinner at a great restaurant. It is a smallish place. The main floor is cozy, but there is seating upstairs and in the basement, too. I don’t normally like to eat in restaurants alone, but why not? It was a REALLY French place, not far from where I’m staying. The kind of place that serves escargot for 8 euro and doesn’t think anything of it (a decent price for an appetizer here.) The kind of place that, when you order a bottle of wine, pours just a sip for a man at the table to approve before setting it down for everyone. The kind of place that expects your meal will end with dessert or cheese, or at least a coffee. There was an American couple not too far away, but he has obviously been in Paris a while, or at least has before. Everyone else was French.

I was bold (for me) and went for the fondu - bread, potatoes, and cured ham to be dipped into a rich melty cheese. With a small salad on the side. Mmmmmmm……. I sort of wanted to go to Melting Pot before, but I’m fairly certain it would be lame now. For dessert, there were several options that sounded interesting. Like Crème brulee with Nutella (where and how does the Nutella go in??} But I went for the “house specialty”: Mi-cuit au choco noir. Half-cooked with dark chocolate. Half-cooked what? I wasn’t sure. But I definitely need it. I was almost still hungry when the small chocolate cake, topped with powdered sugar and swimming in a pool of crème anglaise [sweetened, vanilla-flavored cream, sort of like a really high-quality vanilla ice cream, melted, but better] arrived. After about two bites, I was definitely full. It was fully cooked outside and so I sort of expected the middle to spill out when I cut into it with my spoon. It didn’t - it just looked like a barely cooked brownie. But tasted SO much better. Intense chocolate flavor, and so rich that I realized the cream was to tone it down - yes, cream actually was less rich.

My other meal was the morning. I picked up a pain aux raisins [flaky pastry, sort of the same as a croissant, but in a large, flat spiral, like a flat, big cinnamon roll, filled with soft raisins and sweet custard where a cinnamon roll has the sugar and cinnamon] at a bakery near here. I took it with me onto the metro, enjoying eating in public but not at a restaurant - something that is NOT done in the morning, and rarely done away from a crepe stand or away from a guy selling roasted chestnuts.

‘Mericans - I went down to the Eiffel tower - mostly because I knew it would be a fun, festive atmosphere and I wasn’t sure what else I wanted to do, my trip being complete after the museum. I walked around a bit, and sat down after a while. Then a guy sat down next to me, but not TOO close. I still didn’t like the look of him. Then after a bit he was all, “excuse me, do you have a cigarette?” (in French, all of this) and I said, “no, sorry,” and him, “oh, you don’t smoke,” and this is where I got very suspicious of his motives and simply said, “no,” not even turning to look at him. Then he asked, “I’m not bothering you am I?” and he actually hadn’t DONE anything, so I just shook my head, and continued watching people walking under the tower for a couple of minutes before getting up and walking away. I wanted to check my map, but not in an area where I’d be alone. I saw four people, sitting on the ground directly in front of the tower, a hundred yards or so away, and drinking. Americans. I stood not too far away and got out my map, deciding where to go next. They said bye to some people who had been standing in front of them, I guess they had been talking, and then after the people had walked away, one asked another, “how do you say good night? Bonne nuit?” I sort of laughed and told them that’s just if someone’s going to bed. They asked what they should really say, and if I was from Paris, and we talked for a bit. Turns out they are friends from college, one graduated already, the other three were still there, spending their winter break touring Europe because one is studying in Florence. They were silly, but really friendly. They wanted to know where to buy liquor, how to tell people to go away, and asked if I wanted to come out dancing. I told them no, because I’d have to get back by myself. Plus, they seemed a bit… careless, and not really a group I’d want to go out with. Two guys drinking a box of wine [it comes in juice boxes here sometimes, but theirs was a soymilk-sized box], I’m pretty sure arab by the names and accents, came up and started talking to them. At first, I thought it was gonna be bad, but they were actually nice, and when the souvenir sellers came by (like they do every 5 min near there) they joked around with the guys and got rid of them easily. The guys’ English wasn’t too great and when they were getting the girls’ names, one of the girls offered mine, adding that I spoke French. In true Arab/French speaker fashion, they totally didn’t get it, “Paqy??” I knew they weren’t gonna do better, so I went with it. A bit later “Paqy, tell me what she does in life, I don’t understand,” I got the info from the girl, (a performance art sculptor - what the heck is that??) knowing she’s a student, and said, “she’s a sculptor, but she doesn’t just make things to be looked at, part of her art is having people watch her make it.” He looked at me rather confused. Me again, “actually, I’m not totally sure what she means, either, but she’s some kind of scupltor.” He was ok with that.

Hello from Paris!

2009-12-22T23:29:00.000-08:00

Mmmm, dinner! I am safely in Paris and in for the night. Well, unless I decide to go post this from McDonald’s - there’s one a block away J I am starting off dinner with a pink grapefruit yogurt - that doesn’t have any added sweeteners. I can’t figure out why they don’t have any of those at home. At least not any that I can ever find. That could be reason enough to move here. And then there are Apericubes. Delicious little cubes of flavored cheese. I got tomato, olive, and goat cheese - three separate flavors. The stores here don’t all keep them refrigerated, and the package doesn’t say they have to be, but I’m pretty sure the customs people would have any issue with me trying to bring some home. Maybe I’ll try anyway? I got real food, too, don’t worry - bread, some dry sausage (doesn’t need the fridge), a carrot, clementines, an apple, a pear, and little cans of green beans that have a pull-off top. Oh, and dates (from Tunisia - haha!) Actually… I should probably go shower before I finish my dinner - it’s a shared shower and will likely be busy in the morning. Be right back!

There, that’s better. I knew my flip-flops would come in handy! So where was I? I guess what I did today should be next. I wandered, really. It was nice. I started off at the Hotel de Ville - near the center, and where visiting important people stayed WAAAY back in the day. I forget what it’s used for now. But I knew it would be pretty, and have lots of people around. It didn’t disappoint at all, and I took a few pics of the lights they had up. They have an ice rink there in the winter, but no skating for me. Too many people - if I fell, I’d just get run over. I walked around the area and into a few stores. Took a picture of a chocolate display at a candy shop. After that, I made my way over to the old Opera, a pretty building, and wandered over to the Louvre. It was closed by that time, but the building itself is still cool. There weren’t too many people there, so I got to sit down for a bit and watch two sets of Japanese girls trying to take pictures of themselves. One was more prepared - they had a tripod and were carefully setting it up, looking where it would go, then one stood in the right spot while the other made a few adjustments. Then the second girl would hit the timed button and go stand next to her friend to pose - some silly, some serious. The second set was a little less prepared. They had set a bag on one of the light-things (like the one I was sitting on) and had the camera on the bag. They’d both try to see where to stand, then one would stand in more or less the right place, then the other would make sure it worked, hit the button, and run over. It worked pretty well until they were trying to pose like they were holding the big pyramid. They couldn’t get both of them at the right height and the right distance for 3 or 4 tries. Finally, once they squatted down REALLY low, they finally seemed to get what they wanted.

After that I walked through the gardens right there and found a giant Christmas market! The Christmas markets are really sort of goofy - lots of gifts, supposedly from different countries and regions, some are cool, some are really odd, and then somewhat over-priced food. Mulled wine, sausages, crepes, waffles, candy… I didn’t go through too much of it because it was getting sort of dark, and I wanted to be sure to get back before the grocery store closed. If my feet aren’t dead tomorrow after the museum I’ll go back J Goofy things are much cooler in other countries.

These dates are very good. I remember last time they tasted pretty much the same as in Tunis. But they are WAY better than the ones I’ve been having at home. I am still opening everyone and checking it before I eat it, though. Can’t be TOO careful with Tunisia dates….