i think i'm almost french. . but nicer

ok. . .so i've had a lot of interesting experiences with french locals recently, so i though i'd share.

1) never in a million years did i think that france would like kylie lehman so much. i feel as though i'm very well received over here, and it's really fun. i'm a regular at nearly every place i go. yes, that means that i frequent a few places A LOT. i have a bakery, a fruit guy, one bar that i go to on the weekends, a chinese food place, and a kebab shop (2 of those maybe). we don't even have to order at the chinese food place anymore, the kebab shop understands our orders now without asking us to repeat it, and the other kebab shop guy told erica and i that he loved us. oh. . .we got an "i love you" from the old man at our italian restaurant also (i forgot to mention that as one of our regular restaurants). we go to "the glue pot" (our favorite bar) once a week or so. the bouncer has taken to giving us the traditional french double-cheek kiss and the bartender gives us bowls of candy. whoever said that the french don't like americans is wrong. . .MOSTLY (see next paragraph)

i went to versailles last weekend with erica. we took an extension of the metro (the rer) out to versailles and back. versailles was gorgeous. it is the site of my future destination wedding. if i don't get married ever, i'll just fly my loved ones out for a destination party. back to the rer--erica and i are sitting there and we are the ONLY 2 PEOPLE ON THE TRAIN. then enters this old lady. she looks like a grizzly bear, because she's dressed in a full-length fur coat. she growls something at erica about how she should take her feet of the chair (something that is none of her business). at this point she is really scaring us. then she stares at me for a good 2 minutes. i finally look in her direction and she asks if i am english. i tell her (stupidly). . "no, i'm american" and her eyes shot daggers at me. .for another 2 minutes. then, i guess she realizes that she needs my help. she starts yelling at me in french about which stop she needs to get off at. i go look at the map for her and tell her that it's the next one. this lady clearly could not see well, and she could barely stand up, so erica stood behind her, and i stood in front of her, and together, we got her to the train door. i thought to myself "this lady must get off", so i held her and escorted her towards the door. as the door opens she continues to hold my arm and screams "ne me laissez pas". . french for "don't leave me". now. .i really miss my dogs, but i really don't need a pet french bear lady. realizing that the situation is dire--you only have about 60 seconds to get off the train before the door closes and it takes off again--the lady starts screaming out the train door "tu m'as oublie"?. .french for "did you forget me". . then a guy comes and takes her from me. bullet dodged. . .but i was still traumatized.

i know this is crazy, but i was a good samaritan TWICE on this trip to versailles...

on our train back to paris a young, single dad with the most adorable daughter in the world (about 5 years old) came and sat across the aisle from erica and i. you have to compost your tickets in a box before you get on the train. he had failed to do this and was in a panic. the train was due to depart in 5 minutes, but i could see that he was stessed and he said "i can't leave my daughter" (in french of course), so i took his 2 tickets, and ran as fast as my cowboy boots would allow up to the very front of the train to compost his tickets. he was much more adorable than the bear lady, so i was happier to complete this task. he tried to give me money (weird, i know), and i barely made it back to the train on time, but everything turned out fine. it later occurred to erica and i that instead of me risking missing my train, i could have offered to watch the kid instead...however, i'm less scared of running than i am of strange children.

saturday night i went out with my french friend emilie, my friend sarah from aTm, and 3 other french girls (well, one of them was actually from romania, but she spoke perfect french). it was a really fun time, and i got to practice my french a lot. they were very patient. one of the girls is coming to study at aTm in january, so hopefully i can stay in touch with her while we're both in texas.

i am still a little ready to come home, but they have started to decorate caen for christmas time, and there is nothing i like more than cute towns and christmas lights.

miss you all

kylie

Paris, la deuxieme fois

Salut! I'm sitting here in a comfortable hotel bed, and guess what?. . .i have internet 24 hours a day for the next 2 days. i'm also watching french TELEVISION!!! i love tv, and living without it for so long has made me realize that i never want to be without it again. haha. erica and suzanne got into paris thursday night, and i came on a train yesterday afternoon after my classes let out. i sat on the train next to a young french boy (12-13 yo), and i think he was very suspicious of me at first. however, through the course of the train ride, we ended up sharing gummy worms, and he helped me a little with my homework. i think he was just disgruntled, because his parents had gotten a divorce, and he was going to paris for weekend visitation. speaking french with any native is always a good experience. plus, kids are funny. he was obsessed with my blackberry, so we traded cell phones for a little bit.

suzanne has a friend named erin that lives in paris, so we met up with her for dinner last night. i fell down in the street on the way to get her from the metro. paris is really dirty, and most of the streets are covered with a slimey film. and as you all know, i may be the clumsiest person that ever existed. i now have 2 strawberries on my knees. . .and yes, i wish they were in a tart.

i could never ever ever ever live in paris. i feel very mad and violent when i'm here, because there are TONS of cat calls circulating, and people on the streets selling stuff always grab my arm. . or try to tie a string to my wrist (then they call it a bracelet and make you buy it). i miss being in the states and being able to smile at people without it being a come-on, and i miss being able to voice my frustration if someone is violating me. most of the time if they are mad at you for not looking at them or talking to them, they will start cussing at you in english. that's when things turn ugly. I DON'T PUT UP WITH THAT. i'm not scared of french people really at all, but it's just annoying. suzanne and erica have both considered living in big cities semi long-term. i think dallas or austin is the biggest it will ever get for me. if you could all see caen, you would realize how great and small and quaint and friendly. . .and any other adjective that goes along with cute, medium-size towns. . .it is.

BUT, paris is absolutely beautiful. the people are so chic, and life here just seems glamorous. the type of glamour that i would love to experience everyday. i seriously feel like every time i get off the train in paris, i've stepped into "french vogue". today we are going to visit some cemeteries. it's "all saint's day". i don't think we celebrate it in the states. . .maybe catholics do. who knows? i will go pay my respects to jean-paul sartre and simone de beauvoir. . .and definitely post some pictures.

i'll post again later, if i survive the cold of the french winter.

i'm back!!!

hey y'all! no one probably reads this blog anymore, since i haven't updated in so long. my lack of posting simply means that i've been having WAY TOO MUCH FUN here. i also spend time talking on the phone and doing homework. oh yes, the internet has been an issue to. i used to sit outside and use it, but as it turns out, french winters are not very conducive to being outdoors. but enough with the excuses. . .

there are a lot of exciting things coming up in november. for one, i think my mom decided to come visit! yay!! i'm so excited to show off my cute little town. i also have a "fall break". everyone was talking about going different places, and i wasn't sure what i wanted to do, so now i'm looking into booking a wine weekend by myself. however, everything i've found so far has pretty much looked like couples retreats or honeymoon spots. this would probably not be the best idea. . but then again, why wouldn't i want to stay in a luxurious suite with a television and chilled bottle of champagne? i can think of worse things. halloween is next weekend, and suzanne courtney and i are headed to PARIS. we will be doing a tour of the catacombs on halloween night. it's going to be really creepy and wonderful. . .and i'm going to dress up!

i've been fortunate to make a pretty good friend here, and we've been hanging out a lot lately. her name is yupapin, and she is from thailand. . and absolutely adorable! she invited erica and i over to her apartment a couple of weeks ago, and she cooked us some traditional thai food. last night, erica and i cooked a meal for her (chicken fried steak, homemade mashed potatoes, and asparagus. . .oh and cookies). she really enjoyed it, and i think we're going to make it a weekly food exchange. her french is really good, and we pretty much only speak to each other in french, even though she can speak english. however, she was having difficulty explaining something to me the other day, so she broke into english and said "well, i have my law license in thailand. . so i can go fight in court". she's only 23. sometimes i feel really underaccomplished here. but then i have to remind myself that the US requires a lot more years of schooling than other countries.

the radiator finally turned on in my room, so it's not as cold as it was. however, it's been raining a lot, and my hair just isn't looking very good. haha.

i feel like i'm having more and more french breakthroughs. . .and they are SO exciting!! i am picking up a lot more street conversations, and i'm beginning to understand some of the slang. every day i learn something new about the language and the culture!

i've been missing things from home lately, like mexican food and my dogs. i'm pretty excited to be coming home for christmas! i did find a mexican food restaurant here, and guess what?. . it was delicious!!! i have just decided that all french food is amazing. i have become quite used to a spectacular level of gastronomy, and i am very worried that texas will no longer satisfy me. i guess i will just have to learn how to cook like the french!

i'm developing business ideas while i'm here. i think the french have a ton of things that would go over well in the states. i will propose them to you all when i'm back. .

i promise i won't wait this long to post again!! miss you all!!!

strawberry tarts

PICTURES FROM PARIS ARE COMING SOON. I'M CURRENTLY IN AN AREA WHERE ATTACHMENTS ARE BLOCKED BY THE INTERNET CONNECTION. THANKS FOR YOUR PATIENCE.

i just ate a strawberry tart. i also spoke french yesterday. yes, i speak french everyday, and i eat strawberry tarts everyday, but i must elaborate to explain the greatness. first of all (because food is ALWAYS first), strawberry tarts are my absolute favorite thing to eat. i am a regular at this one little patisserie. i shopped around before claiming one as my own, but i'm in love with this one, and their tarts are the most delicious things i've ever tasted. however, they are closed on thursday, so i had to go to my other patisserie. they have delicious tarts also. the two patisseries are right next door to each other, and for the most part they offer the same goods. to the untrained palet, it may seem that they're very similar, but i have a heightened sense in all of my sweet teeth, and i know that the crust and filling are VERY different at each location.

like i said before, i spoke french yesterday. erica and i went to the bar on campus to drink a beer and listen to a techno concert (something completely normal for a wednesday night in france). we got to talk to some real live french people. haha. they were very nice and patient, and i think that we are going to keep frequenting that place, because everyone is very eager to talk and meet people. we also met some drunk guys that thought we were british, so they proceeded to talk in ridiculous english accents, saying that we were the countesses of normandy...and the exchange of pleasantries ended with them kneeling down in proposal position in the middle of the street. people do strange things here. they act even stranger if they know you're not french :)

paris was absolutely AMAZING!! we sat on the steps of sacre coeur and listened to music, went out in montmarte, sat at cafe des fleurs in saint germain de pres, visited la defense and l'arc du triomphe, went barhopping in the bastille area, and sat in le jardin du luxembourg. i rode the metro for an afternoon by myself, dressed in all black with my ipod on, and i felt like i owned the city. i think that everyone owns a little piece of paris. there are so many different cultures, and within 5 min. of stepping off the train, i heard about 10 different languages. however, by the time the weekend was over, we were all ready to go back to caen. i wish i could explain how precious my city is. it's home now, and we all are obsessed with it. it's sort of like texas. ..but in france. everyone is really friendly. it's also MUCH cleaner than paris. paris pretty much always has a strange smell. i plan on going back in a couple of weeks to sit in the "jardin du luxembourg" again. it was the most beautiful place i've ever been. i figure the museums in paris can wait until it's too cold to be outside (which will probably be soon).

suzanne fell in her room and hit her face on her bed. it ended up breaking her nose, and we had to call a french ambulance. she's doing much better now, and i missed her a ton when she was in the french hospital for the night. hopefully she will be the first and last one of us that has to experience french healthcare. she did say it was more than adequate, even though it is socialized. ha. take that america.

i started a french aerobics class yesterday. it was really easy and set to music from the musical "cats". so i wonder. . how are french people so skinny when they eat so much cheese and so many pastries. . .and their workouts suck?? all i know is that this little piggy needs to find a treadmill before french food gets the best of my thighs.

i miss you all. if you want to send me a letter (please do). . here is my address

Kylie Lehman
Batiment E, Chambre 220
Cite Universitaire Des Tilleuls
23 avenue de Bruxelles
B.P. 85153
14070 CAEN CEDEX 5
France

if you don't want to send a letter, feel free to book a flight to paris and buy me a huge diamond from the cartier store on the champs elysees. i'm not picky.

one woman

so. . .i just downloaded the new randy rogers album. "one woman" is probably the best song he's ever done. .ever. he wrote it for his wife, and it basically is the sweetest song in the WORLD, talking about how she is all he'll need. it's one of the few things that has made fidelity to one person seem appealing (because usually i think it's scary). i was pumped to download the album, because i'm in some major need of good ol texas country. france should really get into that genre. they would like it. haha.

speaking of music, austin city limits starts tomorrow. . and i'll miss it. but not to worry. . .i'm going to PARIS tomorrow afternoon.

real classes started this week, and they're sort of hard. all of the professors are really nice and energetic, and i think i'm going to learn A LOT this semester. suzanne knows a french girl named emily and we've been hanging out with her some. she's absolutely precious and she can answer any question we throw at her (from convenience store hours to french politics). she lived in britain for a year, so her english is amazing. my room smells funny today, because i'm addicted to camembert cheese. it's so delicious, but it smells a lot like grass.

kacie. . .if you read this, call your sister (this is a test to see if you read my blog).

love you all.

i'll post pics of paris on monday!!!!

la plage. . .and book clubs

i haven't posted in a few days, because classes started and i've been moderately busy. when i say busy, i mean that every day after class (which ends at noon), i've been eating out or going into town to do something fun. erica, courtney, suzanne, robert, and i went to abbaye aux hommes the other day to see where william the conquerer is buried. it's actually just his leg that's buried there, but it's such a pretty abbaye. after that, robert, suzanne, and i decided to ride the bus to the beach. there was hardly anyone there, and it was a little cold, but SO beautiful! it's amazing that in a 20 minute bus ride we can be on the beaches of normandy. public transportation is the best here. . .there is really no reason that anyone would need a car. the environmental conservation efforts here are really evident. for example, there are recycling bins everywhere and they do not give you free bags at the grocery store. the only option is to buy a reusable one. buying a huge, gas-guzzling SUV is also not an option here. less options=healthier earth=happier kylie.

the program (as far as classes go) is not really what i was expecting. apparently we are going to be studying a lot less literature than i'm used to/want to. i'm taking french pertaining to economics, as well as legal french. both could be helpful, especially if i end up in french prison (one of my greatest fears. ..as i have signed a lot of bank/social security documents that i'm pretty sure could somehow lead to a bad situation). anyway, to remedy the lack of literature situation, some of us decided to start a book club. our first book is an existentialist work of albert camus entitled l'etranger. we will read and discuss them in french. so far it is just americans, but i have faith that eventually it will be incredibly popular with many international members. haha.

i must go now. today is the booze cruise for the international students. it's time for me to get on the boat.

kylie

pictures that i couldn't add earlier

party at the port, delicious crepes, beautiful churches