Relative Recovery, Tiny Pig

After a couple weeks in a confusing, stressful place, I feel like I have nearly fully emerged from my slump. Thanks to the help of my wonderful friends, the return of the sunshine here in Nice, and a cunning use of Al Green's and Tenacious D's music, I am feeling much better. Though it is difficult to be away from home, and will continue to be so, it's best to power through the bad so as to ensure that one is still taking advantage of the good.

I do love it here, I do think that it's a great experience, and the best thing for me to do is to not allow myself to sit in my apartment eating massive amounts of chips/chocolate while illegally streaming American TV shows. Obviously the occasional indulgence is good, but there is SO much I haven't seen. I am beginning to guilt myself because I have been here for nearly 8 and truly haven't done much of anything in terms of touristy endeavors on the Cote d'Azur.

Here is a list of things that I need to see/do:
Chagall museum
Matisse museum
Roman ruins
Renoir museum (Cagnes-sur-Mer)
Old city of Cagnes-sur-Mer
Eze
Monaco
Villefrance-sur-Mer
Toulon
Go hiking in the animal refuge/national park
Go up to the mountains (this will probably wait for a month or two)
Antibes again
Cannes
Russian Church
Ventimiglia

SO! I have a full plate in terms of things to see and do. Luckily the buses and trains are fast and (relatively) reliable--given there isn't a strike. Hopefully in the next month, I will be able to cross all of these things off my list. This also will mean that I will need to get up at a decent time on weekends and my days off so as to complete this list, which is definitely not a bad thing. I'm also tentatively planning a trip to Germany and Belgium and eagerly awaiting some wonderful visitors from the USA. Things to look forward to!

As promised......TINY PIG!

Singin' the Blues...but only a little.

With the end of the Toussaints holiday at the end of October came the end of the "honeymoon" period of my cultural adjustment. Now my general mood has turned a bit funky, but is most certainly not fresh. I have been trying to keep myself busy, but the appeal of sitting on my couch with some sort of junk/comfort food has become difficult to ignore! I am definitely hoping that the never-ceasing positive attitudes of my friends will pull me out of this wonkiness toute de suite (ASAP) so I can go back to feeling normal again.

I think that one of the major reasons for my current slump, besides the obvious issue of homesickness, has been the sheer amount of stimulation that I have received since arriving in Nice. I took this job as an assistant and came to France to attempt to find some clarity and direction. Instead I now have more options and opportunities at my feet than I ever thought possible! Should I come to Europe for my masters? Should I hang out here for another year to work as a teaching assistant? Should I try my hand at moving here and working without enrolling in school (gasp!)? Then there are the same options in the US...and if you extend even further, the same options in South America, Asia, Africa, and Australia. I think that the next six months will most definitely provide some sort of weight that will help to tip the scales in one direction or another, but the waiting is always the hardest part (words of wisdom by Tom Petty).

Another thing that I haven't been able to shake from my brain is the idea of "success". Success, to me, has never meant sitting at a desk, earning a 401K, and completing meaningless tasks. Success means feeling fulfilled from all aspects of your life, including the work you do. I know that it is an idealistic viewpoint, but I do think that it's possible to achieve. I also am trying my hardest to distance myself from the (very American) idea that how much you make determines your level of success--success should be a feeling, not a figure. Now I'm not trying to go all hippy dippy on you (Dad, don't worry), but one of my goals for my time in France is for me to determine what would make me feel satisfied for now, and to pursue it once this year is over. And once whatever "that" is stops fulfilling me, I need to promise myself that I will replace it with something that does.

On another, much lighter note, I went to the Fête des Châtaignes in Cagnes-sur-Mer this past weekend where I got to eat (more) freshly roasted chestnuts, pet a baby pig and some kittens, drink (more) mulled wine, and spend time with a good friend. Pictures of said tiny pig to come!


Hugs and Bisous

Ann

Lessons in Culture

So it should come as no surprise that my Algerian roommates are Muslim. I had the pleasure of being able to experience the holiday of Eid al-Adha with them this year. Essentially, the holiday is meant to commemorate Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son to God. After proving his fidelity and faithfulness, God spared Abraham and commanded him to instead sacrifice a lamb. For this purpose, it is tradition for Muslim families (or at least the Algerian ones) to slaughter, roast, and eat an entire lamb as a symbolic gesture to God. Nazim and his friend procured merely half of a lamb for us to enjoy, but there was definitely still plenty to go around.

My reflection on the day is that it is sort of a mix between Easter and Thanksgiving. It is a celebration of thanks to God, but is also a great feast that involves inviting over friends and family to partake in food, drink (non-alcoholic for some), and conversation. We had about ten people over, one of whom was a cultural outsider like me, to help to cook and enjoy the lamb.

Now, I'm not the biggest fan of lamb...but I figured "When in Rome" and dug in. After (accidentally) eating a decent portion of the liver and (willingly) trying a small piece of the heart, I settled on some more traditional cuts of meat: the shanks and the filet. We also had some traditional bread, some baguette, a salad, and merguez which is a type of North African spicy sausage that I would compare to chorizo. I think we literally ate lamb for about three hours--I definitely had bonafide meat sweats going on.

One thing that I think is universal at gatherings like this is the inevitable and divisive dinner-time political conversation. It was quite amusing for me to listen to my roommates' friends discuss and dispute Algerian and Maghrebin (North African) politics. Definitely reminiscent of Thanksgiving with the family...And as per usual, as the meat kept appearing on the table the arguments would cease, which left room for new discussions to pop up during the next lamb-less lull.

The whole experience was extremely touching. My roommates wanted to share with me a piece of their culture and a piece of their lives. They are such inviting, nice people and I feel so lucky to be able to spend the year with them. We learn from each other, ask each other about our cultural differences, and listen to each other. There was a toast in the honor of Roberta, aka the other outsider--an Italian girl, and myself to say "thank you" for being able to share this day with us. After the dinner was finished, Nazim gave me a huge hug and thanked me again for being able and willing to learn and share in the experience. But I feel as though I should be the one saying thank you to them. Their hospitality is humbling, and their willingness to accept the differences between us and treat them not as barriers but as learning opportunities has made me feel so welcome and, quite simply, happy.

blurry Farouk playing the guitar
Nazim dancing it out in our living room to what else: Michael Jackson

To that, I say a big THANK YOU to Nazim and Farouk for being so awesome. I hope that I can pull myself together enough to organize something for Thanksgiving so they can learn a little about American culture. Also...bring on the Christmas Tree! :-)


Bisous!

Ann

Pourquoi tu rigoles?

Me getting my giggle on in Paris, 2009

Pourquoi tu rigoles? Aka: Why are you laughing? A question that is asked of me at least on a daily, if not hourly basis. This is another one of those stereotypes that we learn about in French class in the USA--the French need a reason to smile and even more of a reason to laugh.

Unfortunately for me, I am a gigglebox.

This means that I frequently confuse and amuse my roommates and anyone else I meet who isn't from the US. What is even more frustrating for me is the fact that I have no idea how to explain why I am laughing. Usually it's because I see something that makes me think of something else, which makes me laugh or smile. So I've, for the most part, resorted to just telling people that I laugh because I'm American for lack of a better explanation or time to attempt a translation.

One thing is certain, if I don't try to get a grip on this goofy little habit of mine, the entire population of Nice will surely think that I am completely insane by the end of my stay here.

Love <3

Ann

Vienna Vacation

Me with the ducks in Stadtpark, Vienna, Austria

So after two weeks of basically introducing myself to each of my groups and doing some minor practice for their oral exams at the end of the year, I had ten days off. Yay France! This was for the "Toussaints" vacation--literally "all saint's"--but I guess we would call it "fall break" in the USA. I made plans about three weeks prior to go to Vienna to see a long-lost friend (Ridge) and to meet my sister's/my friend Dina.

The vacation was upset by my being ill and a few other bumps in the road, but I can honestly say that Vienna is one of the cleanest, most beautiful cities I've ever had the privilege of visiting. There is no dog crap strewn about the streets (hey, I'm looking at you, France). I didn't see much trash (and you, SF, NYC, and Chicago), and the people were friendly as a whole. Dina and I received help more than once from friendly strangers on the S-Bahn or the U-Bahn who were listening to us discuss our confusion.

Also, being from Minnesota, it was great to be somewhere that had the crispness of the transition from autumn into winter in the air. I could almost smell the snow and loved the fact that I needed to wear gloves and even purchase a hat! With the cold weather comes comfort food. I ate so much hearty soup (goulash, pumpkin soup), stewed red meat, and potatoes that it was border-line ridiculous. After my return to France, I ate raw vegetables for two days just to make myself feel better.

Another thing that Vienna has over Nice (and France in general) is that it is so affordable! For the first few days, Dina and I had purchased some items at the supermarket so we could make sandwiches and grab things to go. Four or five packages of meat, a giant loaf of bread, cheese, some vegetables, and 2 kg of apples cost us 10 euros. So good. In addition to the affordability of food is the affordability of beer with FLAVOR. I don't remember if I've discussed this yet on the blog, but here in France the beer is pretty flavorless and then they add grenadine, lemonade, and/or peach syrup to it to make it sweet and fruity. It's just not my scene. Thankfully for me, my friend Ridge knew of a bar in Vienna (it's called 1516) that brews their own IPAs and a hopped oatmeal stout. Pints in Nice cost upwards of 7-8 euros, but in Vienna an "expensive" pint was half that. Cheap beer with flavor. I was saved for a few days!

Here is a breakdown of the things I saw in Vienna:
The Naschtmarkt and the Flohmarkt--great outdoor markets to buy food stuffs, jewelry, furniture, and collectables. (see photo down and to the left of all of the different kinds of vinegar)
The Leopold--really great collection of art especially Klimt and Schiele
Stadtpark--Great place to go during the day. They have a pond filled with ducks and swans and it's a beautiful place to stroll around!
The Opera--Beautiful building and it's central to everything
Cafe Sacher--->overrated, over priced, and you can find Sacher torte everywhere--not just there.
Cafe Hawelka--my favorite cafe that we visited. The inside is warm and cozy and it's not overpriced
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra--can't go wrong with 5euro standing seat tickets to hear some lovely music
AVOID THE DUDES SELLING MUSIC TICKETS EVERYWHERE!
Stephansplatz--great shopping and, for the most part, seemed to be a pedestrian only zone.
National Day (October 26)--this is a holiday in Austria and the way that we saw it celebrated was sort of an exposition of the military in Maria-Theresien-Platz. It was a strange mix of food vendors, military expos, various sports teams, and eighties pop music. But it was a happy accident to stumble upon it! Creepy man in camouflage----->
The U-Bahn--Vienna's version of a subway. It is intuitive and well marked. Very easy and affordable to use (a 1-week pass was 15 euros)

Here are some reflections I made on the people of Vienna vs. the people of Nice:
Viennese people are much more aware of how their actions affect other people. For instance, when people are on an escalator, those who want to stand stay to the right so as to make room for those who need to hurry. That sort of thing does not happen in Nice. People walk in your way, stand in your way, and will bump into you on the street as if it is your responsibility to avoid certain collision. As mentioned before, we received unsolicited help more than once during our lost wanderings around the city. I have literally had people in Nice ignore me on the street as I am asking them for help. Lastly, I had to re-learn how to not be on guard all the time at night. During the whole week I only had one man be inappropriate to me on the street which would only happen in Nice if all of the men mysteriously disappeared. During my first night, I was trying to navigate Vienna with a girl that I met on the subway and some men were walking down the street. They stopped and asked us if we needed help. Initially I didn't respond out of habit, but then finally I said "No, thank you" and they, miraculously, just walked away! No following, no prodding, no bothering...just "Ok! Have a good night!". What a nice change.

I suppose the only real downside of Vienna is that folks can still smoke in bars. Blech.

Anyway, that was my Vienna adventure in a nutshell and for the most part. I left out some of the hairier details, of course. It was a great time in a great city with great people. I hope to see it again some day!

Bisous

Ann

Awesome sign in the bar at my hostel aimed at lessening the amount of drunkards who collide with the window, thinking it's an open space.
Way to be considerate, guys! :-)