la phrase "d'ici peu"

On Saturday, I was eating lunch in the park with some friends, and some of them were leaving to go Le Festival du Jeu in Valence.  I asked someone when they were going, and he said "DC Peu."

Me: Quoi?

Him: DC Peu.

Me: Comment??  Je ne comprends pas.

Him: D apostrophe ici peu. D'ici peu.

Me: Oh, okay... (still confused...)

Other American: Rebecca, I say that to you all the time.

So!  Apparently, "d'ici peu" means in a little bit, and "d'ici jeudi," for example, means before Thursday.  Like, "between now and Thursday."  I know there's a lot of French words and phrases I don't know, but I'm always really surprised when I learn one like that, that I've apparently heard before but never questioned.  I later verified with a real French person that this is, in fact, something that people say.

It was a beautiful day on Saturday, so I opted to stay in the park with a bunch of other people and picnic and play soccer and other field day type games.

And speak English.

It's interesting... you really do call attention to yourself here if you're speaking English.  Which makes sense, because I'm always interested when I hear people speaking French in the United States.  And if they're in a big group, sometimes I may or may not follow them around the Art Institute...

Anyway, we had a group of 20 or so people in the park, and many of us were speaking English.  You could tell that nearby people were talking about us and some were saying not so nice things.

Later, I was walking with an American friend, speaking English, and a guy stopped and basically interviewed me in English.  "Do you speak English?  Do you teach English here? And France, you like it?  You teach English here in Valence? And do you speak French?  Okay, have a good night."  That's probably what I sounded like when I talked to the French family that came to the Millennium Park tent this summer.

So, in conclusion, at times I really enjoy being able to speak English with other people here, but I also appreciate the fact that I'm forced to speak French and I really don't speak any English in Crest, unless I'm on Skype!

la phrase "une grosse demi-heure"

Literally, it means "a fat half-hour," but probably a better translation is "a good thirty minutes."  I got my hair cut yesterday at the same salon I went to back in December.  It's a salon "sans rendez-vous," so you just walk in, and they tell you that's it's better to wait there or you will lose your place in the line.  There were two women working there this time instead of just one, but they were both cutting people's hair, so I asked how long I would have to wait.  That's when she said "une grosse demi-heure."  Later, when I was getting my haircut, a customer came in and asked how long the wait was.  The woman cutting my hair thought about it for awhile and then said, "une grosse demi-heure."  It reminded me of the 30 Rock episode where Matt Damon (the pilot) tells Liz Lemon that if there is a delay, flight attendants always tell passengers it will be a 30-minute delay because it doesn't sound too long.  Or something like that.

Anyway, the same woman who cut my hair last time cut my hair yesterday.  Of course I remembered her, but I was really surprised when I sat down and she was like, "Oh, you came back to France.  How were the holidays?  Did your family enjoy all of the chestnut things you brought back?"

I was really surprised she remembered all of that!

that the French like to shorten words

And in writing this post, I discovered that these types of words are called “apocopes.”

Examples include:

cet aprem = cet après-midi = this afternoon

l'ordi = l'ordinateur = computer

cinq heures du mat = cinq heures du matin = 5 in the morning

le petit déj = le petit déjeuner = breakfast

le déj = le déjeuner = lunch

Je suis dispo à… = Je suis disponible à… = I'm available at...

un prof = un professeur = a teacher

un appart’ = un appartement = an apartment

un ado = un adolescent = a teenager

un coloc = un colocataire = a roommate

comme d’hab = comme d’habitude = as usual

After I learned “l’ordi,” I’ve noticed that pretty much everyone says that instead of the full “l’ordinateur.”  Interesting!

le mot "buvette"

This past weekend was really fun... full of things to do in Crest!  On Thursday, I went to a one-man comedy show called "Le Beurgeois Gentilhomme," is a mix between Molière's "Bourgeis Gentilhomme" and the word "beur," which is slang for "Arab."  Anyway!  It was pretty good.  Well, honestly I didn't understand very much of it, but I did understand the following two jokes.

One, he was talking about one time when he was at the ocean.  He put a shell to his ear, and he said "I heard ma mère," instead of "la mer."  So, he heard his mother instead of the ocean.

Two, he was talking about how confusing recipes can be (I think?), and he said he used "l'huile de Rachid," instead of "l'huile d'arachide."  So, his friend Rachid's oil instead of peanut oil.  Even though I didn't understand most of it, it was fun, and the audience seemed to enjoy it.

On Friday, there was a Concert for Tanzania in Crest.  It ended up being mostly for the high school students, and I felt like a chaperone, and I ran into one of my teachers there and in my opinion it seemed like she was wondering why I was there, BUT it was fun, too.  The high school band at the end played covers of Franz Ferdinand and the Pixies (and sang in English!), and they did a really good job.  It cost 3 Euros to get in, and included "buvette sur place," which must mean "concessions stand."

For International Women's Day on Thursday, March 8, the Crest Office of Tourism gave out 100 Euro gift certificates to the 20th, 40th, 60th and 80th women who visited the office that day.  My friend won!  She had some leftover money to use by the end of the day on Saturday, so she took us out for coffee/pastries on Saturday morning.  I tried my luck on Thursday, but did not win.  They gave out lollipops shaped like flowers to everyone who tried, ha.

The Spanish assistant's friend came to visit this weekend, and she brought her raclette appliance (?).  You put a slice of raclette cheese in the little trays and put them in the appliance.  Once the cheese is melted, you put it on potatoes and/or meat.  Popular in the Rhone-Alpes region.

Raclette!

That night, we went to Valence for a Spanish Cinema night.  You could pay 10 Euros for tapas and one movie, or 15 Euros for tapas and two movies.  We opted for the 10 Euro deal, had tapas, then saw the movie Amador.

that French kids think the word "banana" is hilarious

We're working on food words in several of my classes... it gets a laugh every time!

les mots "chenille" and "cheville"

Today I read The Very Hungry Caterpillar to several classes.  In one class, I showed the book to the teacher before we started class, and she said "Ah, oui, la chenille."  And then she said "Oh!  Caterpillar, like the brand of tractors!" (or something like that.)  Then she showed the Special Ed teacher in the room, and she also said, "Oh!  Like Caterpillar, the brand!"  Funny.  Then the teacher wrote "chenille" (caterpillar) and then "cheville" (ankle) on a piece of paper to show me how they are spelled.

Tomorrow, two of my morning classes are canceled tomorrow because most of the 5th graders in Crest are going to Paris for the day!  I think it's amazing that they're able to go there for a day trip considering how far we are from Paris.  According to Google Maps, the drive from the Valence TGV train station to Gare de Lyon in Paris would take five and a half hours!  With the high speed TGV train, they can get there in 2.5 hours.  They're leaving at 7 a.m. and getting back to Valence at 11 p.m.  It's a long day, but remember, they don't have school on Wednesdays!

I took this photo for two reasons.  One, because I recently decided to start taking photos of things I see everyday because I know I'm going to want to have them at the end of this year, and two, there was an almost empty Desperados beer bottle on the table in the teacher's lounge when I walked in at 10:30 a.m.  From what I gathered later on, a teacher had picked it up outside and set it on the table before throwing it out.

le mot "ski de fond"

On Saturday, my fellow crestoises and I did some "ski de fond," or cross-country skiing.  It was a lot of fun and a lot more exhausting than I thought it would be.  For some reason, I thought it would be easier than downhill skiing ("ski de piste").  I had no idea it was even possible to ski uphill!

Look at me go!

Lots of jumping photos.  At one point, the person taking the photos set it on auto (not sure what it's called), so we have a series of photos that look like a flipbook if you go through really fast!

Success!

Also wanted photo evidence of my colorful outfit. :)

le mot "requin" - (London)

Arrived in London at 5:15 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 23, and went "straight away" (as they say in England) to my "mate's" "flat."  We went to the grocery store and had a delicious home-cooked dinner of roast chicken with chorizo and roasted leeks, broccoli and sweet potatoes.  Wow, I want the recipe.

My friend went out of town the next day, but his "housemate" said that Nikki and I were welcome to stay the next two days.  They were really welcoming, and it was great to save some "quid" on housing.

I didn't take too many photos in London, but here are a few...

Buckingham Palace!  Nikki and I were standing between two French families somehow.

Also, "loads" of people seemed to be waiting around for something, so we did, too, for about fifteen minutes. Nothing happened, and the "bobbies" (is that what they're called?) didn't seem to know either, so we left, and ran into this:

Regal!  We overheard that there have been "loads" of practice events for the upcoming Olympics.

Or maybe it was the changing of the guard.  Not sure!

Saw Legally Blonde the Musical!

Unfortunately, my camera has "a bit" of a delay, and this girl stood up right when I took the photo, and right before I got yelled at for taking a photo.

Some kind of Occupy protest going on near St. Paul's Cathedral.  Couldn't "manage" to "sort it out," but I also "couldn't be bothered" to ask anyone.

"Brilliant" store with lots of items in floral prints.

10 "quid."  Bought this dress at a boutique that was going out of business!  I liked pretty much everything in the store, but limited myself to this one and the one below.

8 "quid."  "Safe."

Bought at a "shop" called Coolway.

One thing I thought was funny is how British people tack on questions to what they say sometimes.  For example, when I was buying the half-price Legally Blonde tickets, I had a lot of questions, and the guy would answer, "Oh, but that's the full price ticket, innit?" and stuff like that.  Then, at the amazing-going-out-of-business-everything-must-go boutique, one of the salespeople came to check on me in the fitting room, and I asked how much the pink dress was originally.  She replied, "Probably 45 Pounds.  But it's because we're going out of business, aren't we?"  Funny.

We also went to the National Portrait Gallery.  It's huge and free!  Two hours was definitely not nearly enough time there, but we got a good overview.  Also, we met our goals of eating fish and chips and Indian food from Brick Lane, a street with a lot of Indian restaurants.  So much so, that each restaurant tries to entice you with a free something to get you to come to their restaurant.  We got complimentary drinks.

Another thing I learned is that when you order coffee in London, they ask you if you want it black or white (with milk).  Makes sense, but I'd never heard that before.

Early Saturday morning, we took the National Express bus to Stansted airport for our third (and final) EasyJet flight of the trip.  We got to the airport about three hours early for our flight and there were no lines at check-in or security, so we decided to get a drink and sit in the airport Starbucks.  We had been sitting there for awhile, and I go, "I think that's one of my students!"  Oddly enough, it was a girl from the class of the teacher who took me to her family's home near Annecy two weeks earlier.  So, her mom passed by, and I go, "Excuse me, do you live in Aouste?" and she was shocked, but she had heard of "Rebecca, the English teacher" before, so we started chatting.  Too funny!  She's British, and they were "on holiday" in England visiting her family.

So, we were talking for awhile, and she said she was going to go to the gate because it takes them "ages" to get there, but right before she had offered to drive us to Crest from Grenoble, which of course we said yes to!

Once Nikki and I got to the gate, we didn't see her anywhere, and then when we got off the plane, we didn't see them anywhere either.  We figured out they must have been on an earlier flight.  Too weird.  So, on Monday, I had written a note for the girl to give to her mom.  I was getting it out of my purse to give to her, and she came up to me with a note from her mom.  Apparently, their flight was at 11:45, and ours was at 12:50, so we just missed them.

Today, we met up for lunch at Sur Les Quais, and we both got the plat du jour.  I guess I already knew what the word "requin" meant (shark!), but today I learned what it tastes like.  It was good and served with a puree of a root vegetable....another word that I need to look up.

Overall, a great vacation.  Vivent les vacances!! :)

la phrase "Leg ferfi!" - (Budapest)

On Saturday, Feb. 18, we hopped on the Student Agency bus at 7 a.m.  They showed five movies (a Czech movie about a rural village invaded by pirates and fairies or something, some cartoon that I didn't watch, a coming-of-age girl and horse movie called Moondance Alexander, Prince of Egypt, and an episode of Gossip Girl).  The steward also came down the aisle about every hour asking if we wanted hot drinks.  I took advantage of this and said "Yes" every time.  The bus trip only cost 4500 Hungarian Forint (approx. 16 Euros!)

We stopped in Brno and Bratislava, and I couldn't help thinking of this scene from the movie Eurotrip.  I mean, to be fair, we didn't get out of the bus, but everything looked really industrial and grey!

Anyway, we arrived in Budapest at 2 p.m. and went straight to our hostel.  Don't want to brag too much about how cheap this leg of the journey was, but for four nights at a hostel, each person's share of the bill was just 18 Euros!  The staff there were really helpful and gave a lot of advice about what to do and where to go.  By the time our four days in Budapest were over, I think we had done everything they had recommended!

It was fun going to the ATM and withdrawing 40,000 Forint!  I had to pay for the entire hostel bill in cash, so I withdrew a little more than the other girls.  Also, enjoyed the look of the money.

1000 Forint = approx. 3E50

Budapest was my favorite part of the trip for several reasons, but one thing that made it even more fun is that the four of us knew several other people who would be there at the same time.  The first night, we went to dinner at Koleves with a language assistant from Lyon and his friend.  The next day we met up with a language assistant from Privas, and later on with two language assistants from Pierrelatte.

On Sunday, we visited the Basilica.

Inside the Basilica...Beautiful!

It was a Sunday, and not a lot of things were open.  We walked up a street where the Opera was, stopped for a coffee, walked by the Terror Museum and decided not to enter, made our way up to the park to check out the Szechenyi Baths we would be visiting the next day!  It was a grey day... Here is a photo interpretation of the ambiance of the park.

Re-enactment of park ambiance.

And then.... this!

Photo evidence that fun does exist in this park!

This is across from the Szechenyi Baths.

Fun sound at every subway stop in Budapest (and a photo of my purse).

On Monday, we went to the baths!  There are several to choose from in Budapest, and we chose one of the more famous ones, the Szechenyi Baths.  It was so cool!  We arrived around 3 p.m. and stayed until 7:30 p.m.  It was probably 30 degrees outside, which made the water feel even warmer, and it looked really neat after it got dark with the steam coming off of the pools.

Szechenyi Baths.  So cool!

There were tables in a couple of pools where people played chess.

There were quite a few indoor pools and some saunas, including an aromatherapy one, a "solarium" one, and one that was 80-100 degrees... Celsius!  Only stayed in that one for about a minute.

The next day we went to the big indoor market for lunch.

Cabbage rolls and stuffed peppers.

Side note: The day before I discovered how much I like poppy seeds.  This is a pastry full of poppy seeds!  Or maybe this was the sour cherry/poppy seed one...  I went there for breakfast a couple of times.

Beautiful day for a walk to the Buda side of the Danube!

The group near the castle on the Buda side.

Our hostel was on the Pest side.

Cathedral on the Buda side.  Loved the colors on the roof!

Parliament building.

After our walk on the Buda side, Katrina and Anna went to the opera, and Nikki and I and an Australian from the hostel went to a "progressive dinner" at two restaurants we really enjoyed from the days before.

A great restaurant that the hostel receptionist recommended.

The three of us ordered three things to share: rabbit, chicken with beets, and "curd cheese" pasta.

We had plans to meet up with Katrina and Anna after dinner, and we ended up meeting earlier than planned because the opera in Budapest was in Italian with only Hungarian subtitles (unlike in Prague where they had both Czech and English), so they had left at intermission.

Budapest is known for "ruin bars," which I guess means a bar owner took over an abandoned... apartment complex or something and built a huge bar with lots of different rooms, and there are exposed brick walls.  I'm not exactly sure what the definition is, but we went to two of them, and it was something like that!

This was at a place called Instant.  They have a brochure that advertises their "Enchanted Forest," which refers to the flying rabbits in this photo.  I love the wording in their brochure:

"Ladies and Gentlemen, Let's not exaggerate, Instant is the best place in Budapest.  Newer or noisier places? Possibly.  Places more out-of-the-way?  Surely.  Cheaper or more expensive places? Probably.  But in the true sense of the word, there are no better places."

I'm sold!  Let's go!  :)

Hungarian I picked up (spelling?):

thank you - koseynum

women - noi

men - ferfi

toilets - toalety

Cheers! - Agasheg!

I would like a large coffee. - Kerek eg hosou kaveet.

Leg ferfi! - Be a man! (learned this when I had some trouble trying the local drink called palinka)

I highly recommend Budapest!  On Wednesday morning, we made our way to the airport to head to London!