As I mentioned in the previous post our last week was busy beyond busy! We've had so much fun and become so close as a group that I can't possibly sum it all up in a blog-sized post to here goes - my instant replay version of week one, Rouen 2014.
1er Journée (1st Day)
We got to know the city. Professor Assefa and his wife Dr. Molk are our program directors (Abeye officially, and Florence by virtue of her grandmotherly personality). They could not be nicer. I was expecting to be ordered to hop right out into the city and explore, jet lag be damned, but we took it easy - we each had our own room at a small inn called Le Vieux Carré (the old square) so we all showered, went to get sandwiches, and relaxed. Pictured to the left is l'Hôtel de Ville, or town hall, where we were lucky enough to see Magreb region (North African) wedding take place!
2me Journée We explored the city further, visiting La Rue de Gros Horloge, or Clock Tower Street, which dates back to medieval times. The bell ringer position was passed down from father to son for several centuries - - the same way the SLU bell ringer is passed through the generations!! Right is a view of the clock from inside the tour during our tour. It is covered in symbolic statues, from the lamb, the symbol of Rouen to the large silver globe which turns as the hours pass. Right across from the window though, are apartments and stores! The city has been built continuously through history such that you can, for example, buy a phone card right below one of the oldest monuments in the city!
We then visited Chez Pascaline for dinner. I couldn't understand the waitress when she explained the entrée of the day (here that means appetizer, while "plat" is the main dish) so I took a chance and it turned out to be delicious shrimp! We then had dinner and desert. To the right, Emma Parish (left), a SLU junior, majoring in Multi Language, epitomized our excitement about the program with her excitement over the crème brulée.
3me Journée
We met our host families! I am staying with the Castellis, Hilar and Mary Paule, who live in a beautiful house just up the hill from the center of town (18 Rue Traversière 76000 Rouen, if you feel like writing, haha). They have an adopted daughter named Livatianna (her Moroccan name, shortened Liva) or Juliette (her french name) who lives in town in a small apartment while she is going to school. The three of them are absurdly warm and friendly - I could not ask for better luck!
4me Journée
We began our orientation at Université de Rouen, which is located a little bit north of the city on Mont Saint-Aignan. It became clear very quickly that we were studying in French, not America, when a lunch meeting with the faculty was filled with more fresh baguette sandwiches and pastries, where, in the US we would have been eating pizza and cookies. Not to knock a good Sergi's pie, but these sandwiches were magical. We then walked around campus, all the way to the edge or Panorama from which you can see the entire city. Generally the sun is shy here, as our tour guide told us, as it is in London and other cities along the channel, so we were lucky to have a sunny day for our first tour.
5me Journée We were left on our own to meet up with a student run tour with Erasmus, the international student program here. There are students studying at Mont Saint-Aignan for the year from Spain, Mexico, Ireland, Germany, Russia and more - they are all so friendly, and though many of them speak English, French is the only true common language among us so we have been forced to navigate our various accents to communicate. As we are all in the same boat, however, it has been a very fun way to get to know students of different cultures.
We then went back into the city for a pastry lesson at Faîtes Vous le Même (You do the same) where we paired up and got to make macaroons for our families!
This post is getting so long!! Basically it's been nothing but fun so far! I can already tell my French is getting better and we are all making some great friends, both French and International. As it is Saturday morning here, I am headed down this hill with Hilar and Mary Paule to visit the farmers' market and pick up groceries for the week. Until later, bon courage!
1er Journée (1st Day)We got to know the city. Professor Assefa and his wife Dr. Molk are our program directors (Abeye officially, and Florence by virtue of her grandmotherly personality). They could not be nicer. I was expecting to be ordered to hop right out into the city and explore, jet lag be damned, but we took it easy - we each had our own room at a small inn called Le Vieux Carré (the old square) so we all showered, went to get sandwiches, and relaxed. Pictured to the left is l'Hôtel de Ville, or town hall, where we were lucky enough to see Magreb region (North African) wedding take place!
2me Journée We explored the city further, visiting La Rue de Gros Horloge, or Clock Tower Street, which dates back to medieval times. The bell ringer position was passed down from father to son for several centuries - - the same way the SLU bell ringer is passed through the generations!! Right is a view of the clock from inside the tour during our tour. It is covered in symbolic statues, from the lamb, the symbol of Rouen to the large silver globe which turns as the hours pass. Right across from the window though, are apartments and stores! The city has been built continuously through history such that you can, for example, buy a phone card right below one of the oldest monuments in the city!We then visited Chez Pascaline for dinner. I couldn't understand the waitress when she explained the entrée of the day (here that means appetizer, while "plat" is the main dish) so I took a chance and it turned out to be delicious shrimp! We then had dinner and desert. To the right, Emma Parish (left), a SLU junior, majoring in Multi Language, epitomized our excitement about the program with her excitement over the crème brulée.3me Journée
We met our host families! I am staying with the Castellis, Hilar and Mary Paule, who live in a beautiful house just up the hill from the center of town (18 Rue Traversière 76000 Rouen, if you feel like writing, haha). They have an adopted daughter named Livatianna (her Moroccan name, shortened Liva) or Juliette (her french name) who lives in town in a small apartment while she is going to school. The three of them are absurdly warm and friendly - I could not ask for better luck!4me JournéeWe began our orientation at Université de Rouen, which is located a little bit north of the city on Mont Saint-Aignan. It became clear very quickly that we were studying in French, not America, when a lunch meeting with the faculty was filled with more fresh baguette sandwiches and pastries, where, in the US we would have been eating pizza and cookies. Not to knock a good Sergi's pie, but these sandwiches were magical. We then walked around campus, all the way to the edge or Panorama from which you can see the entire city. Generally the sun is shy here, as our tour guide told us, as it is in London and other cities along the channel, so we were lucky to have a sunny day for our first tour.
5me Journée We were left on our own to meet up with a student run tour with Erasmus, the international student program here. There are students studying at Mont Saint-Aignan for the year from Spain, Mexico, Ireland, Germany, Russia and more - they are all so friendly, and though many of them speak English, French is the only true common language among us so we have been forced to navigate our various accents to communicate. As we are all in the same boat, however, it has been a very fun way to get to know students of different cultures.We then went back into the city for a pastry lesson at Faîtes Vous le Même (You do the same) where we paired up and got to make macaroons for our families!
This post is getting so long!! Basically it's been nothing but fun so far! I can already tell my French is getting better and we are all making some great friends, both French and International. As it is Saturday morning here, I am headed down this hill with Hilar and Mary Paule to visit the farmers' market and pick up groceries for the week. Until later, bon courage!
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