Hey, guys. It's been a pretty long while and I apologise for that.
But with good reason! I have a life here now! I've been going out a lot and making lots of new friends lately. Also the first trimester of school ended a couple weeks ago which means I'm already 1/3 through my exchange, which is mad for me to think about.
And with the holidays (and a Rotary weekend!) coming up, I thought I'd make a post just to let you guys know I'm alive.
What you can expect soon is many cooking posts, Christmas-y things, vlogs, and many more things. The holidays are gonna bring some really neat stuff to do.
I might even get to go to the south of France for Christmas, which is one of my #1 destinations in France! I'm super pumped about that.
But yeah, this is a very informal post with nothing significant or important. Just trying to keep the blog fresh and let you guys know what I'm up to.
A bientot!
~Effy
Tuesday 10 December 2013
Wednesday 30 October 2013
Quickie: I Made Lasagna, Too.
Bonsoir!
Two posts in one day??
Yep. I made dinner. I'll give you guys a play-by-play.
Bonne nuit!
~Effy
Two posts in one day??
Yep. I made dinner. I'll give you guys a play-by-play.
Soaked the pasta in hot water
Makin' sauce. The red one is tomato sauce with ground beef. The other pot is just melted butter, but it was the base of a bechamel sauce. Basically it's the think, creamy goodness that goes in between the pasta and meat sauce layers in the lasagna.
Then I took out the pasta (my host mum took this one)...
...layered everything together...
...popped it in the oven...
BAM DELICIOUSNESS.
This post is just for more cooking photos. Nothing significant. Just photos of the meal I cooked. I love cooking with my new family and was really excited that I got to make dinner and then eat my muffins for dessert. It really makes me feel like a part of the family.
Alright, I leave you with this photo of my host dad and I.
~Effy
Effy in the Kitchen
Bon Après-midi!
Today I have a special blog post! I will be doing a documentation of my first baking experience in France, along with some tips for cooking in another country (believe me, these tips are worth noting).
To start off, I'd like to point out that baking in a new place is hard. New kitchen, new ingredients, new tools, etc. As someone who is quite familiar with the kitchen, I was ready for the challenge. I figured that I could problem solve if I really needed to (and believe me, I really needed to). So if you're someone, say, and exchange student, who is not too experienced in the kitchen and wants the low-down, this is the place for you!
Today's experiment: Chocolate Chip Muffeleins.
I'd like to consider this an Effy Akamian special. Bet you've never had a Muffelein before.
My real mum makes the absolute best muffins I've ever had, so I wanted to try to make some. They're faily easy and I was certain that we already had most of the things I needed to make it. The recipe she sent me was a muffin recipe that called for blueberries and orange zest for falvour, but I decided to use chocolate chips instead to make them more suitable for dessert. I'm gonna give you guys some photos to show my process, along with some cliff notes to inform you of my mistakes and quick fixes.
This was where I ran into my first problem. Not only do tablespoons and teaspoons not exist here, but I had to convert some things to liters and some things to grams, and it depended on WHAT I was measuring (for example, flour and sugar do not measure the same), as seen in this photo:
As you can see, there's grids that mark what you're measuring. 100 grams of flour measures differently than 100g of sugar, hence why it was so complicated for me.
As for the tablespoons and teaspoons, I eyeballed it. Tablespoons are easy to guess because they're the same amount as a normal sized spoon. The teaspoons were tricky, but I think I did alright!
Luckily, this recipe was fairly easy. I didn't even need butter or some fancy flavour extract. However, every country is different when it comes to cooking and baking. I realised this when I asked if my host mum had any baking soda. I tried to translate it into French, and she had no idea what I was talking about. I tried to translate baking powder to see if it was the same thing (and because the recipe called for baking powder, as well) but it was something different. Luckily, we had the baking powder, but she still had no idea what baking soda was. So the chemistry nerd inside of me translated "sodium bicarbonate" into French, which confused her even more. She then asked me if it was the same thing that you "brush you teeth with"....
At this point, I had to resort to Google to make sure I wasn't the only person who had this problem. According to the many threads of cooking questions that I read, baking soda doesn't exist here. It's considered an "old fashioned" way of baking. As I said before, baking and cooking is different in every country. Another way to get the same effect as baking soda is to whip egg whites and fold them into your batter (also a very French style of baking, same method used in making macarons). But because I didn't know how much egg whites I would need, I ended up using this:
Yep. It's teeth whitener. Sodium bicarbonate is an active ingredient in toothpaste. It's the magical stuff that makes your teeth white when you buy your favourite super mega ultra pearly white toothpaste.
You may be wondering why the hell I decided to use teeth whitener in my muffin recipe. My host mum wondered the same thing, telling me that it probably wasn't an important ingredient. But baking soda is a very very important thing, as it is the raising agent when you bake things. Also a very important reason why you should never confuse or substitute baking powder for baking soda.
Aside from the slightly minty smell, it really didn't make that much of a difference in the overall flavour of the batter, so I went with it. Gotta do what ya gotta do. There's no way I could have successfully made these muffins without it.
Anyways, back to baking!
As you can see, this was where I ran into another problem: I didn't have a muffin pan....
My host sister said that her grandmother had one, but at this point it was too late and I had already been improvising. So I decided to use Madeleine pans!
Being someone who was already familiar with Madeleines, as they were a childhood favourite and still are, let me give you the low-down on what they are; they're French ass cookies that are a tad tricky to make right because of the pan. I recall my mum telling me that the tricky thing about making Madeleines and all their deliciousness is baking them correctly. So doing this right took a few tries. I decided to bake the pans one at a time as a sort of trial and error and take photos along the way.
As you can see in this photo, the first ones were pretty full, and the second I put them in the oven, I was afraid they wouldn't work.
The problem was that I filled them completely. I took into consideration how much muffins usually rise and got worried. But I had already taken so many risks, I thought I might give it a chance.
Here was the result of batch one:
As you can see, they did exactly what I thought they would. The centers of the little guys rose really high, and the middle started oozing out. But they baked thoroughly had a rather nice bronze edge.
Result: not a total failure!
Second batch, I decided not to fill them as much and reduce the baking time:
And here was the result:
Yep, turned out pretty nice! Not too brown, less dry in the middle, and I even got that pretty shell shape. Pretty good, huh?
To give you more of an idea of the difference from the first batch, here's a comparison:
As you can see, they baked much more evenly and turned out a lot more moist and less browned. Overall, I was pretty happy with how they turned out. Took a few times to get them just right, but like I said, wasn't a total failure! They might even whiten your teeth!
*The recipe made 10 muffins, which ended up being 4 batches with these Madeleine pans, a total of
So, what have we learned today? Here are the three things I took away from today's experiment:
1) Convert your ingredients thoroughly.
2) Make sure all of the ingredients you need are available to you.
3) Take risks!
I hope you guys learned something from today. And if cooking isn't your thing, I hope this was entertaining! I cook a lot with this host family, so I'll most likely be writing about more cooking experiences in the near future (or at least posting photos).
Today I have a special blog post! I will be doing a documentation of my first baking experience in France, along with some tips for cooking in another country (believe me, these tips are worth noting).
To start off, I'd like to point out that baking in a new place is hard. New kitchen, new ingredients, new tools, etc. As someone who is quite familiar with the kitchen, I was ready for the challenge. I figured that I could problem solve if I really needed to (and believe me, I really needed to). So if you're someone, say, and exchange student, who is not too experienced in the kitchen and wants the low-down, this is the place for you!
Today's experiment: Chocolate Chip Muffeleins.
I'd like to consider this an Effy Akamian special. Bet you've never had a Muffelein before.
My real mum makes the absolute best muffins I've ever had, so I wanted to try to make some. They're faily easy and I was certain that we already had most of the things I needed to make it. The recipe she sent me was a muffin recipe that called for blueberries and orange zest for falvour, but I decided to use chocolate chips instead to make them more suitable for dessert. I'm gonna give you guys some photos to show my process, along with some cliff notes to inform you of my mistakes and quick fixes.
Step 1: Convert your measurements (Optional, if you are not American)
This was where I ran into my first problem. Not only do tablespoons and teaspoons not exist here, but I had to convert some things to liters and some things to grams, and it depended on WHAT I was measuring (for example, flour and sugar do not measure the same), as seen in this photo:
As for the tablespoons and teaspoons, I eyeballed it. Tablespoons are easy to guess because they're the same amount as a normal sized spoon. The teaspoons were tricky, but I think I did alright!
Step 2: Gather your ingredients.
Luckily, this recipe was fairly easy. I didn't even need butter or some fancy flavour extract. However, every country is different when it comes to cooking and baking. I realised this when I asked if my host mum had any baking soda. I tried to translate it into French, and she had no idea what I was talking about. I tried to translate baking powder to see if it was the same thing (and because the recipe called for baking powder, as well) but it was something different. Luckily, we had the baking powder, but she still had no idea what baking soda was. So the chemistry nerd inside of me translated "sodium bicarbonate" into French, which confused her even more. She then asked me if it was the same thing that you "brush you teeth with"....
At this point, I had to resort to Google to make sure I wasn't the only person who had this problem. According to the many threads of cooking questions that I read, baking soda doesn't exist here. It's considered an "old fashioned" way of baking. As I said before, baking and cooking is different in every country. Another way to get the same effect as baking soda is to whip egg whites and fold them into your batter (also a very French style of baking, same method used in making macarons). But because I didn't know how much egg whites I would need, I ended up using this:
Yep. It's teeth whitener. Sodium bicarbonate is an active ingredient in toothpaste. It's the magical stuff that makes your teeth white when you buy your favourite super mega ultra pearly white toothpaste.
You may be wondering why the hell I decided to use teeth whitener in my muffin recipe. My host mum wondered the same thing, telling me that it probably wasn't an important ingredient. But baking soda is a very very important thing, as it is the raising agent when you bake things. Also a very important reason why you should never confuse or substitute baking powder for baking soda.
Aside from the slightly minty smell, it really didn't make that much of a difference in the overall flavour of the batter, so I went with it. Gotta do what ya gotta do. There's no way I could have successfully made these muffins without it.
Anyways, back to baking!
Step 3: Put dat stuff together.
My host sister said that her grandmother had one, but at this point it was too late and I had already been improvising. So I decided to use Madeleine pans!
Being someone who was already familiar with Madeleines, as they were a childhood favourite and still are, let me give you the low-down on what they are; they're French ass cookies that are a tad tricky to make right because of the pan. I recall my mum telling me that the tricky thing about making Madeleines and all their deliciousness is baking them correctly. So doing this right took a few tries. I decided to bake the pans one at a time as a sort of trial and error and take photos along the way.
As you can see in this photo, the first ones were pretty full, and the second I put them in the oven, I was afraid they wouldn't work.
Here was the result of batch one:
Result: not a total failure!
Second batch, I decided not to fill them as much and reduce the baking time:
Yep, turned out pretty nice! Not too brown, less dry in the middle, and I even got that pretty shell shape. Pretty good, huh?
To give you more of an idea of the difference from the first batch, here's a comparison:
*The recipe made 10 muffins, which ended up being 4 batches with these Madeleine pans, a total of
So, what have we learned today? Here are the three things I took away from today's experiment:
1) Convert your ingredients thoroughly.
2) Make sure all of the ingredients you need are available to you.
3) Take risks!
I hope you guys learned something from today. And if cooking isn't your thing, I hope this was entertaining! I cook a lot with this host family, so I'll most likely be writing about more cooking experiences in the near future (or at least posting photos).
Until next time, bon appétit!
~Effy
Saturday 19 October 2013
Quickie: Vlogs?
Hello, all!
I'm going to start doing more short posts as I feel I don't update my blog as much as I should. I don't always have a lot of things to write about, so I'm going to start doing "quickies"!
Since my blog has been getting a lot of attention, which makes me VERY happy, I've finally decided to commit to video blogging as well!
If my blog recieved over 3,000 views within the next few weeks, I will start making video blogs as well as my usual text posts.
This was something that I had planned on doing in the beginning but I never had time to do it. But now, seeing how many of you read my posts, I'm ready to start doing it.
BUT I NEED YOUR HELP!
I really love hearing feeback from people. If you guys could tell me what kind of things you would like to see, I'll try my best to make it happen. I'm not going to start doing these videos without some suggestion because it's a lot of effort for something that people won't enjoy as much. But I've gotten so many requests for more photos that I decided it was a good idea.
So please, COMMENT.
Tell me what you guys wanna see!
A bientot!
~Effy
I'm going to start doing more short posts as I feel I don't update my blog as much as I should. I don't always have a lot of things to write about, so I'm going to start doing "quickies"!
Since my blog has been getting a lot of attention, which makes me VERY happy, I've finally decided to commit to video blogging as well!
If my blog recieved over 3,000 views within the next few weeks, I will start making video blogs as well as my usual text posts.
This was something that I had planned on doing in the beginning but I never had time to do it. But now, seeing how many of you read my posts, I'm ready to start doing it.
BUT I NEED YOUR HELP!
I really love hearing feeback from people. If you guys could tell me what kind of things you would like to see, I'll try my best to make it happen. I'm not going to start doing these videos without some suggestion because it's a lot of effort for something that people won't enjoy as much. But I've gotten so many requests for more photos that I decided it was a good idea.
So please, COMMENT.
Tell me what you guys wanna see!
A bientot!
~Effy
Sunday 13 October 2013
Making Yourself At Home
Bonne apres-midi!
I feel like a topic that we (exchange students) don't go very in depth-with is our living situations. So today I'd like to talk about what it's like living with a host family.
First of all, I'd like to mention that not all exchange students stay with families. Rotary does this because we are high school students and are obviously not capable of living on our own on exchange, as we do not do that at home, either. I cannot speak for people that live in college dorms and such. It's a much different experience.
Second, the way host families works with Rotary is that you usually have three throughout your stay. I know this differs depending on where you go or where you're from (I know Aussis and Kiwis have more than 3 because they're here for a lot longer). It also depends on what the club sets up for you. My district has had a problem with not having enough people wanting to host.
My situation is that I have three families. My first and third families live right next door, but all three live right by my high school. It's about a 5 minute walk to school from each home. I'm incredibly lucky because I know some people who have to take 40 minute bus rides to get to school. I'm with my first family until mid-November, and I move to my third family in April. It's roughly 3 months for each.
However, I can say that I would much prefer (at this point in time) to stay with a host family. Maybe I'll feel differently when I go on exchange in college, but for now, it's really nice.
Although, at first, it is a little hard to make yourself at home in someone's home that you've never been in before. It's hard to learn the little everyday things that they do in the kitchen, living room, how to set the table for dinner, how to clean up....you get the picture. It's especially hard to learn these things when they're explained to you in another language. After two months of being here, I still have a lot of trouble understanding when my host mum asks me to do little things.
*Tip: Translate little words like "wet", "dry", "hot", "cold", "open", "close", "clean", "dirty"...it makes a big difference when you're trying to explain things!
Though it is good to spend time and talk with your family, it's always okay to have some alone time! I find myself lounging in my bedroom reading or playing games on my phone when I need a break. I also take naps pretty frequently, but that's just from being exhausted from speaking all day. It's also important to mention that sometimes in the beginning you get a little overwhelmed or homesick at really random moments. Times like this are good opportunities to take some time for yourself. Don't worry, no one expects 100% from you all the time!
The other neat thing about living with a host family is just getting to know them. It's such a change when you're living in a house with new people because there's SO much to talk about. You live completely different lives and you've just stepped into theirs....so talk! It is really difficult to have conversations sometimes, but there's no such thing as too much practice when it comes to language. It's a little exhausting, but it's worth it! Not to mention how many new words you learn every day!
Overall, living with families is a really good experience. There's so much I could talk about that it's making my brain go blank, so I'll leave it up to you guys to ask the things you wanna know!
I can't even begin to imagine how my high school and college exchanges will differ purely from the living situations. It'll be an interesting contrast.
Welp, that's all I've got to share right now. Like I said; ask question! I'll do a Q&A post if I get enough feedback from people.
A bientot!
~Effy
I feel like a topic that we (exchange students) don't go very in depth-with is our living situations. So today I'd like to talk about what it's like living with a host family.
First of all, I'd like to mention that not all exchange students stay with families. Rotary does this because we are high school students and are obviously not capable of living on our own on exchange, as we do not do that at home, either. I cannot speak for people that live in college dorms and such. It's a much different experience.
Second, the way host families works with Rotary is that you usually have three throughout your stay. I know this differs depending on where you go or where you're from (I know Aussis and Kiwis have more than 3 because they're here for a lot longer). It also depends on what the club sets up for you. My district has had a problem with not having enough people wanting to host.
My situation is that I have three families. My first and third families live right next door, but all three live right by my high school. It's about a 5 minute walk to school from each home. I'm incredibly lucky because I know some people who have to take 40 minute bus rides to get to school. I'm with my first family until mid-November, and I move to my third family in April. It's roughly 3 months for each.
However, I can say that I would much prefer (at this point in time) to stay with a host family. Maybe I'll feel differently when I go on exchange in college, but for now, it's really nice.
Although, at first, it is a little hard to make yourself at home in someone's home that you've never been in before. It's hard to learn the little everyday things that they do in the kitchen, living room, how to set the table for dinner, how to clean up....you get the picture. It's especially hard to learn these things when they're explained to you in another language. After two months of being here, I still have a lot of trouble understanding when my host mum asks me to do little things.
*Tip: Translate little words like "wet", "dry", "hot", "cold", "open", "close", "clean", "dirty"...it makes a big difference when you're trying to explain things!
Though it is good to spend time and talk with your family, it's always okay to have some alone time! I find myself lounging in my bedroom reading or playing games on my phone when I need a break. I also take naps pretty frequently, but that's just from being exhausted from speaking all day. It's also important to mention that sometimes in the beginning you get a little overwhelmed or homesick at really random moments. Times like this are good opportunities to take some time for yourself. Don't worry, no one expects 100% from you all the time!
The other neat thing about living with a host family is just getting to know them. It's such a change when you're living in a house with new people because there's SO much to talk about. You live completely different lives and you've just stepped into theirs....so talk! It is really difficult to have conversations sometimes, but there's no such thing as too much practice when it comes to language. It's a little exhausting, but it's worth it! Not to mention how many new words you learn every day!
Overall, living with families is a really good experience. There's so much I could talk about that it's making my brain go blank, so I'll leave it up to you guys to ask the things you wanna know!
I can't even begin to imagine how my high school and college exchanges will differ purely from the living situations. It'll be an interesting contrast.
Welp, that's all I've got to share right now. Like I said; ask question! I'll do a Q&A post if I get enough feedback from people.
A bientot!
~Effy
Saturday 5 October 2013
"Good" Americans
Bonjour!
Today, I want to talk about something that's been on my mind a lot this week. I'd LOVE to update you all with what I've been up to, as well, but honestly it's just been school and sleep. I'm way too exhausted from speaking French all day to go do anything and I still don't have a phone number here, which makes it difficult to go out. So I thought I'd keep the blog fresh with some discussion!
As a lot of you may have seen, I made a post on Facebook recently about American stereotypes. For those of you who didn't see it, it went something along the lines of this:
"One stereotype that I do not like about Americans is that we're all extremely patriotic and narrow minded. Unfortunately, sometimes it's VERY true.I've found that a lot of people in the states do not know a lot about foreign affairs, where traditions and holidays originate from, other types of government, and so on.
I do not find myself a very patriotic person whatsoever. It's not that I hate the U.S. (although, with all of this government drama, I'm liking it a tad less...), but rather than I'm more curious about the rest of the world. I prefer to embrace all cultures rather than just my own. I want to put myself in other people's worlds. Having a broad perspective about the world genuinely makes you a more accepting person. That's one of the most important lessons that Rotary has taught me so far; you can learn a lot more from someone else's shoes than just your own.
I really hope that more people my age, and younger, are getting the word about Rotary Youth Exchange program. I'm learning very important skills and lessons that cannot be taught by textbooks, lectures, or classes. Hopefully one day, this stereotype will be proven wrong with the help of the American youth."
Now, after posting this, I got a lot of praise from friends and family, but mostly other exchange students. At first, I was a little surprised by this. My Brazilian and Aussi friends were talking to me about how happy and relieved they were to hear this sort of thing from an American. But after a lot of thought, I realised that I kind of answered my own question by referring back to the post; I'm the exact opposite of the stereotypes.
It's a really nice feeling when people tell you that you're a "good" American. They're not necessarily saying that Americans are bad, but if you Google "stereotypes of Americans", you'll get a good idea of why I'm a little embarrassed of what people think about us. Take a look at this link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stereotypes_of_Americans
I know Wikipedia is not exactly the most accurate source of information, but I figured using something broad and public was a good way to get the idea across. Wikipedia is a website used and edited by millions to get a general idea of subjects, and if this is the general idea of Americans, then I'm very dissapointed.
There are pros and cons on this list. In my opinion, I think the pros are fairly accurate; generous, hardworking, and optimistic. We are a society based around the idea that anyone can make it and be the person they want to be if you're willing to work hard for it.
However, it also states that we're "materialistic, extreme capitalists, lacking education and gullible, ignorant, obese, racist, gun-loving and violent, environmentally unconscious, arrogant, and boastful".
I know that these things do not apply to a lot of people that I know. Maybe the reason for that is because I come from a VERY smart and open-minded family, I associate with Rotarians and Rotary Youth Exchange (RYE) students, and I take advanced courses in school. Maybe I am a "good" example of an American because I'm surrounded with a generally smart and accepting environment. Not to mention I'm from a very liberal and wacky city where we encourage each other to be weird, hence our motto "Keep Portland Weird". But that doesn't change the fact that these things are being stated about the general public.
Some of these things I understand. The obesity rate is a numerical fact, so I can't really support that with an argument. I also hate the fast food industry so you got me there, Wikipedia. Racism most likely comes from the slavery issues we had, as that is a major part of American history (in fact, a friend from school told me that they study slavery the same way we study the Holocaust). Also, consider the fact that if the entire country was racist, why would we elect a black president?
*Cliff note: Europe loves Obama. One of my friends said that electing a black president made the U.S. look REALLY good. We really need to work on this racism nonsense.
But for the non-Americans who are reading this, let me inform you on what is NOT true (things might start to get a tad sarcastic at this point):
-Gun-Loving. If you haven't heard of the Gun Control debates and arguments, go look that up now. This statement does NOT apply to everyone.
-Capitalism. The U.S. is not 100% capitalist. We are a mixed economy, despite being one of the most capitalist governments in the world. For a better explination for those who are unfimiliar, check out this link:
http://curiosity.discovery.com/question/united-states-pure-capitalism
-Environmentally unconscious. This might be a biased opinion, considering I come from Portland and it kills me when people don't recycle or compost. But compare us to a country like China, where factories pollute the sky for miles. I don't think that this statement should be said about the U.S. because this is not a major issue here as it is in other parts of the world.
Now for being uneducated and arrogant, that's something I cannot argue. To support this statement, I'd like to let you guys know that one of my best friends, Reilly King, who is currently studying in Austria, had many people ask her why she was learning German to go to Australia. Then they proceeded to ask what the difference between Austria and Australia was.
There's also many late night talk show hosts who have done comedic bits where they ask strangers on the streets historical or geographical questions about the world and are given nothing less than ridiculous, dull answers.
Such things are what gives us such an unintelligent name. I'm not saying that Fallon and Kimmel need to start asking people in other countries random questions to make them look stupid. I'm not suggesting that we give every high school a lesson in geography. But maybe we should focus more on the good aspects of the good ol' U. S. of A..
We are a society based on individuality. People will fight for your right to be who you are. There thousands of people who are out there who do amazing things for human rights and social accaptance; people who fight for same-sex marriage, people passionate about sex education, rape culture and body image activists, people who fight racism, feminists, and every other controversial topic with a battle. That's the wonderful thing about our country, we love to be who we are. The American youth and young adults are incredibly driven to fight for things that we have our rights to. Because why fight for something that you already have? Our generation is seen as modern and welcoming for a reason.
So, to wrap this up, I'd like to give you guys some life tips so you too can be a "good" American:
Be open-minded. Learn new things every single say. Take another language just for fun. Travel. Read books. Study other religions. Watch Travel Channel. Try food you've never had before. Educate yourself. Take world history classes. Read the newspaper. Be aware. Watch BBC news (it's wonderful for world news). Compare things, absorb things, and most importantly, don't be a citizen of (insert home country here), be a citizen of the earth.
I feel like I'm really doing my job here. I feel like I'm a good example of what it means to be an ambassador for you country because that's what I am. That's one of the things that people lose touch with when they go on exchange: you're representing your home country. You're here with a mission to break stereotypes and to make the world a smaller place. We connect and network through exposure and immersion.
Welp, that's all I've got to say, but I would love to hear what you guys think! Leave me a comment on my blog or on Facebook with your responses, feedback, and thoughts. I love hearing other perspectives on this topic.
A bientot!
~Effy
Today, I want to talk about something that's been on my mind a lot this week. I'd LOVE to update you all with what I've been up to, as well, but honestly it's just been school and sleep. I'm way too exhausted from speaking French all day to go do anything and I still don't have a phone number here, which makes it difficult to go out. So I thought I'd keep the blog fresh with some discussion!
As a lot of you may have seen, I made a post on Facebook recently about American stereotypes. For those of you who didn't see it, it went something along the lines of this:
"One stereotype that I do not like about Americans is that we're all extremely patriotic and narrow minded. Unfortunately, sometimes it's VERY true.I've found that a lot of people in the states do not know a lot about foreign affairs, where traditions and holidays originate from, other types of government, and so on.
I do not find myself a very patriotic person whatsoever. It's not that I hate the U.S. (although, with all of this government drama, I'm liking it a tad less...), but rather than I'm more curious about the rest of the world. I prefer to embrace all cultures rather than just my own. I want to put myself in other people's worlds. Having a broad perspective about the world genuinely makes you a more accepting person. That's one of the most important lessons that Rotary has taught me so far; you can learn a lot more from someone else's shoes than just your own.
I really hope that more people my age, and younger, are getting the word about Rotary Youth Exchange program. I'm learning very important skills and lessons that cannot be taught by textbooks, lectures, or classes. Hopefully one day, this stereotype will be proven wrong with the help of the American youth."
Now, after posting this, I got a lot of praise from friends and family, but mostly other exchange students. At first, I was a little surprised by this. My Brazilian and Aussi friends were talking to me about how happy and relieved they were to hear this sort of thing from an American. But after a lot of thought, I realised that I kind of answered my own question by referring back to the post; I'm the exact opposite of the stereotypes.
It's a really nice feeling when people tell you that you're a "good" American. They're not necessarily saying that Americans are bad, but if you Google "stereotypes of Americans", you'll get a good idea of why I'm a little embarrassed of what people think about us. Take a look at this link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stereotypes_of_Americans
I know Wikipedia is not exactly the most accurate source of information, but I figured using something broad and public was a good way to get the idea across. Wikipedia is a website used and edited by millions to get a general idea of subjects, and if this is the general idea of Americans, then I'm very dissapointed.
There are pros and cons on this list. In my opinion, I think the pros are fairly accurate; generous, hardworking, and optimistic. We are a society based around the idea that anyone can make it and be the person they want to be if you're willing to work hard for it.
However, it also states that we're "materialistic, extreme capitalists, lacking education and gullible, ignorant, obese, racist, gun-loving and violent, environmentally unconscious, arrogant, and boastful".
I know that these things do not apply to a lot of people that I know. Maybe the reason for that is because I come from a VERY smart and open-minded family, I associate with Rotarians and Rotary Youth Exchange (RYE) students, and I take advanced courses in school. Maybe I am a "good" example of an American because I'm surrounded with a generally smart and accepting environment. Not to mention I'm from a very liberal and wacky city where we encourage each other to be weird, hence our motto "Keep Portland Weird". But that doesn't change the fact that these things are being stated about the general public.
Some of these things I understand. The obesity rate is a numerical fact, so I can't really support that with an argument. I also hate the fast food industry so you got me there, Wikipedia. Racism most likely comes from the slavery issues we had, as that is a major part of American history (in fact, a friend from school told me that they study slavery the same way we study the Holocaust). Also, consider the fact that if the entire country was racist, why would we elect a black president?
*Cliff note: Europe loves Obama. One of my friends said that electing a black president made the U.S. look REALLY good. We really need to work on this racism nonsense.
But for the non-Americans who are reading this, let me inform you on what is NOT true (things might start to get a tad sarcastic at this point):
-Gun-Loving. If you haven't heard of the Gun Control debates and arguments, go look that up now. This statement does NOT apply to everyone.
-Capitalism. The U.S. is not 100% capitalist. We are a mixed economy, despite being one of the most capitalist governments in the world. For a better explination for those who are unfimiliar, check out this link:
http://curiosity.discovery.com/question/united-states-pure-capitalism
-Environmentally unconscious. This might be a biased opinion, considering I come from Portland and it kills me when people don't recycle or compost. But compare us to a country like China, where factories pollute the sky for miles. I don't think that this statement should be said about the U.S. because this is not a major issue here as it is in other parts of the world.
Now for being uneducated and arrogant, that's something I cannot argue. To support this statement, I'd like to let you guys know that one of my best friends, Reilly King, who is currently studying in Austria, had many people ask her why she was learning German to go to Australia. Then they proceeded to ask what the difference between Austria and Australia was.
There's also many late night talk show hosts who have done comedic bits where they ask strangers on the streets historical or geographical questions about the world and are given nothing less than ridiculous, dull answers.
Such things are what gives us such an unintelligent name. I'm not saying that Fallon and Kimmel need to start asking people in other countries random questions to make them look stupid. I'm not suggesting that we give every high school a lesson in geography. But maybe we should focus more on the good aspects of the good ol' U. S. of A..
We are a society based on individuality. People will fight for your right to be who you are. There thousands of people who are out there who do amazing things for human rights and social accaptance; people who fight for same-sex marriage, people passionate about sex education, rape culture and body image activists, people who fight racism, feminists, and every other controversial topic with a battle. That's the wonderful thing about our country, we love to be who we are. The American youth and young adults are incredibly driven to fight for things that we have our rights to. Because why fight for something that you already have? Our generation is seen as modern and welcoming for a reason.
So, to wrap this up, I'd like to give you guys some life tips so you too can be a "good" American:
Be open-minded. Learn new things every single say. Take another language just for fun. Travel. Read books. Study other religions. Watch Travel Channel. Try food you've never had before. Educate yourself. Take world history classes. Read the newspaper. Be aware. Watch BBC news (it's wonderful for world news). Compare things, absorb things, and most importantly, don't be a citizen of (insert home country here), be a citizen of the earth.
I feel like I'm really doing my job here. I feel like I'm a good example of what it means to be an ambassador for you country because that's what I am. That's one of the things that people lose touch with when they go on exchange: you're representing your home country. You're here with a mission to break stereotypes and to make the world a smaller place. We connect and network through exposure and immersion.
Welp, that's all I've got to say, but I would love to hear what you guys think! Leave me a comment on my blog or on Facebook with your responses, feedback, and thoughts. I love hearing other perspectives on this topic.
A bientot!
~Effy
Sunday 22 September 2013
Le Marin en le Bateau
Bon Après-midi!
Today I've concluded that the best time of year for vacationing in France is in September. This is true for several reasons:
First of all, the weather is lovely. Minus a few days of rain (which, for an Oregonian, is not a bother), it's been absolutely wonderful. Sunny with a slight breeze is perfect for tours, shopping, wine tasting, or whatever you may be doing here in France.
Secondly, tourism is much less busy. Although it's not the best time of year to vacation due to school and work, if you can manage it, it'll be worth it.
Lastly, all of the wine vineyards, sunflower fields, and other crops are just about finished, so the scenery here is just fabulous. I'm not sure if this applies to all of France, because this is the wine making region, but from my experience it's great.
Now, to what I actually did today. My family owns a boat so today we decided to have a picnic on the river! We brought some stuff to eat, loaded up, and set out on the water. I'm not sure exactly how far we went, but we were on the boat all day. After the first couple hours, we stopped and set up lunch.
Today I've concluded that the best time of year for vacationing in France is in September. This is true for several reasons:
First of all, the weather is lovely. Minus a few days of rain (which, for an Oregonian, is not a bother), it's been absolutely wonderful. Sunny with a slight breeze is perfect for tours, shopping, wine tasting, or whatever you may be doing here in France.
Secondly, tourism is much less busy. Although it's not the best time of year to vacation due to school and work, if you can manage it, it'll be worth it.
Lastly, all of the wine vineyards, sunflower fields, and other crops are just about finished, so the scenery here is just fabulous. I'm not sure if this applies to all of France, because this is the wine making region, but from my experience it's great.
Now, to what I actually did today. My family owns a boat so today we decided to have a picnic on the river! We brought some stuff to eat, loaded up, and set out on the water. I'm not sure exactly how far we went, but we were on the boat all day. After the first couple hours, we stopped and set up lunch.
Now I'm going to talk about food.
As you can see, there's quite the assortment of meats with baguette, butter and cornichons. If you're not familiar with cornichons, they're very small, VERY salty pickles that go great with sandwiches. We bought 2 baguettes and each person got a half. I was free to eat whatever I wanted with my bread, so i went back and fourth from the lunch meat and butter. Basically, it was foodie heaven. It was the perfect lunch for me and reminded me of lunch that I used to eat with my family (because my real family is secretly French). It was also perfect with the weather.
After cursing around for a while, my host dad talked with someone on the phone and we ended up picking him and his wife up at a dock. They were family friends of my host parents and they were very nice people. I was nervous at first, because when ever I meet adults here I'm way too self conscious to talk with them very much. This is very different for me because in the U.S. I am very comfortable talking to adults. But as soon as I introduced myself, I noticed how much my language skill has improved. I was able to talk AND understand them! I thought that this was a very noteworthy moment. They brought a bottle of white wine, so we all drank and cruised and enjoyed the weather. Some of my favourite things all in one place; nice weather, nice people, and good wine!
It's currently almost 8:00 and we returned home about an hour ago. I woke up today a tad homesick and I found myself missing Sunday mornings with my family. But after this afternoon, I feel a lot better. After having a lovely day with my host family, it's hard to be homesick. I'm honestly really grateful for my life and situation here and I have absolutely no complaints.
Well, that's all I've got for now.
A bientot!
~Effy
Friday 20 September 2013
One is Silver, the Other is Gold.
Hello, folks.
I apologize for my absence as of lately! School here ends at 6:00 and we eat late dinners so it doesn't give me much time for bloggin'. Today, however, was a very good day. I had a heart to heart with one of my classmates and made a very interesting observation that I think might give you listeners at home a good perspective of how I've been doing.
When people ask me "How's France?", it's a question with no answer. I can't even understand how I'm feeling. I am very bittersweet. I am every so slightly homesick, but I don't want to go home. I miss dozens of little things from home, but I don't have a desire to return to the U.S.. The main reason for me feeling this way is because I miss my friends. Therefore, my only big problem here right now is that I don't have very many friends or people to hang out with.
The first couple days of school, I was properly scared for lunch time.I didn't know who to sit with or where to eat. I can easily walk home and eat lunch there, given I have a whole 2 hours, but my host mum insists that I eat at school. It's for the best and I don't argue her thinking. If I sit at home and eat lunch every day, it doesn't give me the opportunity to talk with friends and meet new people.
Luckily, a large group of girls offered me to eat lunch with them within the first few days. I can't really talk with them and spend most of the time trying to understand the conversation, but it sure as hell beats eating by myself. From time to time, they ask me a lot of questions about Oregon and American high school. One day I was even able to show them my house on Google Maps. It's really fun to compare my life here with my life in Oregon because there's a whole world that my French friends have never even seen.
Anyways, today at school, I was talking with one of my friends (one that I have every single class with) and she explained something to me that made everything seem so clear. It was an idea that was certainly not new to me because it's the same situation at Tigard High. She explained that because all of the girls have known each other since middle school, they're extremely close and it's hard for them to welcome new people into their friend groups.
At that point, I wanted to face palm so hard because I should have seen that coming. Like I said, it's the exact same situation for THS. She then explained that last year, she was the new girl and felt a lot of the same things that I'm feeling. She said that it took her a long time to finally make friends and have people to hang out with. She sympathized with me a lot, especially because I'm the new girl who barely speaks any French. That fact also made it really clear to me why we got along so well in the beginning. I've been the new girl at school a couple times in my life, so I usually try to reach out to new people. She was doing the exact same thing for me.
So today I learned that if it seems people are stand off-ish here, it's not their fault. When you spenf years and years of school with the same people, it's hard to be BFF's with the exchange student who barely speaks French. My other friends on exchange kept telling me to reach out and talk to new people, and I kept saying t was really difficult. If you guys are reading this, hopefully now you understand that it's easier said than done!
This girl and I are now pretty good friends. I no longer feel like she's talking to me due to the fact that I don't have any other friends. I'm really glad that we had that talk because it gave me a chance for me to get to know her more and vice versa.
Anyways, I don't really know how to end this post so I'm just going to give everyone a life message that you should all abide by: Look for people, learn people, & love people.
A bientot!
~Effy
I apologize for my absence as of lately! School here ends at 6:00 and we eat late dinners so it doesn't give me much time for bloggin'. Today, however, was a very good day. I had a heart to heart with one of my classmates and made a very interesting observation that I think might give you listeners at home a good perspective of how I've been doing.
When people ask me "How's France?", it's a question with no answer. I can't even understand how I'm feeling. I am very bittersweet. I am every so slightly homesick, but I don't want to go home. I miss dozens of little things from home, but I don't have a desire to return to the U.S.. The main reason for me feeling this way is because I miss my friends. Therefore, my only big problem here right now is that I don't have very many friends or people to hang out with.
The first couple days of school, I was properly scared for lunch time.I didn't know who to sit with or where to eat. I can easily walk home and eat lunch there, given I have a whole 2 hours, but my host mum insists that I eat at school. It's for the best and I don't argue her thinking. If I sit at home and eat lunch every day, it doesn't give me the opportunity to talk with friends and meet new people.
School classes here are based on a grouping system. You are placed into a "class", but not like the classes that you have in the states. There are three years of high school here (Seconde, Première, and Terminale)
and three career paths that you choose to study for (Economics/Social, Literature, and Science). Rather than going to a different class with a new teacher and an entirely different group of kids, like in the states, the same proud of kids rotate teachers. That means that I have the same kids in my class for each subjects. Then there's the classes that you choose individually, such as art, Greek or Latin, a third language, etc.. However, sometimes people have the same class but at a different time, so you get separated. There are only 2 people who share every single class with me (including art class). Because I am with the same people all day, it makes it very difficult to make friends outside of your class.Luckily, a large group of girls offered me to eat lunch with them within the first few days. I can't really talk with them and spend most of the time trying to understand the conversation, but it sure as hell beats eating by myself. From time to time, they ask me a lot of questions about Oregon and American high school. One day I was even able to show them my house on Google Maps. It's really fun to compare my life here with my life in Oregon because there's a whole world that my French friends have never even seen.
Anyways, today at school, I was talking with one of my friends (one that I have every single class with) and she explained something to me that made everything seem so clear. It was an idea that was certainly not new to me because it's the same situation at Tigard High. She explained that because all of the girls have known each other since middle school, they're extremely close and it's hard for them to welcome new people into their friend groups.
At that point, I wanted to face palm so hard because I should have seen that coming. Like I said, it's the exact same situation for THS. She then explained that last year, she was the new girl and felt a lot of the same things that I'm feeling. She said that it took her a long time to finally make friends and have people to hang out with. She sympathized with me a lot, especially because I'm the new girl who barely speaks any French. That fact also made it really clear to me why we got along so well in the beginning. I've been the new girl at school a couple times in my life, so I usually try to reach out to new people. She was doing the exact same thing for me.
So today I learned that if it seems people are stand off-ish here, it's not their fault. When you spenf years and years of school with the same people, it's hard to be BFF's with the exchange student who barely speaks French. My other friends on exchange kept telling me to reach out and talk to new people, and I kept saying t was really difficult. If you guys are reading this, hopefully now you understand that it's easier said than done!
This girl and I are now pretty good friends. I no longer feel like she's talking to me due to the fact that I don't have any other friends. I'm really glad that we had that talk because it gave me a chance for me to get to know her more and vice versa.
Anyways, I don't really know how to end this post so I'm just going to give everyone a life message that you should all abide by: Look for people, learn people, & love people.
A bientot!
~Effy
Wednesday 4 September 2013
First Day of Class
As I said, today was my first day of having classes. Much like yesterday, it didn't go HORRIBLY, but it was definitely not easy.
I only had two classes because on Wednesdays I have the afternoon off. I started with history/geography. This class was fairly easy to understand and I'm pretty sure most of the criteria is stuff I studied in history last year, so I'm not too worried. The class was also only one hour so it wasn't all too stressful. I explained to the teacher that I was an exchange student, as I do with all of my teachers, so hopefully he can help me out later in time.
The second class was French class. At Tigard, English is my best class, so to be put into a reading and writing focused class and not be able to do any work was extremely stressful for me. Not only could I not understand ANYTHING the teacher was saying, but I couldn't read her cursive on the board, so my notes do not make any sense. Not to mention lined notebook paper here is much different because the lines are MUCH smaller, so I couldn't even write straight. We read a passage from a book which I could hardly understand because the professor was reading so fast. Then the class was supposed to write something about it afterwords. She wrote the prompt on the board and tried to explain it to me but I could not for the life of me understand what I was supposed to write. The worst part was every time I asked her a question or had her explain something, everyone turned around and stared at me. I assume this is because this was a very simple task to do and she was talking me through it, so to them I probably looked like an idiot. And even after that, I couldn't complete the task. She asked the class questions about what they wrote and I tried to listen and get an idea of what was going on.
She also gave us a paper that had two other passages from two different books. I think the instructions said we were supposed to change them to past tense...Again, I couldn't read anything. Eventually I just started writing in my journal because there was no hope for me starting any of the work.
This is how school is in the beginning of exchange. I know it will get easier and I keep having to remind myself that this is totally normal.I've received some very helpful words of encouragement from some friends back home and I think I'll be able to tackle the rest of this week alright because I have a Rotary weekend to look forward to. I also have 3 acquaintances from school who have been helping me so far, so it's not like I'm completely lost! Hopefully I'll get the courage to talk to more people and ask more questions.
Glad I was able to get TWO blog posts up today! I'll definitely write more after this weekend.
But until then, a bientot!
~Effy
I only had two classes because on Wednesdays I have the afternoon off. I started with history/geography. This class was fairly easy to understand and I'm pretty sure most of the criteria is stuff I studied in history last year, so I'm not too worried. The class was also only one hour so it wasn't all too stressful. I explained to the teacher that I was an exchange student, as I do with all of my teachers, so hopefully he can help me out later in time.
The second class was French class. At Tigard, English is my best class, so to be put into a reading and writing focused class and not be able to do any work was extremely stressful for me. Not only could I not understand ANYTHING the teacher was saying, but I couldn't read her cursive on the board, so my notes do not make any sense. Not to mention lined notebook paper here is much different because the lines are MUCH smaller, so I couldn't even write straight. We read a passage from a book which I could hardly understand because the professor was reading so fast. Then the class was supposed to write something about it afterwords. She wrote the prompt on the board and tried to explain it to me but I could not for the life of me understand what I was supposed to write. The worst part was every time I asked her a question or had her explain something, everyone turned around and stared at me. I assume this is because this was a very simple task to do and she was talking me through it, so to them I probably looked like an idiot. And even after that, I couldn't complete the task. She asked the class questions about what they wrote and I tried to listen and get an idea of what was going on.
She also gave us a paper that had two other passages from two different books. I think the instructions said we were supposed to change them to past tense...Again, I couldn't read anything. Eventually I just started writing in my journal because there was no hope for me starting any of the work.
This is how school is in the beginning of exchange. I know it will get easier and I keep having to remind myself that this is totally normal.I've received some very helpful words of encouragement from some friends back home and I think I'll be able to tackle the rest of this week alright because I have a Rotary weekend to look forward to. I also have 3 acquaintances from school who have been helping me so far, so it's not like I'm completely lost! Hopefully I'll get the courage to talk to more people and ask more questions.
Glad I was able to get TWO blog posts up today! I'll definitely write more after this weekend.
But until then, a bientot!
~Effy
Observations
Here is a list of things that were noteworthy in my mind that I'd like to share! They're very random things, from everyday life to school to habits at home.
-Unisex bathrooms.
I know this sounds like a silly thing to complain about, but it is rather strange that in some places there are restrooms that are unisex. There are restrooms with individual stalls with lights inside of them. Outside the stalls there are mirrors, counters, and sinks like any other bathroom. The idea of being inside the same washroom as a man is VERY foreign to me, therefore makes me a tad uncomfortable. But it's something I'll have to get used to! Most public and school restrooms are like so.
-No bread on you dinner plate:
The stereotype of eating loads of bread here is entirely true. I have yet to eat a meal that has not had a baguette served with it. But the bread does not go on your plate with the rest of your food- it goes on the table next to your meal!
-Smoking:
The majority of the people I have met here smoke. There's no curiosity with cigarettes and it's very common to see people roll their cigarettes in public. Rather than carrying a carton with them, some people carry a bag of tobacco, skins, and filters so they can roll their own cigarettes when ever they want a smoke (which is quite often). People also smoke around their children like it's no big deal which is something you would NEVER see in the states.
-Dirty streets:
This is sad to say, but it's true; the streets are very dirty for several different reasons. For one, people do not pick up after their dogs. No matter where you walk, weather it's in grass or on the sidewalk, you need to watch your step. People also leave their trash and recycling outside quite often. No big trash cans like in my neighbourhood, just big bags of trash. They eventually get picked up, of course. But it is strange to see streets lined with boxes and recycling and rubbish.
-Lots of markets:
Just like Portland! I've been to two markets so far. One was like a massive garage sale and the other was a farmer's market. The farmer's market not only had produce and homemade goods, but animals! There was a separate part of the market that had rows of farm animals for sale. Everything from rabbits to chickens to ducks. They were incredibly packed together in tiny cages which made me very sad...but that's just how farmers do it. The other one was MASSIVE. At least half a mile long, loads of people, loads of random stuff; furniture, clothes, trinkets, antiques....stuff you would sell at a yard sale. It was really neat but extremely crowded.
9-10-13
-iPhones Don't Dominate:
Finally, a high school where not every student is walking around with their eyes glued to the newest piece of technology! I know this is an odd observation, but when you walk down the hallways of an American high school every day for 2 years and are used to a sea of white iPhone 4's and 5's, it's strange to see that most people here use Blackberries instead.
-Chit-Chat:
Again, another silly observation, but just something that caught my attention; the students chat A LOT while the professor is giving lessons, and they're not very good at whispering. The professors don't really seem to do much about it, aside from the occasional sush between words.
-School Lunch:
I will start by saying that there's already a significant difference with the fact that I can actually EAT this food. At Tigard, I can't even think about putting the school lunch into my mouth. At Lycee David d'Angers, the lunch is not only possible to consume, but enjoyable! There's a large option of vegetables and salad to choose from, a nice entree (today it was a nice piece of chicken, rice, and vegetables), and a choice of ONE dessert (most of the options are fruit). There's a card system where you place in your lunch order at a scanner with your lunch card at any time in the morning BEFORE 10:00. At lunch time, you scan your card again in line and one last time when you receive your tray. It's a very efficient system. The only problem is if you forget to scan your card before 10:00, there will be no lunch for you, so you better hope your professor is grateful enough to let you pop by before class starts!
There's many more things that I will notice as time goes by, so I will most likely add on to this post. Any additional notes will be dated.
-Unisex bathrooms.
I know this sounds like a silly thing to complain about, but it is rather strange that in some places there are restrooms that are unisex. There are restrooms with individual stalls with lights inside of them. Outside the stalls there are mirrors, counters, and sinks like any other bathroom. The idea of being inside the same washroom as a man is VERY foreign to me, therefore makes me a tad uncomfortable. But it's something I'll have to get used to! Most public and school restrooms are like so.
-No bread on you dinner plate:
The stereotype of eating loads of bread here is entirely true. I have yet to eat a meal that has not had a baguette served with it. But the bread does not go on your plate with the rest of your food- it goes on the table next to your meal!
-Smoking:
The majority of the people I have met here smoke. There's no curiosity with cigarettes and it's very common to see people roll their cigarettes in public. Rather than carrying a carton with them, some people carry a bag of tobacco, skins, and filters so they can roll their own cigarettes when ever they want a smoke (which is quite often). People also smoke around their children like it's no big deal which is something you would NEVER see in the states.
-Dirty streets:
This is sad to say, but it's true; the streets are very dirty for several different reasons. For one, people do not pick up after their dogs. No matter where you walk, weather it's in grass or on the sidewalk, you need to watch your step. People also leave their trash and recycling outside quite often. No big trash cans like in my neighbourhood, just big bags of trash. They eventually get picked up, of course. But it is strange to see streets lined with boxes and recycling and rubbish.
-Lots of markets:
Just like Portland! I've been to two markets so far. One was like a massive garage sale and the other was a farmer's market. The farmer's market not only had produce and homemade goods, but animals! There was a separate part of the market that had rows of farm animals for sale. Everything from rabbits to chickens to ducks. They were incredibly packed together in tiny cages which made me very sad...but that's just how farmers do it. The other one was MASSIVE. At least half a mile long, loads of people, loads of random stuff; furniture, clothes, trinkets, antiques....stuff you would sell at a yard sale. It was really neat but extremely crowded.
9-10-13
-iPhones Don't Dominate:
Finally, a high school where not every student is walking around with their eyes glued to the newest piece of technology! I know this is an odd observation, but when you walk down the hallways of an American high school every day for 2 years and are used to a sea of white iPhone 4's and 5's, it's strange to see that most people here use Blackberries instead.
-Chit-Chat:
Again, another silly observation, but just something that caught my attention; the students chat A LOT while the professor is giving lessons, and they're not very good at whispering. The professors don't really seem to do much about it, aside from the occasional sush between words.
-School Lunch:
I will start by saying that there's already a significant difference with the fact that I can actually EAT this food. At Tigard, I can't even think about putting the school lunch into my mouth. At Lycee David d'Angers, the lunch is not only possible to consume, but enjoyable! There's a large option of vegetables and salad to choose from, a nice entree (today it was a nice piece of chicken, rice, and vegetables), and a choice of ONE dessert (most of the options are fruit). There's a card system where you place in your lunch order at a scanner with your lunch card at any time in the morning BEFORE 10:00. At lunch time, you scan your card again in line and one last time when you receive your tray. It's a very efficient system. The only problem is if you forget to scan your card before 10:00, there will be no lunch for you, so you better hope your professor is grateful enough to let you pop by before class starts!
There's many more things that I will notice as time goes by, so I will most likely add on to this post. Any additional notes will be dated.
Tuesday 3 September 2013
My First Day of School
Oh la la...
I've heard horror stories about the first day of school on exchange. I've heard people say they couldn't ask for help or find their way or they simply just walked around and pretended like they had somewhere to be...But everyone's first day is different.
First of all, everyone looked ridiculously attractive. The girls looked straight out of a magazine and the boys looked like the lads from One Direction. It makes me think that American high school must look straight out a movie because this was like nothing I've ever seen before. All of the girls were very well put together and dressed very nicely and the boys had nice shoes and tops and were very clean-cut. Makes all the jockey boys at Tigard look like animals, if I'm blunt.
Today wasn't a complete disaster. School didn't start until 10:00 and it wasn't even really a school day because I didn't have class. It was more of an orientation. I was there for two hours and it was the most terrifying and confusing two hours I've ever experienced.
First, I looked for my name on a list which tells you which class you're in; science, literature, or economics. I was supposed to be placed in literature but when we looked at my name I was placed in economics. That wasn't a problem until I received my schedule...but I will discuss that later.
Everyone was waiting in the sort of atrium-like room and a professor (whom I'm almost positive is the school principal) called everyone's attention and we split up into our class groups. My host brother is in the science class so before we split, he explained to my teacher (who is somewhat like a homeroom teacher) that I'm an exchange student.
The teacher led us into her classroom and explained to us that she is our French teacher. She then went on to explain other things which I didn't understand. She went through the students one-by-one like roll call and confirmed their schedules. Of course, my name was called first, and I had no idea why she said my name so I replied with "oui" and she read off my classes. I confirmed them because I didn't exactly know what was going on and she continued this with the rest of the class. It wasn't until later I realised that something was wrong with my schedule but it was too late at that point.
Then she handed out a bunch of stuff: our class schedules, a username/password for what I assume is our online grades, a card which I think is for lunch, and a couple other pamphlets that I can't identify. Basically this entire day was me shaking with fear that she was going to call my name and ask me a question. I even took notes when everyone else was even though I had no idea what I was writing down and I'm not even sure what they were about.
After this was all over, we went into an auditorium like room and the principal spoke to all of the students. Again, I had no idea what he was saying or what was going on, but I think he was talking about how all of their classes applied to university and graduation, which don't apply to me anyway because I'm not graduating from that school.
At this point I was accompanied by another girl who I asked a question to before the presentation started. When the principal was done talking, we walked outside and were trying to figure out if the day was over or if it was lunch time because it was only 12:00. We waited around for our brothers for a little while and then asked another student what the heck was going on. He told us it was time to go home so we walked back to the exit. She asked me if I was taking the Tramway home, but I said no because I was only a short walk away. She said goodbye and I walked home alone with my music.
I got home and showed my schedule to my host sisters and they told me there must have been a mistake because I currently have four language classes; English, Spanish, French, and Italian. Even normal students are only supposed to have three. I also have more classes than my host brother. My schedule is too difficult for me right now and I'm really hoping we're able to change it because it's making me nervous that I have too many classes that are most likely too hard because they're in FRENCH.
*Sigh*. Hopefully tomorrow will be better with a better schedule and more confidence and maybe I'll try to make a couple friends. But for now, I'm just glad I got the first day out of the way.
I'll make a post tomorrow about the REAL first day. Maybe by then I'll be over the embaressment that was today.
A bientot!
~Effy
I've heard horror stories about the first day of school on exchange. I've heard people say they couldn't ask for help or find their way or they simply just walked around and pretended like they had somewhere to be...But everyone's first day is different.
First of all, everyone looked ridiculously attractive. The girls looked straight out of a magazine and the boys looked like the lads from One Direction. It makes me think that American high school must look straight out a movie because this was like nothing I've ever seen before. All of the girls were very well put together and dressed very nicely and the boys had nice shoes and tops and were very clean-cut. Makes all the jockey boys at Tigard look like animals, if I'm blunt.
Today wasn't a complete disaster. School didn't start until 10:00 and it wasn't even really a school day because I didn't have class. It was more of an orientation. I was there for two hours and it was the most terrifying and confusing two hours I've ever experienced.
First, I looked for my name on a list which tells you which class you're in; science, literature, or economics. I was supposed to be placed in literature but when we looked at my name I was placed in economics. That wasn't a problem until I received my schedule...but I will discuss that later.
Everyone was waiting in the sort of atrium-like room and a professor (whom I'm almost positive is the school principal) called everyone's attention and we split up into our class groups. My host brother is in the science class so before we split, he explained to my teacher (who is somewhat like a homeroom teacher) that I'm an exchange student.
The teacher led us into her classroom and explained to us that she is our French teacher. She then went on to explain other things which I didn't understand. She went through the students one-by-one like roll call and confirmed their schedules. Of course, my name was called first, and I had no idea why she said my name so I replied with "oui" and she read off my classes. I confirmed them because I didn't exactly know what was going on and she continued this with the rest of the class. It wasn't until later I realised that something was wrong with my schedule but it was too late at that point.
Then she handed out a bunch of stuff: our class schedules, a username/password for what I assume is our online grades, a card which I think is for lunch, and a couple other pamphlets that I can't identify. Basically this entire day was me shaking with fear that she was going to call my name and ask me a question. I even took notes when everyone else was even though I had no idea what I was writing down and I'm not even sure what they were about.
After this was all over, we went into an auditorium like room and the principal spoke to all of the students. Again, I had no idea what he was saying or what was going on, but I think he was talking about how all of their classes applied to university and graduation, which don't apply to me anyway because I'm not graduating from that school.
At this point I was accompanied by another girl who I asked a question to before the presentation started. When the principal was done talking, we walked outside and were trying to figure out if the day was over or if it was lunch time because it was only 12:00. We waited around for our brothers for a little while and then asked another student what the heck was going on. He told us it was time to go home so we walked back to the exit. She asked me if I was taking the Tramway home, but I said no because I was only a short walk away. She said goodbye and I walked home alone with my music.
I got home and showed my schedule to my host sisters and they told me there must have been a mistake because I currently have four language classes; English, Spanish, French, and Italian. Even normal students are only supposed to have three. I also have more classes than my host brother. My schedule is too difficult for me right now and I'm really hoping we're able to change it because it's making me nervous that I have too many classes that are most likely too hard because they're in FRENCH.
*Sigh*. Hopefully tomorrow will be better with a better schedule and more confidence and maybe I'll try to make a couple friends. But for now, I'm just glad I got the first day out of the way.
I'll make a post tomorrow about the REAL first day. Maybe by then I'll be over the embaressment that was today.
A bientot!
~Effy
Wednesday 28 August 2013
Day 6 &7: A Stroll Around Town
8-28-13
Salut!
So for the past couple days I've gotten to walk around the city of Angers. I was very much looking forward to this because I had seen loads of photos of the city on Facebook, Google, Wikipedia, etc. when I researched the city, and finally got to see it for myself!
I'm just gonna let the pictures speak for themselves:
The cathedral and castle of Angers (sorry the photos are sideways):
I apologize for the formatting of this post...the photos don't come out how I want them to. But I will post them on Facebook, as well! They will turn out better there.
Sunday 25 August 2013
Day 2/3
It's really late and I don't feel like typing a lot so I'm going to try and condense this into a short story about my day!
Basically I woke up at 2:00, then at 6:00, and then 11:30....I really can't explain that.
I made some coffee and checked my Facebook and e-mail and relaxed for a while. At 3:00 I had one more cup of coffee before we left to go to my family's house on the countryside. The house was absolutely beautiful. It is a perfect example of what French architecture looks like; with stone walls and stone tile floors. They needed to clean it up because they were renting it to some people on vacation. I didn't mind helping at all because it meant that I got to see the house and the area. The house is meant to fit around 15 people. It was 3 stories and was on a river. There was a vineyard across the river and it was absolutely beautiful.
We got home and their cousins were there for dinner. They were SO funny and I really enjoyed the time that I spent with them.
My host family had a pool and one of the cousins was swimming in it. I also have ducks at my house, so my host sisters and brother circled one of the ducks while the other cousin picked it up. Then my dad took photos and we were all laughing at the duck, Next thing I know, the duck was being taken to the pool and started swimming with the other cousin! The other cousins proceeded to swim like the duck and follow him around in the pool. It was a really fun time with me family. :)
That night for dinner, we had some cuts of meat; one was like bruchetto and the other two I couldn't identify. I only tried two because one had too much fat on it and the other one was so fatty I could feel it on the roof of my mouth. It was strange but delicious! We also had blood sausage for dinner, which is VERY French and very delicious.
Today (Sunday), we went to a party. I asked my host sister what the purpose of the party was, and she explained that it was just a gathering of friends that they do every year. There were a lot of people and they were all really friendly and funny. There were three other exchange students there who I met on the first day of arrival and rode the bus with; three girls, one from India, one from Brasil, and one from Canada. We all spoke in English because none of us know enough French to have long conversations and explain how we've been feeling.
It was a really nice party. The guys showed us how to do archery and one boy had something that I can't remember the word for...It's like tightrope walking but with a long, flat rope-like thing. All the girls and I tried it. It was really easy for me! I also met a girl who is the host sister of my Brasilian friend. Her name is Ana and she's 13. We talked A LOT. She's very nice and it was easy to speak French with her. Spending time with her made me wish that I had a younger host sister!
That's all for now. I will probably post again tomorrow.
Bonne nuit!
~Effy
Basically I woke up at 2:00, then at 6:00, and then 11:30....I really can't explain that.
I made some coffee and checked my Facebook and e-mail and relaxed for a while. At 3:00 I had one more cup of coffee before we left to go to my family's house on the countryside. The house was absolutely beautiful. It is a perfect example of what French architecture looks like; with stone walls and stone tile floors. They needed to clean it up because they were renting it to some people on vacation. I didn't mind helping at all because it meant that I got to see the house and the area. The house is meant to fit around 15 people. It was 3 stories and was on a river. There was a vineyard across the river and it was absolutely beautiful.
We got home and their cousins were there for dinner. They were SO funny and I really enjoyed the time that I spent with them.
My host family had a pool and one of the cousins was swimming in it. I also have ducks at my house, so my host sisters and brother circled one of the ducks while the other cousin picked it up. Then my dad took photos and we were all laughing at the duck, Next thing I know, the duck was being taken to the pool and started swimming with the other cousin! The other cousins proceeded to swim like the duck and follow him around in the pool. It was a really fun time with me family. :)
That night for dinner, we had some cuts of meat; one was like bruchetto and the other two I couldn't identify. I only tried two because one had too much fat on it and the other one was so fatty I could feel it on the roof of my mouth. It was strange but delicious! We also had blood sausage for dinner, which is VERY French and very delicious.
Today (Sunday), we went to a party. I asked my host sister what the purpose of the party was, and she explained that it was just a gathering of friends that they do every year. There were a lot of people and they were all really friendly and funny. There were three other exchange students there who I met on the first day of arrival and rode the bus with; three girls, one from India, one from Brasil, and one from Canada. We all spoke in English because none of us know enough French to have long conversations and explain how we've been feeling.
It was a really nice party. The guys showed us how to do archery and one boy had something that I can't remember the word for...It's like tightrope walking but with a long, flat rope-like thing. All the girls and I tried it. It was really easy for me! I also met a girl who is the host sister of my Brasilian friend. Her name is Ana and she's 13. We talked A LOT. She's very nice and it was easy to speak French with her. Spending time with her made me wish that I had a younger host sister!
That's all for now. I will probably post again tomorrow.
Bonne nuit!
~Effy
Saturday 24 August 2013
My First Day in France
Bonjour!
So as I'm writing this, it is currently my SECOND day in France, but yesterday was rather busy.
In a nutshell, I didn't even leave the airport until 3:00, had a four hour drive to Angers (with two stop before we got there), arrived at my house, ate dinner, and went to bed. Not to mention that I can only use my laptop downstairs and I didn't want to retrieve it at the time.
So as I'm writing this, it is currently my SECOND day in France, but yesterday was rather busy.
In a nutshell, I didn't even leave the airport until 3:00, had a four hour drive to Angers (with two stop before we got there), arrived at my house, ate dinner, and went to bed. Not to mention that I can only use my laptop downstairs and I didn't want to retrieve it at the time.
To elaborate, I'll start with my flight. I had two and a half hours from Portland to Minnesota, where I arrived at 6:00 and had less than an hour to get to my gate before we boarded. Normally that would have been fine ,because we were so excited to get to France, but the Minneapolis airport is really nice. More like a shopping mall, really. So we relaxed, charged our phone, and boarded a MASSIVE plane. Then, we had about 8-9 hour to Paris. The plane was the biggest I've ever seen, but the legroom I had in my seat was probably some of the smallest I've ever had. Sleeping wasn't terribly comfortable but I took a pill after I ate my dinner and knocked out, so I wasn't really too concerned with sleeping.
After that, Grace, Maisyn, Jacob and I all managed to find our way through the airport all the way through passport check and baggage with no problem. We waited for a little and a handful of Rotary kids came piling through, so we joined them and exited the airport together. There, we found Rotarians and host families waiting for the students, which was a sign of relief. My host family wasn't there, but we found who we needed to.
Then, we waited. For a very long time.
After a couple hours of waiting for the rest of the exchange students to arrive, we got on a bus and were told that we would have a four hour drive, and we would be making three stops: first in Sablé, then in Angers, and last in Nantes. I said goodbye to Maisyn on the first stop and about 20 minutes later it was time for me to say goodbye to Grace and my two other Brazilian friends that I made.
After that, Grace, Maisyn, Jacob and I all managed to find our way through the airport all the way through passport check and baggage with no problem. We waited for a little and a handful of Rotary kids came piling through, so we joined them and exited the airport together. There, we found Rotarians and host families waiting for the students, which was a sign of relief. My host family wasn't there, but we found who we needed to.
Then, we waited. For a very long time.
After a couple hours of waiting for the rest of the exchange students to arrive, we got on a bus and were told that we would have a four hour drive, and we would be making three stops: first in Sablé, then in Angers, and last in Nantes. I said goodbye to Maisyn on the first stop and about 20 minutes later it was time for me to say goodbye to Grace and my two other Brazilian friends that I made.
I FINALLY met my host family! My sister Lou-An, brother I-Yan, and father Luc were there to help me with my bags. We had a quick drive home to their house, which is very different compared to mine at home.
The houses on this street are set up like apartments, but when you go inside of them, the bedrooms and living rooms are set up almost like a maze. They also have a really nice backyard with tropical-like plants and a pool. For pets, they have four ducks, three chickens, and a very friendly cat.
Upon my arrival to the house, I gave them the gifts I had brought from Portland; some homemade jam from my mum, a gift box of my favourite local soaps, a postcard with Multnomah Falls on it, and an Oregon sticker. Then I showed them my photo book that I put together of my home and life.
For dinner, we had some grilled sausages (which were delicious), steamed potatoes (which apparently were a treat), salad with my favourite vinaigrette, and, of course, baguette. The bread here is very different from even the most "authentic" French bread at home. The texture is just a little better and there's a very slightly different taste that I cannot describe. The cheese was brought out last. I can't remember what kind there was, except for the Laughing Cow cheese which I recognised. If the cheese you eat is not strong, they eat it with butter. There was one mild one and one very strong one (I liked this one the best). Then I had a delicious and exceptionally sweet pear for dessert. We then sat and talked for a very long time. I explained things like organic food and why I eat my pears like I eat my apples. It was very fun to sit and talk French with my family. My mother and brother don't know very much English at all, which is good in my opinion! My host dad reminds me of my real dad. He is very fun to talk to. And if I can't explain or understand things in French, we do it in English very briefly, then right back to French. My mum corrects me on my grammar in a very helpful way. She explained a couple of my mistakes and I told her than I understood.
Upon my arrival to the house, I gave them the gifts I had brought from Portland; some homemade jam from my mum, a gift box of my favourite local soaps, a postcard with Multnomah Falls on it, and an Oregon sticker. Then I showed them my photo book that I put together of my home and life.
For dinner, we had some grilled sausages (which were delicious), steamed potatoes (which apparently were a treat), salad with my favourite vinaigrette, and, of course, baguette. The bread here is very different from even the most "authentic" French bread at home. The texture is just a little better and there's a very slightly different taste that I cannot describe. The cheese was brought out last. I can't remember what kind there was, except for the Laughing Cow cheese which I recognised. If the cheese you eat is not strong, they eat it with butter. There was one mild one and one very strong one (I liked this one the best). Then I had a delicious and exceptionally sweet pear for dessert. We then sat and talked for a very long time. I explained things like organic food and why I eat my pears like I eat my apples. It was very fun to sit and talk French with my family. My mother and brother don't know very much English at all, which is good in my opinion! My host dad reminds me of my real dad. He is very fun to talk to. And if I can't explain or understand things in French, we do it in English very briefly, then right back to French. My mum corrects me on my grammar in a very helpful way. She explained a couple of my mistakes and I told her than I understood.
I checked my e-mail and sent a few text messages and then went to bed. I managed to adjust to the time zone really well because I was very tiered at around 8:00.
It is now 12:18 and I am sipping coffee and lounging in the living room. We're going to the countryside at around 3:00 today, so I will write about that later.
That's all for now.
It is now 12:18 and I am sipping coffee and lounging in the living room. We're going to the countryside at around 3:00 today, so I will write about that later.
That's all for now.
À bientôt!
~Effy
Friday 16 August 2013
6 Year Vegetarian in Europe
Hello, friends!
For those of you know have known me personally for a long time, you probably know about my dietary restrictions. For those of you who don't know, I was previously a strict vegetarian for 6 years.
Frequently asked questions:
"Oh, did you give up?" "Did you want meat so bad that you stopped?" "Did you give in?"
To answer all of these rather annoying questions, no. I didn't "give up". Here's my philosophy:
As a person who is obsessed with food, cooking, and travel as a personality trait, I would be a fool not to experience French and European cuisine to the fullest extend. In other words, a foodie isn't going to give up the oppertuinty to eat real French food.
From my vegetarian moral point of view, I choose not to eat meat because of animal treatment and abuse that goes on upon slaughter. That may be a major issue in America, but in Europe there isn't as much animal cruelty. In fact, France is working on a law in which restaurants must let customers know where the meat, poultry, fish, etc. is coming from by printing it on the menu. Luckily, the French are just as obsessed with food as I am so laws like this make me feel better about eating their meat.
Yes, I am still a little bothered by what I'm eating, but at the very least, it's much more humane and people care a lot more about what they're eating.
My other reason is that I thought it would be inconvenient for my host families to accommodate for me. I don't believe vegetarians are as popular in Europe as they are in America and I didn't want to ask them to go out of their way. Not to mention going to restaurants would be a major bother. Being used to Portland's many vegetarian friendly places, I can't expect the French to be the same. It's the easiest solution.
In my opinion, it's best case scenario for someone who's making the decision to quit vegetarianism for exchange or any short period of time. I will be continuing my diet when I return to the states.
The purpose of this post is to feed the curiosity of my friends/family and to maybe help people who are going through the same thing. I hope the people reading this found it helpful or interesting.
That's all for now.
~Effy
P.S. 6 days until departure.
For those of you know have known me personally for a long time, you probably know about my dietary restrictions. For those of you who don't know, I was previously a strict vegetarian for 6 years.
Frequently asked questions:
"Oh, did you give up?" "Did you want meat so bad that you stopped?" "Did you give in?"
To answer all of these rather annoying questions, no. I didn't "give up". Here's my philosophy:
As a person who is obsessed with food, cooking, and travel as a personality trait, I would be a fool not to experience French and European cuisine to the fullest extend. In other words, a foodie isn't going to give up the oppertuinty to eat real French food.
From my vegetarian moral point of view, I choose not to eat meat because of animal treatment and abuse that goes on upon slaughter. That may be a major issue in America, but in Europe there isn't as much animal cruelty. In fact, France is working on a law in which restaurants must let customers know where the meat, poultry, fish, etc. is coming from by printing it on the menu. Luckily, the French are just as obsessed with food as I am so laws like this make me feel better about eating their meat.
Yes, I am still a little bothered by what I'm eating, but at the very least, it's much more humane and people care a lot more about what they're eating.
My other reason is that I thought it would be inconvenient for my host families to accommodate for me. I don't believe vegetarians are as popular in Europe as they are in America and I didn't want to ask them to go out of their way. Not to mention going to restaurants would be a major bother. Being used to Portland's many vegetarian friendly places, I can't expect the French to be the same. It's the easiest solution.
In my opinion, it's best case scenario for someone who's making the decision to quit vegetarianism for exchange or any short period of time. I will be continuing my diet when I return to the states.
The purpose of this post is to feed the curiosity of my friends/family and to maybe help people who are going through the same thing. I hope the people reading this found it helpful or interesting.
That's all for now.
~Effy
P.S. 6 days until departure.
Tuesday 13 August 2013
8 More Days.
Salut!
Just thought I'd do an update on my exchange as I count down my last few days in the states.
As far as saying my goodbyes, I went on a camping trip with Zac and the rest of the Sims family to Oregon Star Party, which was super rad. I love astronomy and it was really nice to spend some time with his family.
I've been trying to spend a lot of time with my friends lately. I think I took for granted how little time I had left and realised that I had a lot of people to say goodbye to and a lot of things I still needed to take care of!
For instance, With my exchange preparations, this week has been very productive. I took care of getting a cell phone, a debit card, and prescriptions. Luckily, I'll be able to get an iPhone 5 to use over there AND I'll be able to do mobile banking with it. Talk about hitting two birds with one stone!
I also saw my doctor and got all of my shots and immunizations sorted. You know, the boring (but importnat) stuff.
For now, all I have left to do is finish my scrapbook and get some electric outlet adapters! My ticket and visa and flight are all booked and taken care of. I'm SO close to being able to start my exchange, I can practically taste it.
I have a massive feeling of accomplishment with all of this going on. I really feel like all of my hard work is finally about to pay off. With all of the weird dreams, thoughts, and rumors about France going around in my head, I will not have peace until I arrive. Hopefully I'll stay somewhat sane before I leave.
That's all for now.
A bientot!
~Effy
Just thought I'd do an update on my exchange as I count down my last few days in the states.
As far as saying my goodbyes, I went on a camping trip with Zac and the rest of the Sims family to Oregon Star Party, which was super rad. I love astronomy and it was really nice to spend some time with his family.
I've been trying to spend a lot of time with my friends lately. I think I took for granted how little time I had left and realised that I had a lot of people to say goodbye to and a lot of things I still needed to take care of!
For instance, With my exchange preparations, this week has been very productive. I took care of getting a cell phone, a debit card, and prescriptions. Luckily, I'll be able to get an iPhone 5 to use over there AND I'll be able to do mobile banking with it. Talk about hitting two birds with one stone!
I also saw my doctor and got all of my shots and immunizations sorted. You know, the boring (but importnat) stuff.
For now, all I have left to do is finish my scrapbook and get some electric outlet adapters! My ticket and visa and flight are all booked and taken care of. I'm SO close to being able to start my exchange, I can practically taste it.
I have a massive feeling of accomplishment with all of this going on. I really feel like all of my hard work is finally about to pay off. With all of the weird dreams, thoughts, and rumors about France going around in my head, I will not have peace until I arrive. Hopefully I'll stay somewhat sane before I leave.
That's all for now.
A bientot!
~Effy
Sunday 21 July 2013
Vive la Visa!
Hello all!
Tonight, I depart for San Fransisco to attend a group meeting at the office of the Consulate of France to obtain my biometric visa! FINALLY!
Getting your visa is a big day as it marks a big ol’ check mark on your to-do list of paperwork. Next step: ticketing.
As one of my favourite songs states: “Put another X on the calendar, summer’s on it’s death bed.” The days are just flying by and my summer has been lovely.
Yesterday, my friend and I had a smashing goodbye party. She is departing for Austria is 13 days through the same program, so we went through all of our training together. She’s also one of my closest friends from elementary school. Fancy that.
Here’s a photo of us and some of our lady friends:
That’s me in the middle with the floral dress and my friend Reilly to
the right of me. The girl RIGHT above my head is going to Ecuador and
the girl to Reilly’s right is going to Japan, all through Rotary
International. All of the kids going next year are VERY close to each
other and to the exchange students who stayed in District 1500 this
year, which stretches from central Oregon all the way to Vancouver,
Washington.
I will make another post tomorrow talking about my visa process and will add some photos. I cannot wait to get my visa and go to San Fransisco. It’s one of my favourite cities; I grew up there and my dad was born and raised a San Fransisco boy.
Thanks for reading. I’ll check in tomorrow evening!
Au revoir!
~Effy
P.S.: 31 Days until departure. (woah)
Tonight, I depart for San Fransisco to attend a group meeting at the office of the Consulate of France to obtain my biometric visa! FINALLY!
Getting your visa is a big day as it marks a big ol’ check mark on your to-do list of paperwork. Next step: ticketing.
As one of my favourite songs states: “Put another X on the calendar, summer’s on it’s death bed.” The days are just flying by and my summer has been lovely.
Yesterday, my friend and I had a smashing goodbye party. She is departing for Austria is 13 days through the same program, so we went through all of our training together. She’s also one of my closest friends from elementary school. Fancy that.
Here’s a photo of us and some of our lady friends:
That’s me in the middle with the floral dress and my friend Reilly to
the right of me. The girl RIGHT above my head is going to Ecuador and
the girl to Reilly’s right is going to Japan, all through Rotary
International. All of the kids going next year are VERY close to each
other and to the exchange students who stayed in District 1500 this
year, which stretches from central Oregon all the way to Vancouver,
Washington.I will make another post tomorrow talking about my visa process and will add some photos. I cannot wait to get my visa and go to San Fransisco. It’s one of my favourite cities; I grew up there and my dad was born and raised a San Fransisco boy.
Thanks for reading. I’ll check in tomorrow evening!
Au revoir!
~Effy
P.S.: 31 Days until departure. (woah)
Thursday 11 July 2013
Update
At this point in time, ALL of my paperwork has been completed and accounted for!
Next step: San Fransisco for the consulate! There, I will receive my long-term student visa which allows me around 10-12 months in France.
Now I'm trying to work out fundraising and packing...Not exactly the "fun" stuff but it'll be worth it!
I go to the Consulate in two weeks. That's the point where everything is becoming real.
That's all I have for now. I'll most likely be posting more after San Fransisco when things really get rolling.
41 Days left!
~Effy
Thursday 23 May 2013
Visas, visas, visas....
5/23/13
I adore France and everything about it, but I wish actually GETTING to the country was easier! I am currently swamped in paperwork to fill out for my visa and I am very confused on what to do.
For those of you who are planning on going to France or plan on going on any exchange in general, visas suck and there's no way of getting around them. You have to do the work or else you're not going! I know it'll be worth it in the end but right now I just want it all to be over with.
Thank god we have direct contact to the travel agent- Emily Voorn is an angel sent from heaven.
That's all I have for now; navigating my way through paperwork.
~Effy
P.S. Today marks 90 days!
I adore France and everything about it, but I wish actually GETTING to the country was easier! I am currently swamped in paperwork to fill out for my visa and I am very confused on what to do.
For those of you who are planning on going to France or plan on going on any exchange in general, visas suck and there's no way of getting around them. You have to do the work or else you're not going! I know it'll be worth it in the end but right now I just want it all to be over with.
Thank god we have direct contact to the travel agent- Emily Voorn is an angel sent from heaven.
That's all I have for now; navigating my way through paperwork.
~Effy
P.S. Today marks 90 days!
Monday 20 May 2013
Departure.
5/20/13
Today marks 93 days until I depart from Portland Oregon and 96 days until I arrive in Paris, France.
Honestly, it's so incredible that I'll be arriving to Paris in a matter of months. Traveling like this is something I never imagined myself doing until I was much, much older and had a very expensive vacation that I would only do once. Now I'm filling out a student visa worth 11 months. I'm talking to my host families and host club. I'm researching my city. I'm studying the language even harder than before. It's all becoming so real.
Also, the visa process is not simple. For France, you have several permission documents and approvals you must fill out (most of them in French....) and you need copies of several types of ID's. For me, we need to collect all of the documents, such as the consulate approval form, parent permission form, passport, passport photo, copy of ID, etc. and mail them to the Rotary travel agent in Seattle. Her name is Emily and she works for countless hours sorting all of the countries' visas and travel requirement. Props to Emily!
So in the mean time, I am currently finishing that up so I can mail it in and get ready to see the French consulate on July 22nd in San Fransisco. I'm very excited for our appointment. I love San Fransico and it's a big part of the exchange process.
That's all for now!
~Effy
Today marks 93 days until I depart from Portland Oregon and 96 days until I arrive in Paris, France.
Honestly, it's so incredible that I'll be arriving to Paris in a matter of months. Traveling like this is something I never imagined myself doing until I was much, much older and had a very expensive vacation that I would only do once. Now I'm filling out a student visa worth 11 months. I'm talking to my host families and host club. I'm researching my city. I'm studying the language even harder than before. It's all becoming so real.
Also, the visa process is not simple. For France, you have several permission documents and approvals you must fill out (most of them in French....) and you need copies of several types of ID's. For me, we need to collect all of the documents, such as the consulate approval form, parent permission form, passport, passport photo, copy of ID, etc. and mail them to the Rotary travel agent in Seattle. Her name is Emily and she works for countless hours sorting all of the countries' visas and travel requirement. Props to Emily!
So in the mean time, I am currently finishing that up so I can mail it in and get ready to see the French consulate on July 22nd in San Fransisco. I'm very excited for our appointment. I love San Fransico and it's a big part of the exchange process.
That's all for now!
~Effy
Sunday 19 May 2013
Salut!
My name is Effy and I'm a part of the Rotary Youth Exchange program.I live in Portland, Oregon and I am going to Angers, France for my junior year of high school. I'd like to use this blog as a way to keep up with my friends and family at home.
Because I have a 90 day rule where I cannot have direct contact with friends and family, I want them to be able to see what I'm up to in a passive way. I will post photos, videos, give weekly, if not daily reports, and give you guys a good understanding of what life is like while I'm away.
Now, I do not depart from Portland until the 23rd of August, but I thought it might be interesting to start my blogging now to give an analysis on what it's like to do visas and preparing to leave.
For those of you wondering, the word "marin" means sailor in French. I am obsessed with nautical things and the idea of sailing and traveling, because you can go ANYWHERE in the world by sea. I like to think that I am a sailor. I also love the beach, sea life, mermaids, and so on, so the theme fit.
I really hope those of you who plan on frequently checking up on my blog are pleased with my updates. For now, it will most likely be just boring stuff about visa documents and passport stuff. The only exciting about that is going to the French consulate in San Fransisco, but that's not until July!
Anyways, this is the start of my voyage. And to that, I say: Allons-y!
~Effy
Because I have a 90 day rule where I cannot have direct contact with friends and family, I want them to be able to see what I'm up to in a passive way. I will post photos, videos, give weekly, if not daily reports, and give you guys a good understanding of what life is like while I'm away.
Now, I do not depart from Portland until the 23rd of August, but I thought it might be interesting to start my blogging now to give an analysis on what it's like to do visas and preparing to leave.
For those of you wondering, the word "marin" means sailor in French. I am obsessed with nautical things and the idea of sailing and traveling, because you can go ANYWHERE in the world by sea. I like to think that I am a sailor. I also love the beach, sea life, mermaids, and so on, so the theme fit.
I really hope those of you who plan on frequently checking up on my blog are pleased with my updates. For now, it will most likely be just boring stuff about visa documents and passport stuff. The only exciting about that is going to the French consulate in San Fransisco, but that's not until July!
Anyways, this is the start of my voyage. And to that, I say: Allons-y!
~Effy
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