nerd blog post #70
I'm back. As I figured, nerd blog posts over the holidays will be scarce, as I'm not able to get on the internet very often... I'm on the road. Like a rockstar. Vodstar. Okay here we go..
But first I would like to thank everyone for their warm Christmas wishes... Though I haven't had the chance to thank some of you personally (yet!), I was a very lucky to have people thinking of me.. On that note, I apologize for the lack of correspondence lately.. I will be back on the good train soon enough.
Here's a quick update. Doctor and I arrived in Paris early morning on the 24th. We checked into our 1 star hotel, located near Montmartre, and after dropping off our things and taking a quick nap, we met up with Raffi and went to a clown's apartment for dindins. We had a wholesome meal of rice and chicken and veggies. It was the three of us and two other Canadians, one of whom is also at clown school. After dindins, we took a couple of bottles of wine to the Eiffel Tower where we watched the sparkle and sipped wine in the park. My mom reminded me what kind of people drink in parks in Canada.. Oopsies. It was a beautiful and memorable evening.
On Christmas day proper, we slept in and then enjoyed walking around and seeing Paris. We ate Thai food and talked to family and got a bit nostalgic for home. But it wasn't as lonely as I thought it might be. I was lucky to be around good men who love their homes as much as I do and who also felt grateful for overseas opportunities, even if it meant missing Christmas..
On the 26th, in the morning, Steve arrived. I went to the airport to pick him up and was very excited. His brother, Michael, came as well, but is spending time with his French gf, so we parted at the airport. Steve and I made our way to Raffi's, where we met up with Doctor and left our bags for the day. The goal was to keep Steve up all day to cure his jetlag, and it worked. We did a ton that day. We saw Champs d'Elysees and Arc de Triomphe and Notre Dame and the Seine.. We walked and walked and I purred all day. In the evening, Doctor and Steve and I took the train to Rennes.
On Saturday, we did the typical Saturday Rennes thang. We went to the market and had a cafe and walked through some beautiful gardens. It was amazing having the two of them there, and reminded me of how much I miss friends from home... It will be very hard going back there alone once this vacay is over..
Later that afternoon, we went to a fair. It was very cool. Big and scary rides and cool prizes and delicious looking food. We chose to ride Toxic, a giant and scary ride. I refused to sit alone and was scared I would pee my pants. I didn't. But it may be the scariest ride I have ever been on.
In the evening, we made a delicious feast of mussels and fries and a huge salad. We made curry, red wine and white wine mussels. Amazing. Then we hit the town, seeing Thirsty Street and a couple of night bars. By the end of the night, everyone was very tired. We had had an exhausting couple of days.
On Sunday, Doctor left to go back to England. It wasn't a very sad goodbye as Steve and I will be reuniting with him in Amsterdam in a few days. Very exciting! That afternoon, Steve and I went to Saint-Malo. Remember when I took the rando carpool ride from Rennes to Paris? Well, that interesting man I met on that ride lent us his apartment for the night. We got a ride into the town by roomie Alexandre and then a friend of the man from the car came and gave Steve and I the keys to the apartment. Man from car was away, so we had the run of the place. It was a beautiful apartment, just steps from the ocean. Steve and I explored the town, which was bustling, and bought two crabs, a bunch of shrimp, and fish soup base. Back at the apartment, we ate a delicious fish soup, drank hot wine and had a good catch up. It was really nice.
On Monday morning, we trained back to Rennes and then to Paris and stayed at a modest hotel near the Louvre. We met up with Raffi and Talia (good friend from Queen´s) and her bf and then Michael and his gf and we all had a coffee together. SOO many worlds colliding! Normally, world collision makes me really anxious, but it was actually very fun, and so good to see so many close friends all at once! That evening, we went to the Eiffel Tower with Raffi and Viktor and, once again, enjoyed wine and the sparkling lights.
The next day was spent trying unsuccessfully to wait out the enormous lines of the Musee d´Orsay and the Rodin. Eventually, we went to Montmartre and to the Dali museum there. It was really good, and a nice thing to do on a grey and rainy day. That evening we went to a bar on a bustling street with Michael, his gf, Viktor and Raffi. Steve and I were close enough to walk home, stopping for chicken on the way.
Wednesday was New Year´s Eve, and we went to the Latin Quarter to check out the Canadian bookstore and meet cousin Claire! With her friend and Raffi, we all went for lunch and to the Centre Pompidou. It was great seeing Claire in Paris, and we made plans to meet up later in the evening.
Ringing in 2009 was magical. We decided to join the crowds on the Champs d´Elysees. We met Claire and her friend, Viktor and several other clowns, and Benito and his friend. We saw the tower sparkle at the stroke of midnight, and then fireworks and bottles of champagne began to pop! It wasn´t very cold out, and I was so happy to be surrounded by good people.
2008 was a great year. Eight months in an amazing apartment, a Master´s degree, a return to L´Arche, many great parties, the longest time in the city with my parents since I was a teenager, and a move to France. I was grateful to ring in a new year having been very happy the year before. Last year, my resolution was to get some mileage on my passport and to move away for a bit. This year, it´s to write more letters, and to return home. Having Steve here makes me quite homesick. I dread having to say goodbye..
So where am I now? We are on the beautiful island of Ibiza.. More on Spain and 2009 very soon.
With love,
Hincks.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Friday, December 19, 2008
Chapter 64: Turkeys to the VIP
nerd blog post #69
It's been awhile, dear readers, but I am stuffinged with Turkey and happy to blog.. This will be a longy and a goodie. A Christmas goodie.
Manchesthaır was great. Doctor and I booked ınto our hostel around 3pm, dropped our stuff, and hıt the cıty. It was decked out for Chrıstmas, but not obnoxıously. We went ınto Prımark - lıke Wınners but way better - and I bought a hat and new boots. Then we wandered around the cıty centre, saw the gay dıstrıct and Chınatown and the canal. We walked through a beautıful Chrıstmas market and had stew for dındıns there. Manchesthair ıs the best cıty I've vısıted ın England so far. At nıght, we sıpped some brewskıes at the hostel and then went to a bar called Churchıll's. It was an amazıng nıght - lıke old tımes. The hıghlıght was sıngıng Twıst and Shout for karaoke. I've decıded that I want karaoke at my weddıng. I shared that idea with Doctor, who wasn't as excited as I'd hoped..
The next mornıng, we left very early and took a traın to the aıport. From there, we had a 4 hour plane rıde. Unlıke flyıng across the Atlantıc, we crossed over many countrıes and even saw the Alps, whıch was neat. I was glad to be headıng away from that snow. When we landed ın Antalya, we had a 2 hour bus rıde to the resort.
I don't know how I'll tell all about the week in Turkey.. It was pretty amazing, and many stories to share. I'll do my best..
Doctor found this amazing deal through Thomas Cook where flight and accomodation at a five-star all-inclusive resort was at a very low, low price.. It really was a steal. I have never stayed in such a nice hotel room before, and I don't know if I ever will again! I couldn't believe how fancy everything was.. It was very exciting, especially after budget flights and hostels and picnics for so long.. I felt like a king. From the balcony, we could see the Mediteranean Sea on one side, and mountains on the other. Very beautiful.
The food was unreal. Delicious cheeses and olives and breads.. It seemed to be influenced by its many bordering countries. The best food I've eaten in a long time. Food of unbloggable deliciousness. At mealtimes, the resort cats would chill near the table. We named most of them after friends from back home. My fave was obvi named after me.
Doctor and I learned some important phrases in Turkish:
-hello
-thank you
-2 beers please
When we arrived, we realized that we were the youngest there. Besides some small children. It seemed overrun by old peeps. We called them the geris until we learned that there was an old folks home on vacay there.. Not just our imaginations at all.... Most of the guests were Turkish or German, with some Dutch and a few Brits. No one else. Flying out of Antalya today, I saw that all flights went to England or Germany. Everyone seemed surprised to meet Canadians there. I loved practicing my German. Some of the resort workers spoke way better German than English, so I would praccy with them, too. In the summer, 1200 people can stay where we were. It's one of the biggest resorts in the region. But being the off-season, there were only about 150. Which was just fine.
The trip, for me, will be split in two - the dry season and the rainy season. The first three days were wonderful. We spent two of them on the beach for hours.. We swam in the sea and basked in the sun. The other sunny day was spent in Alanya, a city ten minutes away or so. It's the capital city of the province, and was really cool to visit. There, we ignored the locals advice to take a bus to the top of the mountain, and instead walked up the winding road to the castle at the top. From there, we saw the ruins of a huge castle dating back to the 13th century, and had a beautiful view of the city. In the city, local shopkeepers try every tactic possible to get you into their store. "Hello nice couple!" We managed to escape by having a Turkish coffee (the bottom is like mud!) and sharing a hookah with the owner of the cafe.
And then the rains came. It rained continually for three days. Somehow, though, the days went by very quickly. Doctor and I played ping-pong, read and wrote, sipped coffee, ate well, and discovered the Turkish Bath. This is what that is: In a large room with marble everywhere, and sinks around the outside, you go in and pour water onto yourself from the sink with a bowl. That sounds dumb now that I write it, but the hot water and marble make it sauna-like, and it is very relaxing.. We had a Turkish Bath every day. There was also a sauna that we went into every day. In Germany it is forbidden to wear a bathing suit in a sauna, so I saw many geris in the buff.
I wish I had blogged all the way through the week.. I feel as though I can hardly scrape the surface. It was neat to be so far East.. A European country that feels so unlike any Europe I have visited before.. As I've written about every country, the people I came across were warm and friendly. Eager to help and happy to talk about their country and ask questions about my own. It made me want to abandon plans to visit "mainstream" Europe, and take the road less traveled (shout out RF).
It is now 215am in Liverpool, 415am in Turkey, 915pm in Torono, and 315am in Paris. In the past 17 hours, Doctor and I have been on two buses, two trains, one airplane, and in three airports. In five hours we fly to Paris. We will be tired after staying awake most of the night here at the airport in Liverpool... But we are very excited for the next part of our holidays..
We will spend two nights in Paris, spending Christmas with Raffi and maybe Doctor's friend from his program. On the 26th, Steve arrives, and after a day in Paris, we'll go back to Rennes for two nights. Then, Doctor will return to the UK, and Steve and I will continue to travel.. More about that latron.
I guess it's Christmas Eve.. After being in a 98% Muslim country with temperatures in the 20s for a week, it doesn't feel like Christmas at all. I think the lights in Paris will help. I'll be thinking of you all over the next couple of days especially..
Love always,
Hincks.
It's been awhile, dear readers, but I am stuffinged with Turkey and happy to blog.. This will be a longy and a goodie. A Christmas goodie.
Manchesthaır was great. Doctor and I booked ınto our hostel around 3pm, dropped our stuff, and hıt the cıty. It was decked out for Chrıstmas, but not obnoxıously. We went ınto Prımark - lıke Wınners but way better - and I bought a hat and new boots. Then we wandered around the cıty centre, saw the gay dıstrıct and Chınatown and the canal. We walked through a beautıful Chrıstmas market and had stew for dındıns there. Manchesthair ıs the best cıty I've vısıted ın England so far. At nıght, we sıpped some brewskıes at the hostel and then went to a bar called Churchıll's. It was an amazıng nıght - lıke old tımes. The hıghlıght was sıngıng Twıst and Shout for karaoke. I've decıded that I want karaoke at my weddıng. I shared that idea with Doctor, who wasn't as excited as I'd hoped..
The next mornıng, we left very early and took a traın to the aıport. From there, we had a 4 hour plane rıde. Unlıke flyıng across the Atlantıc, we crossed over many countrıes and even saw the Alps, whıch was neat. I was glad to be headıng away from that snow. When we landed ın Antalya, we had a 2 hour bus rıde to the resort.
I don't know how I'll tell all about the week in Turkey.. It was pretty amazing, and many stories to share. I'll do my best..
Doctor found this amazing deal through Thomas Cook where flight and accomodation at a five-star all-inclusive resort was at a very low, low price.. It really was a steal. I have never stayed in such a nice hotel room before, and I don't know if I ever will again! I couldn't believe how fancy everything was.. It was very exciting, especially after budget flights and hostels and picnics for so long.. I felt like a king. From the balcony, we could see the Mediteranean Sea on one side, and mountains on the other. Very beautiful.
The food was unreal. Delicious cheeses and olives and breads.. It seemed to be influenced by its many bordering countries. The best food I've eaten in a long time. Food of unbloggable deliciousness. At mealtimes, the resort cats would chill near the table. We named most of them after friends from back home. My fave was obvi named after me.
Doctor and I learned some important phrases in Turkish:
-hello
-thank you
-2 beers please
When we arrived, we realized that we were the youngest there. Besides some small children. It seemed overrun by old peeps. We called them the geris until we learned that there was an old folks home on vacay there.. Not just our imaginations at all.... Most of the guests were Turkish or German, with some Dutch and a few Brits. No one else. Flying out of Antalya today, I saw that all flights went to England or Germany. Everyone seemed surprised to meet Canadians there. I loved practicing my German. Some of the resort workers spoke way better German than English, so I would praccy with them, too. In the summer, 1200 people can stay where we were. It's one of the biggest resorts in the region. But being the off-season, there were only about 150. Which was just fine.
The trip, for me, will be split in two - the dry season and the rainy season. The first three days were wonderful. We spent two of them on the beach for hours.. We swam in the sea and basked in the sun. The other sunny day was spent in Alanya, a city ten minutes away or so. It's the capital city of the province, and was really cool to visit. There, we ignored the locals advice to take a bus to the top of the mountain, and instead walked up the winding road to the castle at the top. From there, we saw the ruins of a huge castle dating back to the 13th century, and had a beautiful view of the city. In the city, local shopkeepers try every tactic possible to get you into their store. "Hello nice couple!" We managed to escape by having a Turkish coffee (the bottom is like mud!) and sharing a hookah with the owner of the cafe.
And then the rains came. It rained continually for three days. Somehow, though, the days went by very quickly. Doctor and I played ping-pong, read and wrote, sipped coffee, ate well, and discovered the Turkish Bath. This is what that is: In a large room with marble everywhere, and sinks around the outside, you go in and pour water onto yourself from the sink with a bowl. That sounds dumb now that I write it, but the hot water and marble make it sauna-like, and it is very relaxing.. We had a Turkish Bath every day. There was also a sauna that we went into every day. In Germany it is forbidden to wear a bathing suit in a sauna, so I saw many geris in the buff.
I wish I had blogged all the way through the week.. I feel as though I can hardly scrape the surface. It was neat to be so far East.. A European country that feels so unlike any Europe I have visited before.. As I've written about every country, the people I came across were warm and friendly. Eager to help and happy to talk about their country and ask questions about my own. It made me want to abandon plans to visit "mainstream" Europe, and take the road less traveled (shout out RF).
It is now 215am in Liverpool, 415am in Turkey, 915pm in Torono, and 315am in Paris. In the past 17 hours, Doctor and I have been on two buses, two trains, one airplane, and in three airports. In five hours we fly to Paris. We will be tired after staying awake most of the night here at the airport in Liverpool... But we are very excited for the next part of our holidays..
We will spend two nights in Paris, spending Christmas with Raffi and maybe Doctor's friend from his program. On the 26th, Steve arrives, and after a day in Paris, we'll go back to Rennes for two nights. Then, Doctor will return to the UK, and Steve and I will continue to travel.. More about that latron.
I guess it's Christmas Eve.. After being in a 98% Muslim country with temperatures in the 20s for a week, it doesn't feel like Christmas at all. I think the lights in Paris will help. I'll be thinking of you all over the next couple of days especially..
Love always,
Hincks.
Monday, December 15, 2008
NO CHAPTER FOR YOU
This will be my last nerd blog post for awhile, as we are en route to Manchester in just a few minutes. But here is some holiday cheer to get you through the long, blogless nights...
And 2008:
Enjoy! And have a good week.
All my love,
Hincks.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Chapter 63: Hincks Hangout and Doctor's Digs
nerd blog post #68
The past few days have been a real whirlwind... This might be a longy. Or maybe I'll be too excited to get to RIGHT NOW that I'll speed through everything else.. Impossible. I'm long-winded.
On Friday night, Raffi and I went to the Christmas party of someone in his program. It was great. We had hot wine and snackies and there was a Secret Santa. The lucky recipient of my yo-yo was pumped. Obvi. I won the gift from Viktor! An Eiffel Tower keychain and statue. Since I'm not even from Paris, it was great. I was glad no one stole from me...
Saturday was an incredibly long travel day.. I left Paris on a train at 7am. I took a train to Brest (Yes, it's pronounced the same as breast. And no, I can't say it without snickering.) which is almost five hours from Paris. It's in Brittany, right on the coast. An important WWII town, and quite pretty. Not as pretty as Rennes, but nice to be on the ocean. I slept the entire way, waking up to a breathtaking view of the ocean, all rocky and tempestuous, as Brittany tends to be. The shuttle bus to the airport was waiting for me when I got there.
Since I didn't know how I would get to the airport, and not wanting to miss my flight, I ended up leaving far too much time. I had four hours in the Boob airport, which was tiny. I had a coffee, wrote endlessly, people-watched like it was my j-o-b, and read my book.
I finally boarded. Ryanair is perfect for budget travelers. My flight to London was about $20, everything included. But Ryanair is also very cramped and uncomfortable. For a short flight, this is fine. Anyways, the point is that the flight was delayed for an hour. Apparently, there was one person on the plane who shouldn't have been. So they walked up and down with a clicky thing and then did role call. I was sitting near the back, and knew what the problem was. The teacher doing grade 1 role call wasn't loud enough. Add to that pronouncing English names with a French accent. Disaster. People started getting frustrated. The teacher got frustrated. She asked me what the deal was. Next thing I knew, I was standing with her in the aisle, reading out the English names with my very loud voice. Eventually, with no solution in sight, the pilate got frustrated and we took off. Soooo there may have been a crazyperson on the flight. Weird.
Arriving in London, I took a bus and then a train into the centre of town, where my dear Uncle Doug met me. It was great to see him! We took the tube to meet the rest of the family for dindins. UD's wife, Sheila, and her siblings and mother were there, too. I was starving and ate a giant pizzer. We got back to Birmingham around midnight.
London gave me a culture shock. I had just been in Paris, but London was crazy with people.. So much shopping, so many lights, so much English.. It was weird. I realized how used to France I have become, and how much more peaceful even Paris is. London is cool, but I am in love with Paris. I've never felt this way about a city before. I miss TO, but ... if all of you would move to Paris, I would stay there forever. Say yes for 40 points.
This morning I got up and went to church with my aunt and uncle. It was the nativity play. I realized that the ol' tea towel on the head trick is universal for shepherds. I also remember how mad I was that I never got to be Mary. It brought back many memories. I stole the carol sheet so I can enforce the singing of carols in Paris with Doc and Raffi. Sorry, boyz. I hadn't heard any English Christmas songs this season until today.
We went into the city centre in the afternoon and met Doctor at the train station. I couldn't contain my excitement. I almost peed my pants. It was sooo good to see him. We all wandered around the Christmas market there. Apparently, it's the second biggest in Europe. It was really cool.
We headed back to the Hincks house and had a delicious dindins.. The best I have had in a long, long time. We skyped with my parents. They were both wearing silly Christmas hats. It was fun. This evening, UD was very kind and drove Doc and I to his residence at Warwick University.
Doctor hung a welcome banner and had a wittle package of goodies. Turkish Delight, beer, a poster.. It was great. Most of all, though, it's good to see the land he has been blogging from and living in for months. Now, he's packing and I'm nerd blogging. And purring. I have missed this man.
Tomorrow morning, we head for Manchester and stay at a hostel for a night before going to the airport very early Tuesday morning. We are very excited. I will nerd blog when I can.
Missing you all..
Signing off,
Hincks.
Friday, December 12, 2008
Chapter 62: Yo-yo-yo
nerd blog post #67
Yesterday afternoon, Raffi and I hit up this Armenian store and got some goodies for lunch. Then we walked around Paris for a long time. We met Viktor and his Canadian friend (from where he worked this summer) for dindins at the caf, and then headed to a bar. The bar was where they filmed scenes from Amelie! (I put an exclamation point because this will probably interest you, dear readers, not because I cared at all.)
Today, I took care of bizznass in the morning, and then met the clowns and went to a play. The play reminded me of The Anger in Ernest and Ernestine, except that I like TAIEAE. It had some good moments, but wasn't that great overall. Clowny, though, which was fun to watch.
Tonight, we head to a clown party. It's a warm wine, Secret Santa, snackies party. Should be fun. My SS presie is a yo-yo. The clowns will probably fight over that gem. Seri.
Tomorrow I head to England. I'm excited. But I keep having such strange dreams about the vacay. Like peeps being there that I didn't expect, and things going terribly wrong. Friends refusing to stay in the places I've booked.. Passports being forgotten. I look forward to getting on the plane, knowing that everything will go just fine.
I'll nerd blog again when I can.
Signing off,
Hincks.
Yesterday afternoon, Raffi and I hit up this Armenian store and got some goodies for lunch. Then we walked around Paris for a long time. We met Viktor and his Canadian friend (from where he worked this summer) for dindins at the caf, and then headed to a bar. The bar was where they filmed scenes from Amelie! (I put an exclamation point because this will probably interest you, dear readers, not because I cared at all.)
Today, I took care of bizznass in the morning, and then met the clowns and went to a play. The play reminded me of The Anger in Ernest and Ernestine, except that I like TAIEAE. It had some good moments, but wasn't that great overall. Clowny, though, which was fun to watch.
Tonight, we head to a clown party. It's a warm wine, Secret Santa, snackies party. Should be fun. My SS presie is a yo-yo. The clowns will probably fight over that gem. Seri.
Tomorrow I head to England. I'm excited. But I keep having such strange dreams about the vacay. Like peeps being there that I didn't expect, and things going terribly wrong. Friends refusing to stay in the places I've booked.. Passports being forgotten. I look forward to getting on the plane, knowing that everything will go just fine.
I'll nerd blog again when I can.
Signing off,
Hincks.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Chapter 61: Getting from AdeB
nerd blog post #67
I got a bunch done on Tuesday so I wouldn't have to sacrifice Tuesday Tradition with Merrill. In celebration of the last T-Trad of 2008, we had higher quality snackies and Merrill bought champagne. What a treat. It's always a highlight of my week.
On Wednesday, I had my final two classes of the semester. One exam and a conversation class. The students in the conversation class brought in treats and we had a grade 6 stylez end-of-year party.
I then went straight to meet Gwellouen, my co-voiturage lady. She was a really nice lady, and it was also her first time doing co-voiturage. She also drove Thomas, a man who works on boats in Saint-Malo. If you recall the pirate ship photo from one of the first Foto Essays, that's the boat he works on! Anyways, Thomas sat in the front, which was good because I love snoozing in cars, and was able to do that for awhile without being impolite.. Thomas was one of the most interesting people I have met in a long time. He and his partner took off a couple of years ago with a knapsack each, headed to the Carribean Islands and then to Canada, by boat. They both worked in Quebec City for a few months, and then bought a van and took off on a year's adventure. They drove 46,000 kms, through Canada, the US, and then right down to Argentina. They zig-zagged the whole way, they slept in their van, and they did it for under $1000 a month (inluding gas). Really cool story. I told him that I might be going to Saint-Malo over the break with Canadians. He said they'd be at her side of the family's house for Christmas, but said we could stay in their apartment for a night if we want. That he'd leave the key with neighbours. Such a nice man, and so.. (side-story: The word for welcoming in French is "accueillant." In French, though, it means more than in English, I find. We don't tend to describe a personality as welcoming.. We'd say that a person, at a particular time, was welcoming. I guess we'd say warm to describe an entire welcoming personality..) ..and so accueillant.
I thought a lot about road trips I've been on while in the car with these strangers. It's different here. No Wendy's for Frostys, no Timmy's for an XL 2M, love Tim Horton's. There were a couple of restaurants on the side of the highway, but no fast food. Also, I learned that it costs 25euros each way to drive to Paris from Rennes. Highway tax. So expensive! They told me that before Duchess Anne de Bretagne married the King of France, uniting Brittany to the rest of France, she demanded a few things. This was around 400 years ago. Back then, there was a tax called pont au chaussee, which was a tax for every time you crossed a bridge. Duchess AdeB didn't have this tax in Brittany, and when she signed the contract, she said that there was never to be any bridge or road taxes in her region. And so, Brittany remains the only region in France where there are no highway tolls or road taxes paid for by travelors. Thanks, AdeB!
The drive was about three and a half hours, and not even the offer of a bathroom break! I was dying by the time I arrived. Obvi. I then took the metro and met Raffi. We went out for dinner last night. What a treat. I had only eaten French food and some Mexican (thanks to Cynthia) since my arrival, and my cravings for ethnic food had been growing unbearable. In Rennes, selection for non-French food is slim, and expensive. But Paris has more options. We ate delicious Indian food, and I was very happy.
When I was in the car, I was saying how much I loved French food, but that I missed the diversity of food in Canada. They reminded me that there were a couple of Indian and Japonese restaurants in Rennes. True, but they're very expensive. And do you find French food cheap? Yes, very. Isn't that logical? ..... I suppose so.
I have a couple of loose ends to tie up before England on Saturday. But I pur in Paris.. Love to you all.
Signing off,
Hincks.
I got a bunch done on Tuesday so I wouldn't have to sacrifice Tuesday Tradition with Merrill. In celebration of the last T-Trad of 2008, we had higher quality snackies and Merrill bought champagne. What a treat. It's always a highlight of my week.
On Wednesday, I had my final two classes of the semester. One exam and a conversation class. The students in the conversation class brought in treats and we had a grade 6 stylez end-of-year party.
I then went straight to meet Gwellouen, my co-voiturage lady. She was a really nice lady, and it was also her first time doing co-voiturage. She also drove Thomas, a man who works on boats in Saint-Malo. If you recall the pirate ship photo from one of the first Foto Essays, that's the boat he works on! Anyways, Thomas sat in the front, which was good because I love snoozing in cars, and was able to do that for awhile without being impolite.. Thomas was one of the most interesting people I have met in a long time. He and his partner took off a couple of years ago with a knapsack each, headed to the Carribean Islands and then to Canada, by boat. They both worked in Quebec City for a few months, and then bought a van and took off on a year's adventure. They drove 46,000 kms, through Canada, the US, and then right down to Argentina. They zig-zagged the whole way, they slept in their van, and they did it for under $1000 a month (inluding gas). Really cool story. I told him that I might be going to Saint-Malo over the break with Canadians. He said they'd be at her side of the family's house for Christmas, but said we could stay in their apartment for a night if we want. That he'd leave the key with neighbours. Such a nice man, and so.. (side-story: The word for welcoming in French is "accueillant." In French, though, it means more than in English, I find. We don't tend to describe a personality as welcoming.. We'd say that a person, at a particular time, was welcoming. I guess we'd say warm to describe an entire welcoming personality..) ..and so accueillant.
I thought a lot about road trips I've been on while in the car with these strangers. It's different here. No Wendy's for Frostys, no Timmy's for an XL 2M, love Tim Horton's. There were a couple of restaurants on the side of the highway, but no fast food. Also, I learned that it costs 25euros each way to drive to Paris from Rennes. Highway tax. So expensive! They told me that before Duchess Anne de Bretagne married the King of France, uniting Brittany to the rest of France, she demanded a few things. This was around 400 years ago. Back then, there was a tax called pont au chaussee, which was a tax for every time you crossed a bridge. Duchess AdeB didn't have this tax in Brittany, and when she signed the contract, she said that there was never to be any bridge or road taxes in her region. And so, Brittany remains the only region in France where there are no highway tolls or road taxes paid for by travelors. Thanks, AdeB!
The drive was about three and a half hours, and not even the offer of a bathroom break! I was dying by the time I arrived. Obvi. I then took the metro and met Raffi. We went out for dinner last night. What a treat. I had only eaten French food and some Mexican (thanks to Cynthia) since my arrival, and my cravings for ethnic food had been growing unbearable. In Rennes, selection for non-French food is slim, and expensive. But Paris has more options. We ate delicious Indian food, and I was very happy.
When I was in the car, I was saying how much I loved French food, but that I missed the diversity of food in Canada. They reminded me that there were a couple of Indian and Japonese restaurants in Rennes. True, but they're very expensive. And do you find French food cheap? Yes, very. Isn't that logical? ..... I suppose so.
I have a couple of loose ends to tie up before England on Saturday. But I pur in Paris.. Love to you all.
Signing off,
Hincks.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Chapter 60: To Tell List
nerd blog post #66
I have been chipping away at a To Do List that, this morning, seemed endless, but is now looking more manageable. And so, in the spirit of lists, here is my To Tell List. Ahem.
1. Across from my building is a brand, new movie theatre that I will likely never attend. In front of it is a large, empty space. Now, in Canada, this space would be a huge parking lot. But here, the space has been used for all sorts of things. During the biggest music festival in the universe (for you, Doc!) that happened this past week-end, huge tents were erected and bands played within. It has also housed markets of various kinds. This morning, I saw them putting up a fair! Like the CNE, but smaller, with rides and all sorts of fun things. It opens after I leave, but will still be around when I come back here with Doctor and Steve. Very exciting.
2. I bought eleven train tickets today! Not just for me, but for travels that will happen from now until January 10th. Since I leave tomorrow, I had to get all of that sorted.
3. I also met with a professor to discuss grades for our students. He's American but has been in France since he was a lecteur twenty years ago. He stayed on in France, doing a PhD, and then working at various universities. We had an interesting conversation..
4. Then I went to Betton to hand in my contract at the school and talk about the first week. The principal asked what I'd like to teach, specifically, and I said theatre. He was happy about that, as there's no theatre at the school now, and said there's the possibility of some funding for it, and that we'll talk more in the new year. I'll be there three days a week, for two hours each time. I'm looking forward to it.
5. I said goodbye to Hossoen for a couple of weeks. He made me lunch and we sat and chatted for a long time. I still see him often, though not every day like before. Maybe four times a week or so. I always enjoy his company.
6. I have been spoiled lately. I received a package from my parents last week and one from Jessica yesterday.. The one from my parents was wrapped in Christmas wrapping paper. I wondered if that meant they wanted me to wait until Christmas.. I thought about it. I hid the gift underneath my bed. I tried really hard to forget about it. Six seconds later, I opened it. Jessica's was not wrapped. I hesitated eeeeven shorter! I have also received some really nice e-mails and letters in the mail lately.. They really make me happy. Thank-you. Points to you all for making my days.
7. And you thought couch surfing was sketchy!? Well, it is. But so is co-voiturage, the latest of my money saving trix (are for kids). It's a website that advertises carpooling all around France. I'm meeting a woman named Gwellouen tomorrow, who will drive me to Paris. It's twice as long, but saves almost $15, and seems like fun. Good French praccy, too. And the timing works out perfectly. Thanks, co-voiturage!
8. My new brown boots are wearing in the back. Such bad news bears. On the plus side, it's around twenty degrees where Doc and I are heading. As most of you know, I get overheated, and anything over ten degrees means definite flip-flop weather.
9. I'll be in Paris for three nights before heading to London on Saturday. I will be nerd blogging steadily until Turkey, I imagine.
And finally, as the wonderful EBai would say..
10. End of List.
With love,
Hincks.
I have been chipping away at a To Do List that, this morning, seemed endless, but is now looking more manageable. And so, in the spirit of lists, here is my To Tell List. Ahem.
1. Across from my building is a brand, new movie theatre that I will likely never attend. In front of it is a large, empty space. Now, in Canada, this space would be a huge parking lot. But here, the space has been used for all sorts of things. During the biggest music festival in the universe (for you, Doc!) that happened this past week-end, huge tents were erected and bands played within. It has also housed markets of various kinds. This morning, I saw them putting up a fair! Like the CNE, but smaller, with rides and all sorts of fun things. It opens after I leave, but will still be around when I come back here with Doctor and Steve. Very exciting.
2. I bought eleven train tickets today! Not just for me, but for travels that will happen from now until January 10th. Since I leave tomorrow, I had to get all of that sorted.
3. I also met with a professor to discuss grades for our students. He's American but has been in France since he was a lecteur twenty years ago. He stayed on in France, doing a PhD, and then working at various universities. We had an interesting conversation..
4. Then I went to Betton to hand in my contract at the school and talk about the first week. The principal asked what I'd like to teach, specifically, and I said theatre. He was happy about that, as there's no theatre at the school now, and said there's the possibility of some funding for it, and that we'll talk more in the new year. I'll be there three days a week, for two hours each time. I'm looking forward to it.
5. I said goodbye to Hossoen for a couple of weeks. He made me lunch and we sat and chatted for a long time. I still see him often, though not every day like before. Maybe four times a week or so. I always enjoy his company.
6. I have been spoiled lately. I received a package from my parents last week and one from Jessica yesterday.. The one from my parents was wrapped in Christmas wrapping paper. I wondered if that meant they wanted me to wait until Christmas.. I thought about it. I hid the gift underneath my bed. I tried really hard to forget about it. Six seconds later, I opened it. Jessica's was not wrapped. I hesitated eeeeven shorter! I have also received some really nice e-mails and letters in the mail lately.. They really make me happy. Thank-you. Points to you all for making my days.
7. And you thought couch surfing was sketchy!? Well, it is. But so is co-voiturage, the latest of my money saving trix (are for kids). It's a website that advertises carpooling all around France. I'm meeting a woman named Gwellouen tomorrow, who will drive me to Paris. It's twice as long, but saves almost $15, and seems like fun. Good French praccy, too. And the timing works out perfectly. Thanks, co-voiturage!
8. My new brown boots are wearing in the back. Such bad news bears. On the plus side, it's around twenty degrees where Doc and I are heading. As most of you know, I get overheated, and anything over ten degrees means definite flip-flop weather.
9. I'll be in Paris for three nights before heading to London on Saturday. I will be nerd blogging steadily until Turkey, I imagine.
And finally, as the wonderful EBai would say..
10. End of List.
With love,
Hincks.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Chapter 59: Countdown to Vacay
nerd blog post #64
Yowsa! It has been awhile.. I was planning on nerd blogging almost daily this first part of December, as I will be traveling soon, but the week-end slipped away.. And though nothing else on the internet is nearly as interesting, I hope you all were able to somehow amuse yourselves in my nerd blog absence.
Merrill's party Thursday night was really great. With more than twenty-five people crowded into her tiny apartment, the idea of Beer-pong was impossible. All of the lecteurs were there, as well as some of Merrill's neighbours, and many students. It was fun.
Raffi arrived Friday afternoon. I played Suzie Homemaker in the afternoon, making a soup and an apple pie. I've never made either, and didn't have a recipe for either, but they both turned out. We had dinner with Cynthia - her last meal before heading back to the States.
Later that evening, we went over to Foun's place. Her apartment is really cute, decked out with a Canadian flag and with pillows on the floor to sit on. Merrill and her friend came, as well as Cynthia, Lucie, Raffi and the Irish lectrice, Emma. It was nice.. We sipped wine and ate French treats and chatted. Later, we broke out a French pre-teen truth or dare board game called French Kiss. It was pretty hilarious. It made me think of the Dream Phone days with SJC.
Around 2am, Cynthia, Raffi and I booted it home to change and go dancing. Cynthia and I really wanted to, and it was her last night. But after getting ready and flying to the night bar, they weren't letting anyone else in.. So we went home.
Cynthia got me up at the crack of dawn and I walked her to the train station to catch her 6am train. She flew to New York and then has three interviews all over the country before heading back to El Paso for Christmas. The past few weeks have been a whirlwind, and I hadn't thought much about her departure.. It was sad putting her on the train. A reminder of how hard it will be to say goodbye in the Spring. Our lives somehow collided for this school year, and will bounce apart again once it's over.. Cynthia applied to thirteen medical schools and has been invited to eleven interviews already and has been accepted at two schools she interviewed for back in September. It's been fun being a part of such an exciting time for her. She's interviewing at Rochester today, which would be quite close to TO.. I'd love it if she were just across the lake. Anyways, I'll see her January 10th.
Raffi and I went to the market where we bought some fresh veggies and mussels. Then we went to the Christmas market. We had lunch at Hossoen's kebab stand and walked around Rennes (running into another market!) and had a coffee outside. We had sunny and mild days all week-end, which was a treat for Rennes.
The plan was to make moules frites (mussels and fries) for dindins, but after eating an "appetizer" of guacamole, cheeses, baguette, and Armenian wine, we were full.
This week-end was les Transmusicales in Rennes, the biggest music festival in Europe. The town was packed and crazy. People come from all over for the festival, bars are open later, buses run all night, and general debauchery is twenty-four hours long. The only band I'd heard of was Bon Iver, but tickets weren't cheap and I don't really knoooow them... Bands play at concert halls and at bars. The bars are free. So we went to O'Connells and heard a band there. We met Foun and her friend, Claire, there. It was nice.
Yesterday, we went to the beautiful big park here. I had only been once, and hadn't seen most of it. We discovered this huge bird cage that housed dozens of tropical birds. Very pretty. There were love birds, but none as beautiful as DDM. Obvi. There's also a pretty fountain and many gardens..
Then back to the Christmas Market for a treat. We got Churris (called Chichis here) which are apparently well-known, but I'd never tried them. We were going to get chocolate covered pears, but decided to make one instead. (That was a tasty disaster.) What wasn't a disaster, though, were the moules frites. We made two kinds - white wine and curry. Delicious.
Raffi left this morning, and I've already given an exam. This one wasn't too bad as it's a very strong class. Giving good marks is wonderful, and I was able to do a lot of that.
I'm starting to stress about the break now. I leave Wednesday, and won't be back until after Christmas. I feel as though there are a million ends to tie up before I take off. I'll be spending all of my time between now and then getting ready. It's very exciting though. I give credit to my parents for the trips they planned when we were growing up. There's a lot to think about, and they made it look so easy.
I head to Paris on Wednesday afternoon and then to London on Saturday. I'll meet the Birminghamandcheese Hincks then, and head back to B-Ham with them that evening for a visit. On Sunday night, I'll go to Warwick and see where Doctor lives and studies. Monday afternoon we go to Manchester, where we'll spend one night in a hostel before leaving for the Turkish Riviera Tuesday morning. We stay there seven nights, before flying back to Manchester on the 23rd. Then an overnight travel to Liverpool where we catch an early morning flight to Paris on the 24th. We'll spend two nights in Paris, celebrating Christmas (Raffi will join us) and then Steve arrives in the morning of the 26th. We'll spend the day in Paris before coming to Rennes that evening. That's as far as I'll go for now. I'm really looking forward to seeing family and Doctor. It's been such a long time since I've seen a face from home...
I will be nerd blogging all week as my excitement grows. I feel grateful to have so much time off, and to have friends and family to spend time with. It makes the idea of Christmas away from home much easier to handle.
I hope you all enjoyed your week-ends.
Much love,
Hincks.
Yowsa! It has been awhile.. I was planning on nerd blogging almost daily this first part of December, as I will be traveling soon, but the week-end slipped away.. And though nothing else on the internet is nearly as interesting, I hope you all were able to somehow amuse yourselves in my nerd blog absence.
Merrill's party Thursday night was really great. With more than twenty-five people crowded into her tiny apartment, the idea of Beer-pong was impossible. All of the lecteurs were there, as well as some of Merrill's neighbours, and many students. It was fun.
Raffi arrived Friday afternoon. I played Suzie Homemaker in the afternoon, making a soup and an apple pie. I've never made either, and didn't have a recipe for either, but they both turned out. We had dinner with Cynthia - her last meal before heading back to the States.
Later that evening, we went over to Foun's place. Her apartment is really cute, decked out with a Canadian flag and with pillows on the floor to sit on. Merrill and her friend came, as well as Cynthia, Lucie, Raffi and the Irish lectrice, Emma. It was nice.. We sipped wine and ate French treats and chatted. Later, we broke out a French pre-teen truth or dare board game called French Kiss. It was pretty hilarious. It made me think of the Dream Phone days with SJC.
Around 2am, Cynthia, Raffi and I booted it home to change and go dancing. Cynthia and I really wanted to, and it was her last night. But after getting ready and flying to the night bar, they weren't letting anyone else in.. So we went home.
Cynthia got me up at the crack of dawn and I walked her to the train station to catch her 6am train. She flew to New York and then has three interviews all over the country before heading back to El Paso for Christmas. The past few weeks have been a whirlwind, and I hadn't thought much about her departure.. It was sad putting her on the train. A reminder of how hard it will be to say goodbye in the Spring. Our lives somehow collided for this school year, and will bounce apart again once it's over.. Cynthia applied to thirteen medical schools and has been invited to eleven interviews already and has been accepted at two schools she interviewed for back in September. It's been fun being a part of such an exciting time for her. She's interviewing at Rochester today, which would be quite close to TO.. I'd love it if she were just across the lake. Anyways, I'll see her January 10th.
Raffi and I went to the market where we bought some fresh veggies and mussels. Then we went to the Christmas market. We had lunch at Hossoen's kebab stand and walked around Rennes (running into another market!) and had a coffee outside. We had sunny and mild days all week-end, which was a treat for Rennes.
The plan was to make moules frites (mussels and fries) for dindins, but after eating an "appetizer" of guacamole, cheeses, baguette, and Armenian wine, we were full.
This week-end was les Transmusicales in Rennes, the biggest music festival in Europe. The town was packed and crazy. People come from all over for the festival, bars are open later, buses run all night, and general debauchery is twenty-four hours long. The only band I'd heard of was Bon Iver, but tickets weren't cheap and I don't really knoooow them... Bands play at concert halls and at bars. The bars are free. So we went to O'Connells and heard a band there. We met Foun and her friend, Claire, there. It was nice.
Yesterday, we went to the beautiful big park here. I had only been once, and hadn't seen most of it. We discovered this huge bird cage that housed dozens of tropical birds. Very pretty. There were love birds, but none as beautiful as DDM. Obvi. There's also a pretty fountain and many gardens..
Then back to the Christmas Market for a treat. We got Churris (called Chichis here) which are apparently well-known, but I'd never tried them. We were going to get chocolate covered pears, but decided to make one instead. (That was a tasty disaster.) What wasn't a disaster, though, were the moules frites. We made two kinds - white wine and curry. Delicious.
Raffi left this morning, and I've already given an exam. This one wasn't too bad as it's a very strong class. Giving good marks is wonderful, and I was able to do a lot of that.
I'm starting to stress about the break now. I leave Wednesday, and won't be back until after Christmas. I feel as though there are a million ends to tie up before I take off. I'll be spending all of my time between now and then getting ready. It's very exciting though. I give credit to my parents for the trips they planned when we were growing up. There's a lot to think about, and they made it look so easy.
I head to Paris on Wednesday afternoon and then to London on Saturday. I'll meet the Birminghamandcheese Hincks then, and head back to B-Ham with them that evening for a visit. On Sunday night, I'll go to Warwick and see where Doctor lives and studies. Monday afternoon we go to Manchester, where we'll spend one night in a hostel before leaving for the Turkish Riviera Tuesday morning. We stay there seven nights, before flying back to Manchester on the 23rd. Then an overnight travel to Liverpool where we catch an early morning flight to Paris on the 24th. We'll spend two nights in Paris, celebrating Christmas (Raffi will join us) and then Steve arrives in the morning of the 26th. We'll spend the day in Paris before coming to Rennes that evening. That's as far as I'll go for now. I'm really looking forward to seeing family and Doctor. It's been such a long time since I've seen a face from home...
I will be nerd blogging all week as my excitement grows. I feel grateful to have so much time off, and to have friends and family to spend time with. It makes the idea of Christmas away from home much easier to handle.
I hope you all enjoyed your week-ends.
Much love,
Hincks.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Chapter 58: Stop, Drop and Roll
nerd blog post #63
Last night's theatre group was the last of the semester, as I leave for Paris next Wednesday afternoon. It was a good one. We did more scenes and this time they chose from French or English. We did some Miller and Albee, and then some French ones that are new to me. Next semester, things will change a little bit. We'll choose something work on more intensely and then show it at the end of the semester. I don't know if it will be a play, some scenes, or something we devise, but it will require more commitment with a final goal in sight. I'm looking forward to it.
During the class, a man came in and asked to speak to me. He's part of a team of doctoral students that are working on translating contemporary French plays into English. They got my name somehow, and are looking for a native speaker with a graduate degree in theatre (I have a feeling there isn't much selection) to join them. Sounds like an interesting project, but I told him we should meet in January to discuss it further. Right now, I have a pretty full plate for next semester, and I don't want to commit to too much at this point. But could be fun.
The British Christmas party was nice, though I didn't stay long. I am always tired after the theatre group, and I gave three exams today, so didn't want to be totally drained.
The exams went well. They were all second year pronunciation classes. There are about twenty sections of this course, and I have five of them. The professor in charge of the whole course was there for the first exam so I could get a feel for how the students should be marked. They had ten minutes to practice the reading of a text (that they were seeing for the first time) and then two chances to record it. After they left, we listened to each one and graded them out of twenty. This is their grade for the course, though the work they do throughout the semester comes into play as well. With the professor, six of my fifteen students failed, and the highest mark given was a fifteen. The average was around ten. I found it really hard to give such low marks to my students. They all come every class and try hard. And I know what it's like to have an accent and to work at it.. But I stuck to her strict guidelines for the other two classes.
During the final exam, the fire alarm went off. Disaster! I gathered my things, instructed the students to leave their papers in the classroom, locked the door, and wandered outside. When I got outside, a fire marshall asked me how long our exit was. What!? Umm.. Five minutes? Did I count my students as they exited? No.. Oopsies. In trouble by the fire marshall! I didn't know the rules! It worked out fine and no one was too rattled.. But it was pretty strange.
I went to Ikea with roommates Alexandre and Cynthia this afternoon. We got a Christmas tree and decorations. The tree is the biggest one I've seen here - almost my height! We'll decorate it before Cynthia leaves Saturday morning. Being in Ikea reminded me of home, as did the smell of the Christmas tree in the car...
Tonight, Merrill's friend is coming in from Paris. She's throwing a party and I'm leaving soon to attend. We're going to play Beer-pong. For those of you who don't know what Beer-pong is, it's played on a ping-pong table with ping-pong balls, cups and beer. I love this competition and expect an undefeated championship tonight. The problem with Beer-pong in France is that everything is miniature. The cars, the Christmas trees, every woman's waistline, and yes, the plastic cups. It will be interesting. A bunch of students are coming, too, which always adds. I just read that Beer-pong was invented at Princeton. I smell a Hincks sibling duel...
Hope all of you are well.
Signing off,
Hincks.
Last night's theatre group was the last of the semester, as I leave for Paris next Wednesday afternoon. It was a good one. We did more scenes and this time they chose from French or English. We did some Miller and Albee, and then some French ones that are new to me. Next semester, things will change a little bit. We'll choose something work on more intensely and then show it at the end of the semester. I don't know if it will be a play, some scenes, or something we devise, but it will require more commitment with a final goal in sight. I'm looking forward to it.
During the class, a man came in and asked to speak to me. He's part of a team of doctoral students that are working on translating contemporary French plays into English. They got my name somehow, and are looking for a native speaker with a graduate degree in theatre (I have a feeling there isn't much selection) to join them. Sounds like an interesting project, but I told him we should meet in January to discuss it further. Right now, I have a pretty full plate for next semester, and I don't want to commit to too much at this point. But could be fun.
The British Christmas party was nice, though I didn't stay long. I am always tired after the theatre group, and I gave three exams today, so didn't want to be totally drained.
The exams went well. They were all second year pronunciation classes. There are about twenty sections of this course, and I have five of them. The professor in charge of the whole course was there for the first exam so I could get a feel for how the students should be marked. They had ten minutes to practice the reading of a text (that they were seeing for the first time) and then two chances to record it. After they left, we listened to each one and graded them out of twenty. This is their grade for the course, though the work they do throughout the semester comes into play as well. With the professor, six of my fifteen students failed, and the highest mark given was a fifteen. The average was around ten. I found it really hard to give such low marks to my students. They all come every class and try hard. And I know what it's like to have an accent and to work at it.. But I stuck to her strict guidelines for the other two classes.
During the final exam, the fire alarm went off. Disaster! I gathered my things, instructed the students to leave their papers in the classroom, locked the door, and wandered outside. When I got outside, a fire marshall asked me how long our exit was. What!? Umm.. Five minutes? Did I count my students as they exited? No.. Oopsies. In trouble by the fire marshall! I didn't know the rules! It worked out fine and no one was too rattled.. But it was pretty strange.
I went to Ikea with roommates Alexandre and Cynthia this afternoon. We got a Christmas tree and decorations. The tree is the biggest one I've seen here - almost my height! We'll decorate it before Cynthia leaves Saturday morning. Being in Ikea reminded me of home, as did the smell of the Christmas tree in the car...
Tonight, Merrill's friend is coming in from Paris. She's throwing a party and I'm leaving soon to attend. We're going to play Beer-pong. For those of you who don't know what Beer-pong is, it's played on a ping-pong table with ping-pong balls, cups and beer. I love this competition and expect an undefeated championship tonight. The problem with Beer-pong in France is that everything is miniature. The cars, the Christmas trees, every woman's waistline, and yes, the plastic cups. It will be interesting. A bunch of students are coming, too, which always adds. I just read that Beer-pong was invented at Princeton. I smell a Hincks sibling duel...
Hope all of you are well.
Signing off,
Hincks.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Chapter 57: Rules of the Road
nerd blog post #62
This week has been much more relaxed, which is nice. Cynthia and I went to the opera on Monday night, which turned out to be an operetta and was Orphee aux enfers (25 points, DP). What the operetta meant was that a guy introduced each song and then peeps came on and sang them. The singing was amazing. The (over)acting was annoying. I was not at all disappointed that it wasn't a full opera.. It was fun having the songs contextualized, and since I find opera difficult to understand to begin with, it was easier to follow along with the French lyrics after the song had been introduced. And as the emcee was trying to entertain as well as educate, it was interesting culturally. I love the opera house here, and our front row centre seats were perfect.
Yesterday I did some crafty and sneaky things that I can't blog about! Sneeeaky!! I also have chatted with a few peeps on skype, which is always nice.. Correspondence of any type is so appreciated.. There are moments of homesickness, which are quickly remedied by dear friends and a stellar family.
Last night, the tradition of wine at Merrill's continued. Once again, Tuesday evening was great. She lives in a really cozy room with a French feel -- quite different from my mod-ren apartment. I like going there. We always talk about work and boys. Throw in some snackies, f-book creeping and a dance party here and there and the night is golden!
The term is really drawing to a close. I am beginning to prepare marks to hand in. Students are graded out of 20, with 10 being a passing grade. Marks higher than 15 are very rarely given, and half of first year students are expected to fail. Since it's a public university and there was no selection to get in, I guess this is how the sifting is done. But it's hard for me.. I want to give everyone great marks, but can't even pass everyone.
Now it's time to talk about bikes for awhile. Ahem.
On the first floor of the apartment, accessible only from the outside, is the bike storage room. I appreciate this room very much because it means that I don't have to bring the bike all the way up here, or leave it outside... However, there are hundreds of bikes in there, all crammed in, and it's hard to find a spot. This is also okay. The problem is that I use my bike every day, and it's tricky to maneuver it around the room, and wanting to be respectful, I was always finding a spot near the back.. Now. French peeps don't ride anymore. I think it's too cold for them. So I was starting to become annoyed with all of the maneuvering that was going on. And so, I borrowed chalk from school and marked all of the tires of the bikes in my way. I waited a week. This morning, I went down and found that only ONE of the bikes had moved since last week! Who knows when the rest were last used! I don't know if this was appropriate, but I took the bike sitch into my own hands. I rearranged the entire room, putting unused bikes near the back, and the used ones (including mine and Cynthia's) in the most convenient spots. I hope this solves the problem.
Next. The bike ride to school and back is great. It saves a ton of metro money, and takes about the same time. I think it's about six kilometres each way, which is fine. The issue is clothing. In the mornings especially, it's chilly, so I wear a coat. But about half of the ride is intense uphill, so I begin to get really hot. And by the time I get to school, I'm boiling. If I don't bundle up, I'm fine, but then I'm cold when walking in between buildings. All very annoying. This reminds me of exactly why I don't like skiing. You sit on the chairlift, getting colder and colder, and then go down the hill, getting hotter and hotter. By the time you're at the bottom you (I?) want to rip off your clothes and make naked snow angels. But that's kind of frowned upon, so instead, you rinse and repeat. The difference, and this is why I don't ski but do bike ride, is that in skiing, you're not getting to work or saving metro money. You're just getting cold and hot.
Finally. It's interesting how cars here in Rennes treat bicycles as if they're not even there. There is no moving over or slowing down. It makes for a very scary ride. Because cyclists are completely ignored, though, we have to make our own rules. Run red lights? If you want! Signal turns? No one will care! I haven't had a car show any sign of recognizing I'm there at all, so I just make up the rules, and be sure to wear a helmet..
End of bike talk.
On Friday, RtC is coming to visit for the week-end. I'm really excited.. Just to clear some things up, as there has been confusion, and I think this only fair:
Q: Are Raffi and RtC the same person?
A: Yes. R(affi)t(he)C(lown).
Q: Do the clowns really do the balloon making and tricycle riding you've written about?
A: No. But they do learn acrobatics!
But that's not what I was going to say. What I was going to say is that I'm really looking forward to the week-end and have a lot of fun ideas. Now, being that the clown is an avid (though silent) nerd blog subscriber, I will have to wait to write about what we will do. The art of waiting to give information is one of the reasons Cynthia and the others (still!) don't know about the nerd blog. I just like being able to write whatever I want. That being said, I like that Raffi reads. Just saying..
I have to wrap up and get ready for theatre group tonight. Afterwards, the Brits are throwing a little Christmas party, complete with mulled wine and minced meat pies. They wanted to do something British after the t-giving they experienced last week. Should be nice.
Much love,
Hincks.
This week has been much more relaxed, which is nice. Cynthia and I went to the opera on Monday night, which turned out to be an operetta and was Orphee aux enfers (25 points, DP). What the operetta meant was that a guy introduced each song and then peeps came on and sang them. The singing was amazing. The (over)acting was annoying. I was not at all disappointed that it wasn't a full opera.. It was fun having the songs contextualized, and since I find opera difficult to understand to begin with, it was easier to follow along with the French lyrics after the song had been introduced. And as the emcee was trying to entertain as well as educate, it was interesting culturally. I love the opera house here, and our front row centre seats were perfect.
Yesterday I did some crafty and sneaky things that I can't blog about! Sneeeaky!! I also have chatted with a few peeps on skype, which is always nice.. Correspondence of any type is so appreciated.. There are moments of homesickness, which are quickly remedied by dear friends and a stellar family.
Last night, the tradition of wine at Merrill's continued. Once again, Tuesday evening was great. She lives in a really cozy room with a French feel -- quite different from my mod-ren apartment. I like going there. We always talk about work and boys. Throw in some snackies, f-book creeping and a dance party here and there and the night is golden!
The term is really drawing to a close. I am beginning to prepare marks to hand in. Students are graded out of 20, with 10 being a passing grade. Marks higher than 15 are very rarely given, and half of first year students are expected to fail. Since it's a public university and there was no selection to get in, I guess this is how the sifting is done. But it's hard for me.. I want to give everyone great marks, but can't even pass everyone.
Now it's time to talk about bikes for awhile. Ahem.
On the first floor of the apartment, accessible only from the outside, is the bike storage room. I appreciate this room very much because it means that I don't have to bring the bike all the way up here, or leave it outside... However, there are hundreds of bikes in there, all crammed in, and it's hard to find a spot. This is also okay. The problem is that I use my bike every day, and it's tricky to maneuver it around the room, and wanting to be respectful, I was always finding a spot near the back.. Now. French peeps don't ride anymore. I think it's too cold for them. So I was starting to become annoyed with all of the maneuvering that was going on. And so, I borrowed chalk from school and marked all of the tires of the bikes in my way. I waited a week. This morning, I went down and found that only ONE of the bikes had moved since last week! Who knows when the rest were last used! I don't know if this was appropriate, but I took the bike sitch into my own hands. I rearranged the entire room, putting unused bikes near the back, and the used ones (including mine and Cynthia's) in the most convenient spots. I hope this solves the problem.
Next. The bike ride to school and back is great. It saves a ton of metro money, and takes about the same time. I think it's about six kilometres each way, which is fine. The issue is clothing. In the mornings especially, it's chilly, so I wear a coat. But about half of the ride is intense uphill, so I begin to get really hot. And by the time I get to school, I'm boiling. If I don't bundle up, I'm fine, but then I'm cold when walking in between buildings. All very annoying. This reminds me of exactly why I don't like skiing. You sit on the chairlift, getting colder and colder, and then go down the hill, getting hotter and hotter. By the time you're at the bottom you (I?) want to rip off your clothes and make naked snow angels. But that's kind of frowned upon, so instead, you rinse and repeat. The difference, and this is why I don't ski but do bike ride, is that in skiing, you're not getting to work or saving metro money. You're just getting cold and hot.
Finally. It's interesting how cars here in Rennes treat bicycles as if they're not even there. There is no moving over or slowing down. It makes for a very scary ride. Because cyclists are completely ignored, though, we have to make our own rules. Run red lights? If you want! Signal turns? No one will care! I haven't had a car show any sign of recognizing I'm there at all, so I just make up the rules, and be sure to wear a helmet..
End of bike talk.
On Friday, RtC is coming to visit for the week-end. I'm really excited.. Just to clear some things up, as there has been confusion, and I think this only fair:
Q: Are Raffi and RtC the same person?
A: Yes. R(affi)t(he)C(lown).
Q: Do the clowns really do the balloon making and tricycle riding you've written about?
A: No. But they do learn acrobatics!
But that's not what I was going to say. What I was going to say is that I'm really looking forward to the week-end and have a lot of fun ideas. Now, being that the clown is an avid (though silent) nerd blog subscriber, I will have to wait to write about what we will do. The art of waiting to give information is one of the reasons Cynthia and the others (still!) don't know about the nerd blog. I just like being able to write whatever I want. That being said, I like that Raffi reads. Just saying..
I have to wrap up and get ready for theatre group tonight. Afterwards, the Brits are throwing a little Christmas party, complete with mulled wine and minced meat pies. They wanted to do something British after the t-giving they experienced last week. Should be nice.
Much love,
Hincks.
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