So most of you know I'm in France right now, but what you probably don't know is that the Tour de France will be coming through my village on Thursday, July 23!!
It's a time trial or TT (contre-la-montre in French, literally: "against the watch") and they'll be going around Lake Annecy. The TT is 42 km (a marathon) and although the last TT of the Tour usually decides the winner, the French critics say it won't be the case this year because the climb on the eve of the Paris arrival and final stage will really decide the outcome this year.
If you're watching on Thursday night, make sure you look out for me and let me know if you see me! I'm going to wear a grey Tour de France shirt and my pink Red Sox hat (to rep Mass a bit). There's a chance it'll be raining, in which case I'll be wearing a blue raincoat and will have a black umbrella with multi-colored polka dots. I'll probably be around Le Col de Bluffy (the highest point of the TT) which is around 3/4 through.
I know that it'll be a little boring - because each rider is separated by 2 minutes the whole time - but make sure you watch a bit at least, so you can see the paradise where I've been living for the past month!
I'll take lotsa pictures and will tell you all about it when I get home! I rode the route with my host brother today and had a great time. It's really beautiful and it'll definitely be fun for you guys to check out this gorgeous region of France.
Make sure you let me know if you see me!
All the best,
A tout a l'heure!
Monday, July 20, 2009
Friday, July 17, 2009
Off to the Alps
Heading off to the Alps for the weekend tomorrow morning. We'll be staying at Chamonix but hopefully seeing Mont Blanc as well. My days are numbered here and although I'm excited to return to my real family, it is going to be very sad to leave the boys and to leave my parents. More news soon. And pictures!
Friday, July 10, 2009
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Oh Boy!
Today, two of my host brothers and I had a wonderful conversation about expressions. They expressed to me how they believe that Americans constantly say "Oh my God," and so I proceeded to inform them of equivalent expressions of amazement.
We started with "Holy Cow," which I said had a literal translation as une vache qui est blessée. They were quite entertained by this - especially the 7 year old.
We then talked about "Jeez Louise."
But the absolute best of all was when I informed them of the expression "Oh Boy!"
Ben, who is always ready to pull out English words, quickly said to me, "Oh girl! Can we say that?" I started laughing as he quickly added, "Oh woman! Oh grandfather" in his superbly cute French accent. I explained to him that, no, you can only say "Oh boy" or "Oh man," for some reason, those are just the expressions that work.
We started with "Holy Cow," which I said had a literal translation as une vache qui est blessée. They were quite entertained by this - especially the 7 year old.
We then talked about "Jeez Louise."
But the absolute best of all was when I informed them of the expression "Oh Boy!"
Ben, who is always ready to pull out English words, quickly said to me, "Oh girl! Can we say that?" I started laughing as he quickly added, "Oh woman! Oh grandfather" in his superbly cute French accent. I explained to him that, no, you can only say "Oh boy" or "Oh man," for some reason, those are just the expressions that work.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
One Night Only
My one night at the Geneva Youth Hostel was great; my dorm-mates were lovely, the food was good for breakfast, the bathrooms were clean (although they smelled of formaldehyde), and the lockers seemed very safe (although I did sleep with my valuables in my bed as I saw the others in my room do).
I had a lovely time walking around Geneva and the Swiss Beach Volleyball Championship was in progress and it was free to watch so I spent close to two hours watching beach volleyball in a manmade court on the grassy shores of Lake Geneva. In this picture you can see the Jet d'Eau, a huge fountain which spews 132 gallons of water per second at an altitude of 140 meters (459 feet). At any given time, there are about 1849 gallons of water in the air. The water is shot up into the air at 124 mph!
We are also heading back to Geneva on Wednesday to visit the United Nations.
I had a lovely time walking around Geneva and the Swiss Beach Volleyball Championship was in progress and it was free to watch so I spent close to two hours watching beach volleyball in a manmade court on the grassy shores of Lake Geneva. In this picture you can see the Jet d'Eau, a huge fountain which spews 132 gallons of water per second at an altitude of 140 meters (459 feet). At any given time, there are about 1849 gallons of water in the air. The water is shot up into the air at 124 mph!
We are also heading back to Geneva on Wednesday to visit the United Nations.
French Manners?
We always think of the French as superbly polite, very European, and practically equalling the British in their achievement of perfect table manners. And yet, after my 24 days in France this spring, and again now, I find that this is not entirely true.
Worried about eating the "continental" way - fork in the left hand, knife in the right - many of the other Tufts students have recounted near-disasters in managing to bring their food to their mouths. And yet for me, someone who always eats that way, I find that I am the only person in my host family of five who continually has the fork in their left hand.
In addition, it is fascinating that for every meal, when I set the table, Valerie hands me les assiettes, les forchettes, les couteaux, et les verres but pas de serviettes (the plates, forks, knives, and glasses, but no napkins). And so, I am happy that it is hot outside and I can discretely reach down and rub a slightly sticky hand on my knee, or yesterday, when we were eating fresh baguette, still dusted with flower, I was able to inconspicuously caress my hand against the seat cushion, rubbing off the flour and returning my fingers to their normal (tanned) color.
And for some reason, which I find completely unfathomable, I was offered a piece of paper towel at lunch for the first time ever today. I put mine on my lap, but Vincent, who was the only other person who had taken a piece, kept his at the table, using it to wipe of his hands. And it was strange as it wasn't as though we were eating a particular messy meal - salad comprised of rice, cucumber, corn, hard-boiled egg, tuna, and soy bean sprouts - with baguette.
And yet it is these cultural mysteries which fuel my love for traveling and for discovering other cultures.
Worried about eating the "continental" way - fork in the left hand, knife in the right - many of the other Tufts students have recounted near-disasters in managing to bring their food to their mouths. And yet for me, someone who always eats that way, I find that I am the only person in my host family of five who continually has the fork in their left hand.
In addition, it is fascinating that for every meal, when I set the table, Valerie hands me les assiettes, les forchettes, les couteaux, et les verres but pas de serviettes (the plates, forks, knives, and glasses, but no napkins). And so, I am happy that it is hot outside and I can discretely reach down and rub a slightly sticky hand on my knee, or yesterday, when we were eating fresh baguette, still dusted with flower, I was able to inconspicuously caress my hand against the seat cushion, rubbing off the flour and returning my fingers to their normal (tanned) color.
And for some reason, which I find completely unfathomable, I was offered a piece of paper towel at lunch for the first time ever today. I put mine on my lap, but Vincent, who was the only other person who had taken a piece, kept his at the table, using it to wipe of his hands. And it was strange as it wasn't as though we were eating a particular messy meal - salad comprised of rice, cucumber, corn, hard-boiled egg, tuna, and soy bean sprouts - with baguette.
And yet it is these cultural mysteries which fuel my love for traveling and for discovering other cultures.
Watching Sports
As I sit here playing around with photos and writing emails, some members of my host family are watching the Wimbledon Final. One thing that is very interesting that I've noticed with watching things such as sports here in France is that the TV channels don't find the incessant need to have announcements, scores, or advertisements constantly flashing on and crossing the screen. This may also have to do with the fact that many of France's TV stations are government-owned, but it's hard to tell.
Alright, more pictures coming up shortly.
Alright, more pictures coming up shortly.
Beautiful Paris
I've just put pictures on my computer, and wanted to include one from my one-night stay in Paris. This was taken from the middle of the Champs-Élysées looking towards L'Arc de Triomphe at around 10 PM.
I love the light of the setting sun reflected in the windows of the Louvre.
I told Alexandra this was a "moon mist" sky. I just had to take this picture with the moon and the Eiffel Tower.
Make sure you click on the photos so that you can see them larger!
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