December 7th

Today was my last day of Arthurian Literature. It made my so very sad. Unfortunately we had a pop-quiz, super, but apparently it was hard for the French students. Pretty sure that my professor will take it easy on me. I did try though, without a dictionary too. After the quiz was a lecture, then a speech, then a lecture. I understood the lectures close to perfectly. Not bad. The speech not as much, I followed bits but the students need to work on the monotone. In English I have trouble following robotic class speeches, they are just too dull. Still I felt a ping of sadness when my teacher wished us all a good winter break and luck on our final exams. She also spoke with me and asked how long I was staying in France. I told her probably July. She said that it was fantastic that I was staying and that she hopes I enjoy Le Havre. GAH! Now I'm sad. I really liked that class, it sucks that it's now over. Oh well, all good things must come to an end. That was the bittersweet part of my day. The following event was tragic. I cannot believe what I did, how stupid I was. Here I thought that everything would be fine, what could wrong? Well this must be karma or something biting me in the ass coupled with pure stupidity. My Blackhawks, I am so sorry. I gravel at your skates and kiss your blades in forgiveness. Believe me I didn't mean to dye my Blackhawks blanket pink! I thought that my red sheets would be fine with my red blanket, but I forgot one thing. Cheap sheets bleed color regardless of temperature. I am so so so SO very sorry. I still love my blanket, although it is now a light shade of pink. At least it wasn't my Toews jersey. Still, of all the colors, pink. Surely this is punishment enough for whatever bad deed that I committed. All I can do is look on the brightside. Crap, there really isn't one.

December 6th

Remember all those annoying doctor appointments I had earlier in the semester? Do you also remember how when I tried to finish the whole French insurance process they didn't have my medical certificate? Well I am happy to say audience that it is all over. That's right, it's over. I found a note on the schedule bulletin board reminding me to visit the student center at 9:00 am on December 6th, second floor (third floor in the States) of course. I was there, on the dot, and no one else was. Turns out that on the dot is early in France, I should've remembered that, so I was the first one in line. Sweet. The woman asked me to sit down and I did. Wow, how unexpected. I was nervous, afraid even, that my medical certificate was still somehow missing. Or that something else had possibly gone wrong. I had with me my medical folder that held all the results of my various exams. It was my proof that I had indeed gone to every appointment and was a healthy candidate for insurance. After ages of waiting, the woman had forgotten some supplies downstairs or something, she finally began the process. My file had my medical certificate. I had my passport and a photo. She had a sticker and stamp for my visa. I was done. This is a Rocky moment of life. Sweet victory, it's finally over. Score for Mary!!!

December 5th

I love hilarious moments. Today's hilarious moment was when Paula imitated Kirby during Medieval History TD. Some background information as to why this happened. It is becoming cold in Le Havre, such is the season of Winter. My black pea coat provides the right amount of insulation from the ocean winds that whip across the docks and the harbor. I'd say it is an appropriate coat; it keeps me warm and is fashionable. Paula doesn't have a particularly fashionable winter coat. It works, it keeps her toasty, but is obnoxious. Her coat is a fluffy marshmallow hot pink zip-up. I absolutely love it. She refers to it as her "Kirby coat". Now, who is Kirby? How can you not know audience? He is the most adorable pink puff ball of a video game character. Q-Bert isn't even as cute as Kirby. Kirby goes around Dreamland saving the day from various villains by absorbing enemies and copying their powers. For example if he swallows a Fire-Spit Kirby can breathe fire. He is completely rad. Well, during Medieval History I drew a small image of Kirby in my notebook during a student speech. It wasn't a bad drawing either. I tapped it and whisper to Paula, "Hey babe it's you." She smiled and then sucked in a bunch of air. A loud whistling noise occurred. I lost it, just lost it at my desk. Everyone looked at Paula and me, probably as though we were crazy, but I didn't care. I just had to let the laugh out. It was just hilarious. She tried to imitate the sound Kirby makes when he sucks up his enemies. It was possibly one of the happiest moments of France. Paula makes an adorable Kirby which makes Medieval History that much better.

December 4th

Ever have one of those days where the world just doesn't like you? I think this is my fourteenth one in 2012. Crap. Well what went wrong you ask audience? A whole lot. This morning was another in-class essay, however it was an in-class essay that I had forgotten about. Oops. I had a feeling that I would need my dictionaries so I brought them to class, just in case, and they save my ass. I had to write in French a rhetorical analysis between two different excerpt of text. Crap, crap, crap! I am pretty sure I didn't do that well. I tried, I did that. I tried my best to write and convey the similarities and differences between the styles of writing, character behaviors, and purposes of the authors between Pride and Prejudice and Letters Written from Lausanne. My teacher did provide the original text for Pride and Prejudice, aka English, but Letters Written from Lausanne was 100% French. Again, I tried. And to be fair I am a foreign student whose biggest barrier is language. The ideas are there, the words just aren't quite present. In English, I would've be a-ok, seriously I'm decent at rhetoric and symbolism crap. I just don't care about them is all. The second wave of the world dumping crap into my lap was the language quiz. If you recall audience I was not going to see the kids today because I had a quiz at the same time. I think I lost all of my French when I walked into that room. Nervousness is unfortunately something that bites me quite often. I studied a decent amount too, I just wasn't prepared for two things; passé simple and song lyrics. The passé simple is a French tense that I haven't studied extensively. Why? Well I have no purpose for it unless I want to write novels in French. Literally, that's the only time they use it, according to all my French professors. So when I had to conjugate it for an excerpt from Les Misérables, well it wasn't the prettiest. The other part, the song lyrics. What kind of jackass of a professor puts song lyrics on a quiz and expects his students to be able to fill in the blank areas? M. Ardouin. Dude, you're an idiot. How is knowing the lyrics to a song which we've heard twice testing our level of French understanding? Here's the answer, it isn't. Ardouin, we have a French civilization class taught by M. Martel, who is totally awesome. We don't need you to try, and fail, at culturing us in French during a language course. Your job is to teach grammar, try to stick with it. So yeah, that was my tumbling day of French exams. I am going home for some carrots and applesauce. Possibly some South Park as well.

December 3rd

My film presentation went alright. I believe that M. Martel enjoyed it, I was nervous as all hell, but it went smoothly enough. I spoke about the differences that I had found between French and American cinema. I focused on three genres, comedy, action, and drama, and discussed differences between two films in each category. However, I started the speech with a brief history of film. I really made it brief. It covered no genres, no Oscars, no Hitchcock, just major events that changed film. Film was born in France so I began with France. It then was rapidly adapted and changed in the States. I then switched to the Stars and Stripes. I actually showed the very first film made by the Lumière Brothers, the one when the train arrives at the station. It isn't much, but it's cute to show. After my history lesson I compared the various films. These were the pairings, as follows from drama to action to comedy; The Graduate and Paris Je T'aime, The Transporter and Batman the Dark Knight, Brice de Nice and Anchorman. I concluded that French films tended to lean towards artistic and moral beliefs, meaning characters have a change of heart and it ends in a better situation or at least a solved situation. American films do whatever the hell they want and have so much variety it is almost incomprehensible. My final slide said that regardless of what I found, if you really want to know just watch some films. Everyone clapped and I ran back to my desk. All is well that ends well with power points.

December 2nd

I bought the tickets! Yes I have the means to return home again. Again, sweet victory. Nothing much happened today. I lounged about, did some Reaver yoga, entertained with Youtube, and studied for my upcoming French quiz. I did some laundry, which was necessary, while I watched Rio Grande for the second time. I love classic western films, they just have this rustic charm to them. My favorite is Son of Paleface. It is more of a comedy than a western, but regardless it has cowboys, Indians, guns, and a damsel in distress. Paleface just has song and dance as well as a moose spitting gold. Sweet film I know. Speaking of films, tomorrow is finally my film presentation. I am nervous but more so anxious to have it done and over with. It is just too much waiting! I only have so much patience and with that presentation it has run dry. Oh well I suppose, just need time to pass. Wish me luck audience!

December 1st

Phone update, I have minutes again. It turns out that the Relay/Tabac store in the Le Havre train station sells Lycamobile minutes. How would you have that for luck? Best part is I just give them cash and they give me the voucher. No verified by visa crap. Although, I experienced some verified by visa and mastercard securecard issues today. They had nothing to do with my phone. Oh no. I was trying to buy train tickets for December 21st and January 4th. Why? Well those are the dates when I leave/return to the United States. I need to go to Paris in order to fly back home thus I need train tickets. I was trying to buy them online, like I have before, but wasn't able to because of verified by visa and mastercard securecard. Damnit all. I was nervous when I saw that the SNCF website was proud to have "these wonderful security programs" enable on their site. Sure enough, none of my cards went through. I am instead going to have to buy the tickets in person tomorrow. Fortunately I have the exact times that I want, this saves some of the process. I wasalso supposed to buy the train tickets to Paris for next Saturday for Paula, Kate, and myself. Why are we going to Paris? Christmas markets of course. It is a cultural experience that I am not missing out on. So no tickets today. I also has some issues with Skype. Sadly the internet at Les Docks blows ass when it comes to bandwidth. The video quality is next to none when I try to talk with family, namely Peter, on Skype. I need to find another site that uses more secure internet. The library would be great if it were the Iowa library aka open almost 24 hours a day with multiple levels and lounge areas where speaking is allowed. The Le Havre university library and public library close around seven each night and are silent libraries. Damnit. Next semester or maybe near the end of this one I will try to find a better wifi zone. 

November 30th

What's better than one lecture on Friday? Two lectures for the same class followed by an in-class essay in Medieval Literature! I thought I was going to die of starvation today. Not all the carrots in the universe could satisfy my howling stomach. Why was I so hungry? Well running late I sorta skipped breakfast and just grabbed a few carrots for lunch. Since my American Culture teacher decided that today we were going to make up our missed lecture, I wasn't able to have lunch. Why? Because it was from 12 to 1 audience!! I then had my in-class final exam essay in Arthurian Literature. That, well that was a fun one. I had two dictionaries with me; my French to English and my French. They were so useful. Not actually for looking up translations or definitions, but rather spelling. I wish on in-class essays in history and some English courses people were allowed to have a pocket dictionary. Obviously not on tests with vocabulary questions, but just on essay exams. When I am nervous as all hell, which I often am with tests, my spelling goes out the window. I already am not a strong speller, never have been, so I can't afford to lose anymore words. A dictionary would prevent that and give me more confidence on an exam. And none of this bullshit that you should always know how to spell a word regardless of the situation. Scientists forget formulas and are able to reference them any time they like. In fact, it is necessary that they do to insure that they are correct. Writers use dictionaries to ensure that not only are they using the word correctly in a sentence, but that they also have it spelled correctly. Spell checker is nice, but it flukes about 40% of the time. Therefore, I think that it is perfectly plausible to allow students a pocket dictionary on essay exams. Or at least have the option to use one. This is my request of the world. Please audience, won't you shake a lost speller's hand? The in-class essay went better than I thought it would. Of course mine was much shorter than the other student's, no surprise. But I am curious to know their level of English. Kids whom I believe to have decent English skills can't write worth crap. It's not just their vocabulary, that is forgivable since there are way too many words in every language, but their grammar is unruly. Here I thought I sucked in French. Compared to the average French student in English, I'm pretty good at French writing. My biggest mistakes are prepositions, and that will never quite leave me. Sadly prepositions are, in my opinion and Stev's* opinion, the hardest part to every language. After all, different word formations demand different directions or prepositions. It doesn't helps that the French have three different words for "in"; En, dans, and à are murder for me at times. Well despite my constant errors in French, I have improved some from the beginning of the year. Hey, maybe I will have some fluency by June/July. Fingers crossed audience. Now it is time for tacky reality TV. Laguna Beach, let's go Stephen!

*Stev is a TA at Iowa and was my first university French teacher.

P.S. He is French.

November 29th

The ISEP interviews, similar to those on Tuesday, continued and ended today. Kate joined me too. Although she isn't American, her program is Erasmus, it is useful for the French students to hear different accents. There are plenty of them in the states to worry about. Sadly these interviewees weren't so hot. All four of them hadn't travelled much outside of France and hadn't ever been away from their families for extended periods of time. Two of the girls still lived with their parents in Le Havre. Mama Duck, Michael Hauchecorne my coordinator, and I told them that Erasmus, the European program, might be a better option since they would still be close to their home and could participate in the program over the summer break. The last girl did not like this suggestion. I must say, she was spunky. I've never heard someone speak French so quickly. She can almost speak French as fast as I can speak English. Oh, you don't believe me audience? Ask my mother, my brother, Nay, Suzy, and Brian. Actually I also have video proof of my English speed. I had to make a video in 8th grade with my friend KC and neighbor Aubrey for an English project. It was something that combined Hershey Kisses, Orbit gum, and Crayola crayons. I don't know why, but it did. Anyhow, I had to play three different roles in this little video, and one of them was an obnoxious girl scout. My job was to speak incredibly fast; I did my job well. No I do not know where that footage is. Even if I did, why would I give you that gift audience? Anyways, back to France. So you know how I actually go to my classes. I had a problem with that back at Iowa for during a Spring and Fall semester, mostly the Fall, but I straightened out that issue. In France I have been very good about attending my classes. Well what do you do when you show up for your class, but the wrong class is sitting in your classroom? You say, "Oh pardon Madame," close the door, walk away with a blushing face, check the schedule board, and swear because there is a note that says CM is canceled in Medieval History for this week. Damnit all. Well this does mean I can goof off for the remaining afternoon. Normally I would have language class today, but that is also cancelled. Instead, we're having a quiz this Tuesday; sadly it's when I normally see the kids, but I education rules out. So literally I have the entire afternoon to do whatever I want. Guess what I did? If the answer was Plants versus Zombies then you are correct! Ah what a simple tower puzzle game, yet so addicting. Don't worry audience, I did actually participate in the world today. My friends and I went to a party called, and this is me quoting, "Fuck la Mode" or "Fuck Fashion". The posters around campus had a picture of Steve Irwin on them to make their point. Kate, Paula, and I all decided that it would be fun to go a party again and that we deserved to have a celebratory night nearing the end of the semester. Thus we all dressed in a mix-matched way. I had two different shoes on, two different socks, black tights, a fake denim skirt, and my red American flag shirt. The icing was my lime green Sublime necklace. I can definitely pull off slash create tacky fashion. I was always an active volunteer of Wacky Day back at Fairmount*. Kate and Paula also looked ridiculous yet fantastic in their skirt, sweater, boots combos. It was a lot fun. Most of our friends from the international group were there too. Plus, the club gave out glowstick bracelets. Sweet. We all walked home together, power in numbers, and collapsed in our separate rooms. What a random slew of events that made up today. Oh well, tomorrow looms around the corner.

*Fairmount is the name of my elementary school