Real Life, by Jordan Small
Tuesday, April 26, 2005

Mom, can you send me some Pop-Tarts?

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Like I think I said a little bit ago, I can’t tell if it’s getting easier or harder the longer I’m here. I am learning to coexist, at least, with the French. But you have no idea how discouraging it is every time someone starts speaking English to me because it’s easier for them to speak English than it is for them to understand my French. It’s so tough. It just makes me really cranky and throws me into one of those what-am-I-really-doing-here? moods. I know I went off on some philosophical tangent last time about how I really am fulfilling my goals here, but it’s so hard to keep up high spirits when your French is floundering. I just get to the point when I just want to say, screw it. It’s really damn hard for me to learn another language. And French, French is just ridiculous. For instance, there are three different ways to say ‘people,’ but there is no rhyme or reason as to when you are supposed to use which term. It’s something you’re just supposed to know. Isn’t that swell?

So needless to say, this isn’t necessarily getting any easier. I’ve started missing really random things from the States: bagels, Pop-Tarts, bologna sandwiches, Ben & Jerry’s, big pick-up trucks, and I really want a white chocolate mocha right now. I want a sandwich that’s not on a baguette. I really want to eat a microwave burrito and watch the “X-Files.” Oh, ok, and here is a really annoying thing. The French don’t believe in drinking fountains. You’re running in the park. It’s a warm day. You’re kind of thirsty. Is there a drinking fountain? Hell no. You’re in class and get one of those coughs that just won’t go away. You go out in the hall to get a drink of water. Is there a drinking fountain? Hell no. This crazy-ass idea is right up there with the train stations that are not fully enclosed, and thus are really frickin’ cold as sit waiting three in hours in February because you’re last train got in too late for you to make your connection. It’s also right up there with having to pay to use the toilet. That’s just harsh. Who comes up with these ideas?

Also, I must tell you how French university is different from US university. Here, when the professor hands back homework or tests, she tells you and everybody else in the class how you did, what mistakes you made, and if you’re lucky she’ll hold up your paper as an example of what not to do. It’s really neat. It’s not so bad if you’re the smartest kid in the class and always get a ‘congratulations’ from the prof, but it’s not so great if you’re the kid who the professor just says ‘this is not sufficient’ to in front of the whole class and then proceeds to explain why it is not sufficient. I’ve started really missing the discussion based style of teaching, too. Here, it’s all lecture. The profs in most of our classes don’t even know our names, and I’m convinced they don’t even recognize us when we say ‘bonjour’ to them outside of class. I love lecture, but also find discussion refreshing from time to time. I miss L&C.

Yesterday was our first day of classes after a two week vacation. Needless to say, I think we were all suffering from varying degrees of ADD. In French-English translation, Kara and I could barely hold in our laughter as I commented on our cute British professor’s nice ass and almost fell out of the broken chair I had ended up sitting in as Kara drew the whole episode on one of here folders. In Philosophy in France, I almost died laughing when Anna applied the names of our L&C IA professors to several drawings we had been working on during class. Yeah, it was bad. I guess, though, that’s the kind of stuff I’m going to remember from my semester in France.