Two months presque gone by!

So I may have lied when I said I would post more regularly, as clearly that hasn't happened (the first France post is just before the slideshow. For better pictures with descriptions, go to http://myviewfromafar.shutterfly.com). So instead of trying to recap everything that I've done in words, I figured I'd go with a photo post, since that's probably far more interesting anyway...




Grenoble

Left: Grenoble! The view from the Bastille. Right: La téléphérique/les boules - ride 'em up to the Bastille.

Hike in the Vercours

 

Victory over the Vercours. Mont Blanc is in the background (ok, the kind of distant background).

Home in Echirolles 

Left: Chez-moi (chez Sémavoine, really). Very old house, although I still have to figure out just how old...  Right: My pets. Ducks and chickens.

The backyard jardin. Green beans, tomatoes, figs, apricots, etc. Also, when possible, the gardens are watered with a combination of collected rain water and water that has been used to wash dishes from the sink. My host mother, Nicole, is very water-conscious, which I guess is not that uncommon in France. To take showers here you have to hold the shower head, so I end up turning the water off when I'm washing my hair, for example, and then only turning it on to rinse. I might have to adopt that style in the US, too...

Voyage to Lyon!

Left: Fromage at the market in Lyon! Andrew and I took a trip to Lyon (about an hour or hour and a half away) to visit with some other Polar Bears who are studying there this semester. Right: Bowdoin in Lyon (Andrew, Claire, yours truly and Kaye); le Parc la Tête d'Or - huge, with a zoo, a lake, carousel (of course, they're everywhere here), big green spaces. Very pretty park.

 The view of Lyon from the Basilique Notre-Dame de Fourvière.

Annecy

Above: Annecy - also known as Little Venice (I think?) because of the canals that run through it. We took a day trip there with the CUEF (the language school here), and visited the Palais de l'Isle (an old prison - you can see it in the center of the photo, just past the bridge), the Basilique de la Visitation, and the Lac d'Annecy, where we rented a motor boat and drove it to the middle of the lake to go swimming.

Below: (left) Tartiflette - regional specialty made of potatoes, cheese and ham. With those ingredients, it's a little hard to like, but somehow I managed. (right) Later in the day I had to force down some more food. Life is tough. This is cookie ice cream and "fleur du lait" (eerily similar to "fleur-de-lis," non?) with chantilly (whipped cream), a little cookie, an a decorative toothpick. I'm not complaining!

Voyage to Provence!

Left: Abbaye Notre-Dame de Sénanque.

Gordes, a small mountain village in Provence. 

 

Rousillon, another small village in Provence. It's known for its mountains of ochre (below), which we decided to hike. Evidently the approximate hike time is based on the pace of older individuals, as we did the supposed 35 minute hike in about 17 minutes, going at a very reasonable speed. Or more likely we are just incredibly fit due to the massive consumption of bread and cheese (and, in Provence, the huge quantities of jam, rabbit, dessert, etc. that we were served by the very welcoming hosts at Mas de Pantaï).

 

PONT DU GARD!!!

The PONT DU GARD!!! Middle school Latin came flooding back to me when we went on a trip to Orange/Avignon and the Pont du Gard with the CUEF a few weeks ago. I had no idea I would be so thrilled to see a Roman aqueduct, but it's still probably one of my favorite sites thus far. We had a picnic dinner there and watched the sun set. Spectacular.

We also visted the Pont d'Avignon, and for those of you who don't know the song (I didn't, I'll admit), the basics go like this: "Sur le Pont d'Avignon, l'on y dance, l'on y dance; sur le Pont d'Avignon, l'on y dance tous en ronde". My new favorite song, of course.

 Randonnée in the Chartreuse!

Last weekend, Darcy, Teal and I decided to venture out on a hike to the Massif de la Chartreuse for a hike. Darcy and I had gotten an itinerary from the Maison de la Montagne in the center of Grenoble and picked up the map from a bookstore and plotted our course. Unfortunately it didn't start very well because the bus driver "didn't know" the stop we wanted (how is that possible? it's on the schedule?), and told us we should take the bus to the last stop. That stop turned out to be an hour walk (in the same direction we had just come from) from the trail head. After our warm-up hike we set off on the trail, unfortunately making a wrong turn early on, and not quite making it to our planned destination. But we still managed to get great views of the mountains (pre-Alps), SNOW (it even snowed on us briefly - maybe only 15 or so flakes, but hey, snow's snow), and the still-operating monastery. The photo on the right is the monastery, which is known for producing the liqueur Chartreuse. We visited the museum briefly before leaving, which described the lifestyle of the monks and the history of the monastery. The end of the day was just as exciting as the beginning, as the so-called "bus stop" didn't actually have any signs. So in order to stop the bus on its way down the mountain (it was the only bus until the next day), we staggered ourselves along the road and when we spotted the bus we waved out tickets (little receipts) and jumped up and down to get it to stop. Luckily it was a different driver and he was kind enough to pick us up. Also, we learned that hitchhiking might not exist here, or they use a sign other than the thumb. Darcy tried several times that morning and all she got were confused or frightened looks.

Voyage to Bourgogne: wine country!

Our second group trip was this past weekend, and it took us to Bourgogne. We stayed in the capital of the region, Dijon (yes, the mustard!). Friday afternoon we had a "degustation du vin" at the château Ziltener; Saturday we visited the basilique deVézelay in the morning and the château de Bussy-Rabutin in the afternoon (photo above). The château had beautiful gardens (or at least I would imagine they'd be beautiful in the summer), and even had a moat where, we decided, alligator races most certainly took place.

 Sunday we visited the Hospices de Beaune, which used to be a hospital. I thought it was very cool, although after seeing the tools for surgery and the giant metal syringes, I'm glad to be living in the 21st century. This photo is from the grand courtyard in the center of the Hospices. The other side of the courtyard is made of "noble" materials (stone), while this side was constructed primarily out of wood.

 Our last meal of the trip was in Beaune at the Auberge Bourguignonne. This was my second entrée of escargots (the first being Friday night), which is famous in this region, and it was delicious. It was followed by a main course of veal and vegetables, then a cheese plate, and then dessert of profiteroles on a plate of chocolate sauce (I tried to post that picture, too, but apparently I've reached my limit!).

I hope the photos give you all a better sense of all I've been up to here in France. The food continues to be phenomenal (except for that horrible pizza in Vézelay), and the travels incredible. Hopefully I'll leave the country soon (although not because I don't like it here). And hopefully I won't get arrested for leaving the country without my carte de séjour, which requires a chest x-ray (in the back of a truck, with a naked torso, in front of a random x-ray tech man), which I've luckily accomplished, and a yet-to-be done "medical appointment" which isn't scheduled until the beginning of November. And to think I found the original visa process a pain.

But truthfully all is going well, and yes, I am also taking classes, in case you though all I did was travel and eat. Aside from my language class I'm taking Art History at the Musée de Grenoble, Textes Littéraires du XIXe siècle, and Textes et Images.

Hope everyone is well wherever you are in the world!

A bientôt!

How to respond?

So since another post from France is long overdue but I have yet to write one, I thought I’d give you something to think about until the next histoire française:

This is something I feel I have to share. While I am now on a different continent and eating wonderful food and experiencing yet another unique culture, part of both my mind and heart are still in Kenya. I thought I had seen real drought when I was there. I thought I had seen the worst of it.

This evening I had a short Skype chat with a friend from Kenya. He and his wife just had a new baby a month ago. I congratulated him, to which he responded:

…He is doing well, although things are very tough her in Kenya now due to [scorching] sun.

When I asked about the drought, he told me this:

Things are very [bad] here now. Drought has intensified. Most families are starving but thank God we are surviving

How can I respond to that? To hear that things have gotten much worse is unimaginable to me. And then for him to be most concerned about me and my family and that I am studying hard – how does one react?

One part of me wants to pack up all of my belongings and head back to Africa, but another part of me forces me to ask myself what I could even do to change the situation. I try to avoid the overwhelming feeling that despite all of my concern and work, I am just one individual who cannot end poverty and hunger; I try to avoid that feeling of helplessness. Generally I think I have done well with that, knowing that there is still much to be done but that I am helping in what ways I can at this point in my life.

But when I realized that things were still getting worse in Kenya, I think it forced me to recognize the fact that since I left the country, I’ve let some of the realities there slip into the background of my memory. Perhaps even while I was there – I always had clean(ish) clothes, three full meals a day, water, whether purchased or purified, a bed at night, anti-malarials, even a computer and sometimes internet. Sometimes I think I used those somewhat normal things to escape the images I saw each day.

To escape the hand dangling over the bed at the dispensary, IV still attached, but body void of spirit. To know that she could have lived longer than 56 years had her family had enough money to take her to Naitiri to be tested and treated for HIV. Maybe I used the laughter and shrieks of children when they first glanced the “mzungus” to mask the fact that their bellies were distended from malnutrition and visible though the gap between their torn and dirty shorts and too small shirts.
Now that I’m in France, traveling and exploring and studying, things that seem frivolous in contrast to the problems the people I met face, it’s hard not to think, “So what am I doing for them now?”

Of course being in France is an experience I am enjoying and I appreciate having, and I am certain it will be just as valuable, although in perhaps different ways, as my time in Kenya.

So, how did I respond? I replied by saying:

I'm thinking of you and all Kenyans. I can't imagine what it is like now, since it seemed so bad when I was there. And to think that was months ago.

To this, of course, my friend said thanks and then promptly asked about my family and all that I am up to. How very Kenyan of him! When I told him I was in France studying he said:

Good. Work very hard my friend. [T]hat is great. God bless you

Suddenly, “I’m thinking of you” just didn’t cut it anymore. There was no promise I could make. I saw how immense the problems are in small areas of Kenya. I saw how difficult it is to help even just a few communities make progress. There is no one solution. And Kenya is one of the more developed countries in Africa. So what could I say? Honestly, I am not one to say God bless you. I admit that, in fact, I generally try to avoid saying it, even when someone says it to me. Of course, this is an entirely different conversation, but suffice it to say that this time I didn’t have any other words.

And to realize that my friend is living in a third-world country ravaged by drought with people starving around him and yet he seems more concerned about me in a first-world country, how could I react but to say “God bless you too?”

Kenya Summer 2009

Click here to view these pictures larger

I guess it's about time...

Considering I’m starting my fourth week in the land of romance (or amour, as we like to say here), I figured it was time I gave my adoring fans an update (that is, if anyone reads this). So here’s the lowdown so far, and I hope to update a little more frequently in the future, even if it’s more for me than for you!

I’m in Grenoble, France, a small, old city in the southeaster quarter of France, near the border with Italy. It is in a valley surrounded completely by mountains from three ranges that make up part of the French Pre-Alps: the Chartreuse, the Vercors, and the Belledonne. Coming from a state with small mountains and open ocean, this is a very different setting, and I was quite taken aback by the views at first. The Tour de France routinely passes through here, and despite all of the mountains, the city itself is entirely flat. Two rivers flow through it, the Isère and the Drac. Also, everyone rides bikes except for younger kids who generally prefer scooters.

I am living with a French couple that has hosted students for some 25 years. They have five grown children and twelve grandchildren, and couldn’t be nicer. A French university student, Éli stays here during the week, and sometimes another guy named Sylvain stays here as well. Nicole, my host mother, is a fabulous cook, and I have yet to be disappointed by a meal. She and my host father, Robert, have a big garden in their backyard that has provided lots of delicious fresh vegetables and fruits so far. Nicole turns most of the fruits into jam, and preserves a lot of the vegetables for the winter. In an attempt to integrate myself with the family, I’ve taken to helping dry the dishes after dinner (did I just hear my parents gasp, all the way across the Atlantic?).

I am a huge fan of French cuisine, as I had hoped. The French really do eat a lot of bread and cheese, which is fantastic in my opinion. It seems as though everyone on the street in the afternoons and evenings is heading home with a baguette in hand. In fact, today I even saw an older gentleman riding his bicycle home with his bread, a baguette sticking out of the small panniers on the back of his bike. It was so classic. I have to say, everything seems so French. Weird, I know.

For the most part I’ve been spending time with the other eight students in my group exploring the city and the surroundings. The first week we spent in the “préstage,” which was basically a grammar review class to prepare us for the language class placement exam. That weekend we went on a few adventures. The first was a trip up the téléphérique (kind of like a gondola) from the city up a mountain to La Bastille, a fort that overlooks the city. We went up on a Friday night when there was a free concert, which was very fun and a great way to see the entire city, especially as the sun set.

Saturday we went hiking in the Vercors range. What we were told would be a pretty flat and easy beginner hike was actually a mildly intense, day-long, very uphill affair, but an awesome one. We ate a picnic lunch partway up (my first French pique-nique! Although when I later recounted that at the dinner table, Sylvain and Éli quickly pointed out that since I did not have du saucisson, it was not a real French picnic), enjoyed spending some time with des vaches (as if I hadn’t seen enough cows in Kenya), and then proceeded to the summit. Talk about a spectacular view!

Since then I’ve been dying to get out on another hike, but I haven’t had a free weekend since. After a week of language classes and some more getting settled in, Andrew, another Bowdoin student here, and I went to visit two classmates studying in Lyon, Kaye and Claire. They were very generous and let us stay in their apartment. We spent most of Saturday at this phenomenal park, La Tête d’Or, where we had another picnic and then wandered around. The park had everything – a zoo with giraffes, flamingos, elephants (not quite the same as the Masaai Mara); it had a beautiful lake with amazing blue-green water; kilometers of walking paths; an underwater tunnel; a rose garden; you name it!

After so much walking I was looking forward to going to the soccer game that night and sitting down for a while. Of course, our seats ended up being in the super fan section, which meant standing on our seats and singing the entire game. Seriously. The enthusiasm was great, and I only wish I could have understood what we were cheering, since of course we had joined in by the second half, albeit with mumbles rather than words. Lyon was victorious and beat Lorient 1-0 with a later in the second half goal. Sadly, the Grenoble soccer team has not one a game yet this season…

We went to a great little restaurant for dinner. Many meals here are served as three courses: a salad, an entrée, and dessert. Can’t complain about that!

Sunday we headed up the hill to visit Basilique Notre-Dame de Fourvière, a beautiful church that overlooks the city. We walked down, on the way stopping at an ancient amphitheater, which was pretty incredible. It’s probably the oldest thing I’ve ever seen.

Andrew and I headed back to Grenoble that evening to start our second week of language classes. I’ve also started an art history class created just for our program. There are four of us in the class, and each week we’ll meet at the Musée de Grenoble. It’s a renowned museum, and I’m feeling pretty lucky to get to see it and learn about the art in-depth in such an environment.

Completely unrelated to school, I finally ate at my first crêperie last Friday. It was all I had hoped for and more! Can’t beat the incredible taste and astounding simplicity of a sugar and butter dessert crêpe, that’s for sure! I've also had a croissant, du pain au chocolat, numerous cups of chocolat chaud, plenty of fromage, and of course, lots and lots of pain (bread, not the English pain).

I ate very well again on Saturday when most of our group went on a day trip to Annecy and Chambéry. We spent most of the time in Annecy where, because this weekend was the Patrimoine, a cultural period when most museums and churches open their doors to visiters for free. After a traditional lunch of tartiflette (a potato, cheese, cream probably, and ham dish) and a little time spent digesting, we wandered over to the boat rental area to see what damage we could do. Turned out we could do a lot, as they let people rent motorboats. So, naturally, six of us piled into a boat and put-putted our way across Lac Annecy. Four of us braved the cool (not really, considering the Maine ocean temperature even in the middle of the hottest of summers) water and went swimming, which felt like a spa treatment to me. We all took a turn driving the boat, which was pretty exciting, although the limited horsepower was a little disappointing, no matter how understandable.

After returning to the dock, we made the trek up to la Basilique de la Visitation, way up on a hill. When we got there someone was playing the bells, which was phenomenal. The sound carried so strongly down into the city below. We went into the church and then climbed to the top of the tower just as the bell player recommenced. Standing next to the bells was cool for a short period of time; I think my eardrums are still recovering a bit.

Of course, no day in France is complete without du glace, and so after descending the hill we promptly entered a particularly enticing ice cream shop. I managed to stuff myself with “cookie” and “fleur du lait,” and left quite content. All in all, another great day.

Sunday was spent doing a bit of homework and finally exploring the area around my house a little. The house is very old (how old, you ask? I don’t know. They told me the first day but I have a very hard time with French numbers, so I think I’d better ask again sometime.), and it’s in a suburb right next to Grenoble called Échirolles. A bit of a distance from the city and the university campus, but it’s a very nice spot. I dined with Nicole, as Robert is out of town. When I asked Nicole last night where he had gone, she replied with, “Tu n’as pas compris!” Evidently Robert is gone for four weeks to some sort of spa-type place, which apparently is pretty standard for the French. Heck, I thought he was just going away for the weekend. As you can see, I have sadly not instantaneously become fluent at French. Maybe that’ll kick in next week.
Sorry for the length of the post – hopefully I’ll avoid this in the future by updating more frequently. We’ll see though…

I hope my ramblings find you all well! Let me know what’s up wherever you are if you want (ghyndman@bowdoin.edu)!

À bientot (since baadaye doesn’t quite seem appropriate anymore)!

p.s. I tried to add pictures to this post, but despite the fact that I am now in a first-world country with reliable wireless, posting photos still does not seem to work. I'll try to put up an album shortly either on this page or on my shutterfly site, which I might get rid of if I figure out how to put albums on Blogger... (myviewfromafar@shutterfly.com).