France: January 9, 2002

Did I mention I have a skeleton key to my room in my apartment? It's very old-style here in Amiens. I saw the Notre Dame Cathedral of Amiens for the first time tonight from the outside with a new American friend I made today whose name is Tara. She's from New Jersey. We instantly bonded...most likely because we're both Americans but oh well! We did use some of our French-speaking skills while we ate at Le Bistro du Carlton en centre ville (in the middle of town). It was a little pricey (the bill came to 47.50 Euros) but very worth it. We had white Reisling wine - a bottle for us to share - and une caraffe de l'eau (a carafe of water). I got the salmon (of course...creature of habit that I am) and she got l'escalopes which she thought would be scallops but didn't turn out that way, although what she did get was very scrumptious. We still don't know what they are, though. I'll have to look it up later in my bilingual French to English dictionary. The dinner was delicious but the dessert...ohh!! Tres bien...Tres, tres bien (very good). We asked the waiter what his favorite dessert was and he told us that "les profiteroles avec le chocolat" were very good. We both tried them. They are small pastry balls filled with a frozen type of cream cheese with chocolate covering everything!! We tipped the waiter very well...10 Euros. I got to see the Cathedrale tonight because I hung out with Tara at her apartment for a while...she lives near the cathedral. I love the cobblestone streets. Tara said the canals are nearby where she lives. I'll have to check them out sometime...the canals are why some people call Amiens "the Venice of the North". Apparently people can take boats out on the canals like they do in Venice. Tara's lucky...she's going on a skiing trip in the Alps. It cost her 300 Euros though. I don't exactly have that much right now, although Therese did give me half of this month's stipend to me for food. It is about $167 dollars! Not too shabby! Earlier today I was supposed to meet that French girl, Stephanie, at 12 noon. Well, she never showed up...I hope she didn't mean 2 p.m. because they sound a lot alike in French. No. I'm pretty sure she meant noon because I asked her a couple of times to make certain. I nearly didn't make it there on time for our rendezvous because I didn't actually get out of bed until 11 a.m. even though I had set my alarm for 9 a.m.! I learned tonight that I'm not very far from the cathedral (thus Tara's place)  or centre ville (center of town). It's within walking distance. I still need to buy a bus pass. Therese needs to help me get une carte de sejour...but I have a good 3 weeks for that. Thanks to Tara's question/answer session with Therese today while I was there, I now know that my first day of classes begin on January 28th. Tara already has an appointment set up to get a bank account and her courses set up. But, she has a lot more help than I did because she lives with some (very helpful) other international students who know what to do. I think that cultivating a friendship with Tara is definitely a good idea. She's definitely got her act together. She's from New Jersey, but attends the University of South Carolina. Oh, before I forget, remember that guy Olivier who works in the International Office? A.) He said "Bonjour" to me (yay!) and B.) He wears the same sweater every day (unless he ust has like 3 of the same sweater! LOL). Anyway...I know I'm jumping around here...but oh well. Did I mention that e-mail is my lifeblood here? That's the same for all the other international students, too, apparently because someone always has to wait for a free computer. There's a time limit of 20 minutes if there are people waiting but no one really adheres to that. I ate lunch on campus today at the cafeteria. I had a ham & cheese croissant and "les fruits" (of course, the strawberries, again...when I find something I like, I stick with it!). Ya know what? It felt very relaxing for me to practice my french with Tara because we didn't mind correcting each other. We got into some pretty deep conversation tonight, too. She asked me if I am afraid right now. Yes...And, she is too because everything changes from one day to the next. She asked me if I get lonely...Yes, of course...as you could see from my last couple of entries. She also asked if I felt like I was trying to run away or escape from life by coming here (because she said she had to evaluate her reasons for coming here). I said that I had asked myself the same question. To a point, I do feel like it's an escape...but not a bad one. It's made me re-evaluate what's truly important to me...that's my family & friends. We both said it's nice to visit here but it's better to live in the U.S....to be an American...we truly do have a lot of freedom there. Tara and I talked about the French stereotype of men being rude & obnoxious. She explained to me that a lot of that comes from the Parisians (she's been to Paris before). She said there are guys like that there. She agreed with me that the men here are very good-looking. Oh well, I better hit the sack now. Therese is picking me up tomorrow at 9 a.m. to go to the Forum at the Megacite...an event celebrating students moving from high school to college.

France: January 8, 2002

I have never felt so alone in my life as I did today! It was wonderful meeting new people but it's not the same as having your closest friends and your family around. Now I know how Andrea feels living in Cleveland or how Grandma & Janice feel when no one calls them! I forget who exactly said it from IV but they were right...I do have the Lord with me no matter what. That's definitely a comfort! :) I responded to many e-mails from friends & family today. I even got to chat on-line with Justin! I was extremely happy about that! Today I met Monsieur Sicard who showed me (introduced me) to a couple of his classes. I felt like a specimen under a microscope. I had to give them some info about myself...of course in French. I was awful. I got a few chuckles from my new audience when I told them I am majoring in French. Apparently the miscommunication between ISEP and this university is larger than I first thought because it seems that Therese asked Monsieur Sicard to ask his students if they know of anyone I could room with next semester!! I thought all of this was supposed to be taken care of...but I have to remain calm and flexible. Speaking of calm and flexible, it seems like my apartment mate is becoming just the opposite and I don't know why. I asked her how to work my telecarte I bought at a tabac today for $7.50 Euros and she told me (rather harshly) that it wouldn't work on this phone here. When she showed me her card that she says works, I tried to look at it while she was holding it. I swear she almost got into a tug-of-war with me over it! All I wanted to do was look at it for goodness sake! And, I'm angry at the guy who "helped" me buy that thing at the tabac because he told me it would work on a home phone (telephone fixe)! I can't believe I'm writing this but I don't want to be here anymore! I want to go home. Wow. I'm actually crying now! DeeAnn told me she cried for the first 2 - 3 weeks in Spain because of all the problems she had with the administration; now I really and truly understand why. But, don't get me wrong...other than that strange interaction with my apartment mate, everyone here has been extremely patient and kind to me. I now know the name of that French girl who has been to "the States" and likes speaking English. Her name is Miriam and she's an English major. I met an extremely good-looking professor too but unfortunately I cannot remember his name. He looks rather young to be a professor. I'd say he's in his mid-thirties at the oldest. Very nice man, too. He asked me if I lilked the cafeteria food...I was like "Eh," and he said "Yeah." because the cafeteria food was just as bad as any. I wonder if cafeterias compete to see which can have the worst food? Ha! Although I did enjoy "les fruits"...a type of yogurt fruit cup...I had the Strawberries of course. I also had French Fries (les frites) and a salad. The french fries sucked big time. I ate the whole salad but it could've been better. Anyway, I'm seriously concerned about when I receive a stipend because I can't keep using my own money here...that's why I went through ISEP, duh! I wonder if I rubbed Eva the wrong way when I met her. I hope not. :( According to one of the staff members (whose name I can't remember at the moment) she was very nice. And, when I was asked about her today I said she was. But, I didn't mention how she's barely around for me to interact with her and when she is around it seems like she avoids me! I mean she was in the kitchen and shut the door after I walked by!! Isn't that pretty blatant?! Oh well. Might as well not get myself all worked up about it. I'm meeting someone, a French girl named Stephanie, (who was nice enough to try to help me out today...very patient with my speaking) tomorrow at noon on campus. I better buy a student bus pass soon because taking the bus this much is definitely adding up. Anyway, she's going to go with me to the International Office to ask Therese what the whole scoop is on my housing. Therese and Monsieur Sicard spoke privately before they met with me today. I think that's when she told him everything she should've told me first...like that they need to find me housing for next semester still. Apparently I'm not the only one in this boat though, because Monsieur Sicard mentioned that the other International students will need housing as well. We'll see what pans out for me. I talked to a couple of Chinese girls in the International Office today who told me to contact them for anything. They pay rent on a room out of a French family's house, perhaps I could do the same. Stephanie asked me a good question today that needs answering...Why can't I just stay in this apartment? I understand more people will be returning and it's for med students but who cares? Oh well...maybe I'll be better off if I can get a place on campus...at least I could probably walk to class instead of taking the bus. I also met a guy in the International Office from an island in the Indian Ocean called Maritius. His name is Nash; he's really nice. I also spoke with a French girl named Latifa...also extremely nice and patient with my French-speaking skills. Heck I know now how Moses felt when God told him he would be His spokesperson for the people of Israel...inadequate, inept and cowardly. But, I will trust in the Lord to get me through these difficult times of adjustment.

France: January 6, 2002

At this very moment I am watching a movie starring Meg Ryan in French. Earlier I was channel surfing when I came upon "What Dreams May Come" in German! I am in my hotel room at the Holiday Inn Express in Amiens. Jet lag is hitting me hard now, too. I called Mommy & Daddy (actually left a message with Brian), Missy and Janice. It took me a while to figure out how to make an international call.

France: January 5, 2002

During Christmas 2001, I got to meet my biological Mom...heretofore referred to as "Cali-Mom" for the first time since I was approximately 1 1/2 years of age. During my trip to California, I told Cali-Mom that I was going to study abroad in the upcoming semester of college. So, she gave me a black, leatherbound journal as a Christmas gift to record my experiences studying abroad "en France". The inscription on the inside cover reads "2001, Rachael, Enjoy France and do as the locals say, 'Eat, drink, and be merry!' Love from your Mom".

Here is the first of many posts from that journal:

January 5, 2002:

Bonjour! Well, this is my first entry on my journey to study abroad in France. I am writing this as I wait to board my first plane for the first leg of my journey...from Pittsburgh, PA to Detroit, MI. Once I get to Detroit, I have a 3-hour layover. Then, I depart Detroit at 9:15 p.m. for Paris, France, where I am to arrive at 11:10 a.m., Sunday, January 6th, 2002!! I will be attending l'Universite de Picardie Jules Verne in Amiens, France. All I need are these final 12 credits to graduate from Clarion University of Pennsylvania. I already got $70 in Euros for my arrival in France. The currency is pretty...That's funny, huh? I'll probably keep some to bring home to show Mommy, Daddy, Missy and the kids. :) Oops, I forgot to get Marta & Van's address from Missy before I left. Oh well, I can call or e-mail Marta for it. Hmm, I am excited, anxious, scared all rolled into one happy smiling package right now. This is a dream come true for me to go to France. I plan (<-- see "plan") on writing in this journal religiously while I'm there. I just wish I knew bigger, more flowery words! The Lord has truly blessed me! Talk to ya later! - Rachael :)