Real Life, by Jordan Small
Tuesday, June 7, 2005

Take Spanish

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Though it may seem like it, I don’t hate the French. I don’t necessarily love them either. One of the things that has really sunk in while being here is that I don’t have to love one culture and hate the other. I can like certain aspects of both and hate certain aspects of both. That’s how the world works. It’s not black and white. There is a whole lot of gray in this world. And I just have to remember that. There are things I’m going to miss about this place, not matter how much I want to get out of here. I’ll miss my host family. They are very nice and have been very kind and generous to me. They’re funny and have great character. I really will miss them. I won’t miss the copious amounts of meat I’ve had to eat, though. My host family’s friends and family were really great to me too. It’s kind of odd to think that I’ll probably never see them again. I’ll miss the green awning shops, too. They call them the Arab shops here. What, do they sell Arabs? I know that not all these shops are owned and operated by Arabs, but I do know that they all have green awnings. Thus, they are green awning shops. I’ll miss them because they are open on Sundays when all other markets are closed. I’ll miss them because they always have cold beverages whereas the larger grocery stores don’t. I’ll miss them because the green awning shop men are all really nice and friendly, and often times cute as well. I’ll miss the guy at this internet café I’ve been coming to all semester. He’s been super nice to me ever since the beginning. And even though he speaks really good English, he’s always spoken French with me, which I really appreciate. I’ll miss Lotus, Kara’s host family’s chocolate lab. He’s been our adopted dog for the last couple of months. He’s our only French friend. We think he should come back to the States with us. He’s out of place here amongst the yapping little rats most people have for dogs. Even though Kehl is not part of France, I’ll miss it. It was our little German getaway. There are lots of random things there, including the 1€ store where everything is, you guessed it, 1€. I’ll miss that place. I’m sure there are other little random things that I will miss later, but this is all I can think of right now. These are the big things.

There are several people who I wouldn’t have been able to get through this without. The first are my parents. I have the best parents in the world. They’re nothing less than supportive and caring with all that my brother and I do. We’re really lucky. My friends back home have been really great too. So often, hearing the latest gossip from L&C was really quite comforting. It made me realize that while things may change here and there back at school, really, it’s always the same old drama. My advisor back at L&C has been great too, giving me lots of support and encouragement and commiserating about my dealings with the French. Over here, I don’t know what I would have done without Kara. I remember the first time we realized that neither of us were having the time of our lives here. An instant bond was created and has endured. I don’t know who else with I would have been able to complain about the ever present stench of urine in this city or the crazy drivers or the women who look like 2x4’s or the men who make sexist comments as we run by. It will be great to be back in Portland where we can go get Mexican food together and reminisce about are semester in France. It will probably sound like this, “do you remember that time we ended up stranded in Obermodern? Oh my god, that was horrid.” And there are several others who have had more of an indirect effect. I don’t know what I would have done without Tom Friedman. Bringing his book with me was one of the smartest things I’ve ever done. When I was at my worst, I at least had Friedman to remind me that I wasn’t the only one out there who loves the good ol’ US of A. I also owe Anthony Bourdain big time too. I also brought his book, “A Cooks Tour” with me. This guy was traveling all over the world, in places not quite as cushy as France. That made me feel a little better. I could also empathize with his longings for the “Simpsons” and a good old American breakfast. Plus, he threw in some pretty good jabs at the French. And then there’s Neil Young. No matter where I am, if I listen to this man, I feel like I’m back home. I don’t know what I would have done without him. He’s an amazing musician and song writer. Mad props to Neil. And on a lesser note, I owe Snoop Dogg and Conan O’Brien, too. In those rare moments when I was able to watch MTV Europe or MSNBC Europe I was so ecstatic to see these two men. I think it’s mainly because they are so American to me. Big up to Snoop and Conan.

Anyway, I suppose I ought to wrap this thing up. For those of you who are actually still reading, thanks so much for sticking with me. I hope you got something out of this. I know I did. I’ve always enjoyed having people read what I write, so thanks for helping me out with that. This has been an incredibly difficult experience, but I think it’s worth it. Everyone should study abroad. Even if it really sucks, something will come from it that will make you grow as a person. I haven’t given out my email before, but it is jsmall@lclark.edu. Feel free to email me with any questions about studying abroad or L&C in general. The best advice I can give to you in choosing a college, and in life in general, is to go where you feel comfortable, do what makes you happy, and take Spanish.

Merci Beaucoup