North and South

For those of you who don't know, I'm mildly obsessed with 19th century female-written English literature. I started a Jane Austen club at UVa, which is currently on hiatus but might get reestablished next year if I can find the time to run it. I have read all of Austen's novels several times over (my favorite is Pride and Prejudice, although I also love Northanger Abbey and Sense and Sensibility, and my least favorite is Mansfield Park). I love Jane Eyre (and rather detest Wuthering Heights, I'm sorry to say - sorry, Emily, Charlotte writes books with characters I don't loathe). Since I live on the Internet and frequent Jane Austen communities, I'd been aware of Elizabeth Gaskell and her novels for quite some time, and have wanted to read North and South at least since I've been in college. Back in December I downloaded a free Kindle app for my iPod, and discovered to my delight that most of the classics are free, including Gaskell's work. I started North and South during my trip up to Washington for my visa appointment at the French consulate, and finally finished it today.

The story centers around Margaret Hale, the daughter of a former country vicar and his rather delicate wife, who have lived in the south of England all of Margaret's life. Her father abruptly breaks with his parish and moves the family to the northern industrial town of Milton, where he will work as a private tutor (hence, North and South). There, Margaret's eyes are opened to the harshness of factory life, and she frequently clashes with one of her father's pupils, plant manager John Thornton. You can probably guess where the story goes from there, but I recommend finding out for yourself rather than me telling you. However, since this is my blog, here are some of my impressions (SPOILER ALERT):

World Traveler

I've decided to post a couple visited regions maps. Every time I go to a new place, I'll add it. Voila:

My Europe map, excluding the UK, which I technically have visited, but only if you count Heathrow for four hours, which for the purposes of this map I'm choosing not to. I'll fill in the UK once I get a chance to pay it a proper visit.

These are all the countries I've spent at least two days in. As you can see, I still have a lot of the world to go. Here's hoping I can fill in a lot of Europe before the semester is over.

These are all the countries I've technically visited, airport stops included. Venezuela is the most iffy; my family was flying to Costa Rica from Puerto Rico, and we stopped in Caracas, but we never even got off the plane. Also, while I have definitely been to Canada, I was only a baby at the time, so I don't really remember any of it. Oh well. I'll go spend a week on Prince Edward Island sometime, and then I'll definitely be able to check off Canada!

And, just for fun, my visited states map, airports included. Without airport stops, I would have to take Georgia and Kentucky off the list.

Just a Normal 9-8 Day

This morning I left for class at 8:45 and didn't get back to my place until just before 8 PM. While this is an improvement from lazing about at home for three days straight, it was a rather long time to be at school. (By the way, in European English "school" basically refers to high school, and "university" is college. So no, European friends, I did not go back to high school for twelve hours, haha.) My classes were good, though - a lecture on the aftermath of wars, which felt a lot like my human rights class from last spring, and my Churchill class (Sarah - I'm taking a Churchill class this semester!), which today focused on his opposition to Indian reform. Have to say, Churchill was pretty darn stubborn, and also pretty darn wrong when it came to India.

When I got home, I made a new recipe from my Vegetarian Times magazine, Mac and Cheese-Style Cauliflower (so good!), walked upstairs to find demon cat on my bed, kicked him out, and Skyped my mom. I got her to show me my copy of The Fault in Our Stars, complete with J-scribble, which made me really ridiculously happy. More importantly, there is exciting news: my mom will be coming to France to visit me in April! We're still figuring out where we want to go, but I'm so thrilled she's able to fly out here in the first place. It'll be her first time in Europe as well; I can't wait to go meet her in Paris and spend a week traveling around with her. I miss her and the rest of my family so much - it'll be wonderful to be together again.

I have another long day tomorrow, so I'll wrap this up. Bonne nuit!

Demon Cat

My landlady has a demon cat. When I got back from Paris, the little monster forced its way into my bedroom, climbed on top of me, and started meowing very aggressively. It followed me downstairs when I went to make dinner, and it kept jumping in front of me so I couldn't cut vegetables or slice bread or anything. There was a temporary respite when my landlady fed it, but then it got back into my room when I was Skyping my mom, and I had to pick it up and push it outside. This morning it woke me up. I felt it walking on me, which was not appreciated when I had only had five hours of sleep. I tried to pick it up and kick it out again, but the little beast yanked out its claws and had to be pried from my blanket. Generally I have nothing against cats (although usually if they're not declawed it makes me uncomfortable), but this cat is the spawn of Satan. Okay, that's a little strong. This cat makes me very, very grumpy and probably came from the pits of hell. Why can't Meagan's adorable cat Simba live here instead?

Sorry for the irritability; I have writer's block and I'm annoyed that my landlady's boyfriend is a smoker. If you want to poison your lungs, be my guest, but I don't recall giving you permission to poison mine. Argh.

Art

Today I bought groceries, slept, and tried but mostly failed to work on my Batten application. Thus, I have nothing interesting to report. It was a recovery from Paris day, I guess. In lieu of an actual interesting post, have the rest of the Avatar art I've drawn over the past two weeks:

 

These are main characters from Avatar: The Legend of Korra. I realize this show has not yet been released, but since I am still ridiculously excited for it, I decided to try my hand at drawing the trio of Korra, Mako, and Bolin. I also drew a picture of Aang and Katara's granddaughters Jinora and Ikki, but I'm not especially happy with it, so I don't think I'll put it online. By the way, is it strange that I really don't like the Aang/Katara pairing but am fangirling like crazy over pictures of their son and his adorable airbending family? Something to ponder, anyway.

 

This is Katara. She's not my favorite ATLA character, but she's still awesome and probably the most like me. She can waterbend, and since that is my preferred element in the Avatar world, I feel that I am obligated to like her. Anyway. Yes, Katara. She's fun to draw. I'm especially proud of the lower lefthand image. I think I did a good job with her face and her hair. Also, hands are really hard to draw, but I did it!

 

I drew this today. It's Katara and Zuko who should have ended up together from the finale. The background is a little iffy, but I think I did a reasonably good job with the characters.

Also, who wants some tl;dr about Avatar shipping? Here, have this exchange from my Tumblr from a few months ago:

Tumblr user beeftony:

I hate when people try and justify Zutara by saying that “opposites attract.” Zuko and Katara are not opposites. They bend opposing elements, yes, but let’s consider the facts. They both:

• Have a distant father figure
• Lost their mothers at a young age
• Have a sibling who is more eager to fight than they are
• Had to grow up before they should have
• Have serious anger issues

All of which paints a picture of two people who can relate to each other on an emotional level because they are so goddamn similar. The main thing that separates them is how they reacted to their circumstances, and their relationship with what remains of their families. What keeps them apart is largely circumstantial, and if things had gone differently they may very well have ended up together.
Zuko and Aang had parallel journeys, but Zuko and Katara reflect one another. That’s different from being opposites, and it’s better for a long term relationship if they have things in common.
That’s why I ship it, anyway.

Me from the past (as Tumblr user secondhermione):

This actually makes a lot of sense. When I started watching Avatar during my first semester of college, well after the series had ended, I had no expectations for shipping (although I had certainly heard of the shipping wars). During books one and two, I thought Kataang was sort of blandly cute, even if it bothered me that Katara didn’t really seem to reciprocate Aang’s feelings (“The Cave of Two Lovers” being a notable exception). I was intrigued by Zuko and Katara’s dynamic, but I’m decidedly not one of those shippers that enjoys the “I’ll save you from the pirates” scene. Sorry, I’m not really into foe-yay.

I became a Zutara shipper after “The Crossroads of Destiny.” By that point, I knew Kataang was going to be endgame, so I didn’t actually expect anything to happen between Zuko and Katara. But I still think that post-series, they became very close friends at the very least, precisely because they have this shared connection. She’s water and he’s fire, but they’re really very similar, and they’ve both lost their mothers. I think they understand each other quite well, perhaps more than they care to admit.
Which leads me to the end of book three. I honestly believe that the writers made a few significant fumbles here, if they wanted us to support the Aang/Katara pairing. Katara needed to forgive and accept Zuko, but the way it was done created the problem of making them very close emotionally. Look at the way they interact with each other, post-“The Southern Raiders.” Zuko turns to Katara for reassurance and understanding, and she to him. When Aang is missing, when Zuko is afraid to face his uncle, when they’re preparing for the showdown with Azula, they find comfort in one another. While this certainly can be applied to their budding friendship, the way their relationship arc was progressing, it seems like the next natural step would have been to start a romance, particularly with Katara pushing Aang away and telling him that she was confused.

Basically, here’s how I see it:

1. Zuko and Katara connect over the mutual loss of their mothers in Ba Sing Se. He then sides with Azula, which Katara takes quite personally.

2. Zuko joins the Gaang, but Katara isn’t quite ready to forgive him yet. Their interactions, especially on Katara’s part, are highly charged. (This is important.)

3. Zuko desperately wants to gain Katara’s acceptance, to the point where he waits outside her tent all night just to talk to her. He then uses their shared bond - the loss of their mothers - to restart their connection. While Katara ultimately doesn’t take revenge, she comes to forgive Zuko, and they work well together as a team.

4. Aang wants to know why he and Katara haven’t progressed as a couple since their kiss at the invasion. Katara tells him she’s confused, and is justifiably upset when he tries to kiss her again anyway. They have basically no direct interaction after this until the coda of the finale.

5. In the lead up to the showdown with the Fire Lord, Zuko and Katara are often paired up. They’re a team during the battle with Melon Lord, they take charge of the Gaang when Aang disappears (although most of the leadership does go to Zuko, to be fair), and they go to face Azula together. Along the way, Zuko calms Katara, Katara reassures Zuko, and he looks to her when he needs help. Also, June provides some Ship Tease, although this was probably just the writers’ nod to their fanbase.

6. Then there’s the fight with Azula. I challenge you to find a sequence that’s more blatantly Zutara. He freaking takes a bolt of lightning for her. And while, yes, it is thematically significant that Zuko and Katara are working together to take down an enemy instead of being enemies during a finale, I maintain that if the writers had let the story take a natural course, this would have been the time for a Relationship Upgrade. The part where she heals him and they thank each other, Katara with tears in her eyes and a smile on her face, is just begging for romantic resolution.

7. My biggest problem with the Kataang relationship is that it feels too one-sided. There have been moments where I believed Katara returned Aang’s feelings (“The Cave of Two Lovers,” “The Headband”), but they’re few and far between. Now, after Katara has told Aang she’s confused, she suddenly decides she wants him as soon as he’s defeated the Fire Lord. I do like that she’s the one who makes the move, but I can’t buy it. It makes Katara look like Aang’s reward, and I think that’s a disservice to both their characters. Aang saved the world, and that’s great, but Katara doesn’t owe him anything for that. I don’t really see Katara making a choice, here. I see pride in a good friend, I see affection. What I don’t see (or buy, at least) is romantic attraction.

Also, I would have been fine with a peck on the cheek or even a quick kiss on the lips. But it honestly kind of squicks me out - Aang is 12 (for all intents and purposes), and he and Katara share a very adult sort of kiss. He just doesn’t feel grown up enough for something like that, not least because I felt his character didn’t do enough growing up in the finale. This is a problem I consistently had with Aang’s development; I rolled my eyes when 12-year-old Aang said he loved Katara in “The Crossroads of Destiny,” too.

8. Thematically, at least in my eyes, a Katara/Zuko relationship would have been a better choice. They have a great connection, especially because they’re similar enough to understand each other really well. Their interactions are charged - Katara seems to respond far more to Zuko than she ever did to Aang, and she never treated him like she was his mother. By the end of the series, Katara and Zuko seemed closer than Katara and Aang. And, well, if you want me to support Kataang, I think that’s a problem.

So I echo everything in this post, and add that this is something Mike and Bryan should keep in mind (or, at least, I hope they had in mind) when they were developing Legend of Korra. I’m not a Zutara fangirl who liked them because they’d be ~omg so hawt~ together (although I do think they look better together than Aang and Katara do, mostly because Aang is still prepubescent). I liked them together because it seemed like a natural conclusion for their characters and their development, and I know I’m not the only one that feels that way. To me, they are the great relationship that could have been. That they didn’t happen, and that (to me) the Kataang relationship feels forced, are some of Avatar’s very few flaws.

Me in the present: Wow, that was long. I just have a lot of feelings about Zutara, guys.

Anyway, happy Monday, and happy Day Before the State of the Union Day!

Paris (Really This Time)

So, Paris. The City of Lights. I only got to spend about 22 hours there, and I really wish I had scheduled myself some more. What an amazing place! Here is what I had time to do:

• Get on the Metro
• Go to Saint-Sulpice with the intention of visiting the church
• Wander around that general area instead
• Eventually reach the Seine
• Follow it to the Eiffel Tower
• Wait in line for tickets
• Go up into the tower
• Find a metro stop in the dark (not an experience I'd like to repeat)
• Check in at a hostel
• Discover bed has been slept in
• Get clean sheets and 10 euro discount from management
• Come downstairs and realize the hostel restaurant is really weird and no one will help me even if I look lost
• Finally walk up to the bar, order a virgin colada, and discover that the kitchen is closed
• Buy some potato chips from a vending machine for my first Parisian dinner
• Go to sleep
• Wake up
• Pack up
• Eat breakfast (baguette and not-Nutella/strawberry jam)
• Walk to the metro
• Get out by the Louvre
• Walk up the Champs-Elysées to the Arc de Triomphe
• Get on the metro
• Buy a sandwich
• Wait for my train

This may seem like a lot, but since the only famous places I got to see were the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre grounds but not the museum, the Champs-Elysées, and the Arc de Triomphe, you'll understand my wanting desperately to go back sometime soon. As you may have surmised, however, I will not be returning to that hostel, except maybe to buy another colada (only good thing about that hostel, it was delicious).

I have to wonder, though, is there something about me that just screams American? Of the people that spoke to me while I was in Paris, I would say at least three-quarters of them tried English first. I realize my French is far from perfect, and I probably looked like a tourist, but I do know enough French to hold a simple conversation! On the other hand, when I was walking to the Eiffel Tower, some weird guy who looked about 40 or so came up to me and asked in French if I was German. I told him (also in French) I was in fact American, and he proceeded to ask me a bunch of odd questions, ending with an invitation to have a coffee with him. I told him I was meeting my boyfriend and high-tailed it out of there. God, I hope I haven't tempted fate by claiming nonexistent boyfriend immunity. I do want to have a boyfriend eventually. I just don't want him to be, you know, a creepy fortysomething guy on the street. Also a street vendor told me that I was très belle, which was nice, but would have been nicer had he not just aggressively tried to sell me a miniature Eiffel Tower seconds beforehand.

The Eiffel Tower was great, by the way. Not only did I get a great workout (those stairs are intense - I don't know if my legs will ever forgive me), but the view really is incredible. I always forget that I'm mildly afraid of heights until I'm actually high up, which meant I was a little frightened the entire time I was up there, but I still loved being there. The summit is super scary, though; you take this long elevator ride from the second level, and some of the walls are see-through, so I got to see the city of Paris getting smaller and smaller below me as we climbed higher and higher. I may or may not have felt slightly nauseous, especially as when I got to the landing I saw lots of people sticking their cameras between the gaps to take pictures and I was petrified that someone would drop theirs. My hands are sweating just thinking about it. I didn't want to get close to the edge because I was afraid my glasses would fall off and shatter. No way did I put my camera anywhere near those gaps.

All in all, I think it was a successful, if far too short, visit. It was beautiful, the attractions were amazing, and I'm utterly exhausted. Good night.

Paris

I have a lot of things to say about Paris, but unfortunately my hostel has weird wifi, so I'll say them tomorrow. Still can't believe I'm here!

In Which I Accidentally End Up Seeing a Movie in Japanese with French Subtitles

Funny things happen when you study abroad. I expected to make weird mistakes when I got here - it comes with the territory, really. And I have made weird mistakes, don't get me wrong. I'm pretty sure everyone who lives with me thinks I'm really odd, because I haven't said more than a basic "Hello, how are you?" ("Bonjour! Ça va?") since I arrived. Today, however, contained an especially amusing mistake.

Yesterday my friend Ben suggested that we go see a movie, and since we both like Studio Ghibli and there's a new film out, we decided to go watch it. The movie was listed as being both dubbed in French and subtitled. Naturally, we assumed that the subtitled version would be dubbed in English, and when I went to meet Ben at the theatre this evening, I was looking forward to a nice, relaxing evening watching another Ghibli film in English. We bought our tickets, found our screen, and chose seats. The previews started, and the fact that more than half of them were in English with French subtitles only furthered my belief that we would be seeing an English-language film. Then the movie started up, and as the first song began to play, we slowly realized that while there were indeed French subtitles, the film we had just paid ten euros apiece to go see was in its original Japanese. In retrospect, it shouldn't have been that surprising, but it was somewhat disheartening to know that watching this movie would involve some serious concentration. Ben was the one who figured out the time, but I suspect I would have made the same mistake had I been in his shoes. And really, it wasn't a bad experience. Actually, it was fun, although reading the French subtitles gave me a bit of a headache after a while. I'm just very glad I took two and a half years of French before coming to live in France, because I understood the movie decently well; I probably directly understood 60-70% of the movie, and figured out most of the rest due to context clues. I also took karate for about a year and a half and watched the entirety of Akage no Anne in Japanese with English subtitles, so I think I've picked up a view Japanese phrases here and there. All things considered, it was an interesting evening, and one I'm sure I'll laugh about later.

As for the film itself ... well. It was called Kokuriko-Zaka Kara in Japanese, or From Up On Poppy Hill in English, according to TV Tropes and IMDb. It's directed by Hayao Miyazaki's son, Goro, his second Ghibli film, apparently. The animation is gorgeous, and the art style is an interesting mix of anime and impressionism. That was easily my favorite part of the film - it was just incredible to look at, and as it's an aspect that is conveyed without language, I appreciated it even more. Plotwise, it was a little weird. Ostensibly it's about a high school girl and her friends saving the building that houses all their clubs from demolition, but it's also about how the girl, Umi, (SPOILERS) falls for a guy, Shun, who finds out he's actually the illegitimate son of her father, which means they can't be together because it would be incest, and that's wrong, but not really, because Umi's father isn't Shun's father after all, and Shun is really the son of Umi's father's best friend, but because they both died in the Korean War, Shun and Umi have to find this out from their fathers' navy BFF who conveniently shows up at the end of the film (Holy run-on sentence, Batman!). Yeah, I know, it's really strange. (END SPOILERS) Well, at least it was pretty to look at.

Off to Paris tomorrow. I'm excited and a little nervous. My hostel has wifi, so I expect to update my blog from there. A demain!

Lazy Day

I didn't have class today, so I spent most of my Wednesday making duchesse potatoes, drawing, and watching The Daily Show. These are all things I could do at home, I know, but I can't go do exciting study abroad things until UVA gives me my refund. After that, I'm not planning on spending many class-free days lounging around my room. I did leave the house once today, though - some of the other international students found out about a nice tapas bar that has live jazz on Wednesday nights, so I went out to that. I just had tea to drink, as I'm still pretty skittish around alcohol and don't want to waste my money on something I won't like, but I'm looking forward to going back and trying the food sometime soon. The atmosphere was great and I enjoyed talking with the other girls that went.

First Churchill class tomorrow! It's a long, late seminar, so I hope it's good. On the bright side, if it's a boring class, it only lasts six weeks.

Voila, the potatoes I made today:

Oh, and here, have some Zuko art. I've been on an Avatar kick lately, and really, you can never have too much Zuko.

Aida Watches Downton Abbey, Season 1, Episode 1

 

 Downton Abbey is one of those shows that is getting a lot of buzz. I don't remember when I first heard about it, but I know that by the time I came home for Christmas, Netflix had suggested it to me, Tumblr and LiveJournal talked of nothing else, and even NPR ran a story on it. My friend Sara then posted a message on my Facebook wall telling me I had to watch it, and, well, who am I to argue with that? Plus, the first episode of season 2 was available for viewing on my long flight from Chicago to London, and while I decided not to watch it because I didn't want to be spoiled, I took it as a sign that my introduction to Downton Abbey should come sooner rather than later.

So, here we are. Going in, I knew that the show had something to do with British society during World War I, and it was an ITV import on PBS. The All Things Considered report compared its popularity to Brideshead Revisited, which I have never seen but I know is a big deal. I initially wondered if it was based on a book, and as someone who believes books are almost universally better than their screen adaptations, I felt duty-bound to read the book first. However, as Sara assured me, the show's content is original, and while it may feel like something that ought to be a book, it is not.

The first episode, cleverly titled "Episode One," actually takes place in April 1912, just after the sinking of the Titanic. This surprised me, as did the cast list; I was delighted to see Maggie Smith (better known to my generation as Professor McGonagall) and Dan Stevens (Edward Ferrars in the 2008 Sense and Sensibility miniseries) in the opening titles. The music is incredible, as are the costumes, and the whole thing looks very nicely produced.

The basic plot is this: Lord Grantham (Hugh Bonneville) lives with his family (a wife and three daughters) and many, many servants on his country estate, Downton Abbey. There is an entail on the property, which means that for the same reason that none of the Bennet girls could inherit Longbourn in Pride and Prejudice, Lord Grantham's fortune will fall to the next male heir rather than his daughter Mary (Michelle Dockery). A telegraph is sent to Downton informing Lord Grantham that both the heir and his son perished on the Titanic, leaving the inheritance to a distant cousin. This is unacceptable to Lord Grantham's mother, the Dowager Countess (Maggie Smith), who is determined to find some way around the entail for the benefit of both Mary and the family. A wealthy duke comes to visit, and the family hopes he will make a good match for Mary, but he is instead revealed (to the audience, not the family) to have had an affair with a (male) servant and is not interested in marrying a girl with no legal claim to Downton.

Meanwhile, Lord Grantham hires his old friend (not sure if that's the right word to use) from the war (I think), John Bates (Brendan Coyle), to be his valet. Bates is lame, which does not endear him to the other servants, though Anna the housemaid (Joanne Froggatt) shows him kindness. Thomas, a footman (Rob James-Collier), is upset about Bates's appointment because he was hoping to be Lord Grantham's valet himself. Eventually, some of the servants go to Lord Grantham and tell him they think Bates's lameness is preventing him from doing his duties. Lord Grantham decides to dismiss Bates, who becomes very upset. The next morning, however, Lord Grantham changes his mind, and keeps Bates on as his valet. The episode ends with Matthew Crawley (Dan Stevens), the new heir, receiving the news of his inheritance.

As you can see, the plot is quite complicated, which made the pilot a bit difficult to follow in places. Nevertheless, I am intrigued. I was pleasantly surprised that the episode focused so much on the servants' lives; I figured that the show would be all about the Crawleys (the surname of Lord Grantham and his family), the upper-class, as most such costume dramas are. In retrospect, though, a dual focus on the family and their servants makes perfect sense; Britain has such a strong history of class divide that it seems only natural to make it a theme of a show about World War I, a time when class lines begin to blur a little. I am also interested to see how they will handle Thomas and his (presumed) homosexuality, considering the time period. I do hope we get some more likable characters out of the deal, though (or even better, good character development). I liked Bates very much, and some of the servants' dynamics were fun to watch, but Mary seems cold, the Dowager Countess very snobbish, and Lord Grantham rather aloof. Still, I'm willing to forgive; after all, this is just the pilot, and the critical acclaim this show has had is rather astounding. Can't wait to watch episode two - and since I'm watching it online, I don't half to. Ahh, my favorite thing about watching shows with complete seasons already out.

Day Seven

Or, the post where Aida complains a lot when she really should be grateful she's even in France in the first place.

It has now been a week since I arrived in France. I don't really have much to write about today, as nothing of consequence happened. My French class met at 9 AM, which meant I had to get up entirely too early for someone who still isn't used to the time zone, and take the Metro during rush hour. I may not have mentioned this before, but I'm mildly claustrophobic, so this morning's ride wasn't very fun. The Metro car was completely packed, and as usually happens when I'm in a small, enclosed space with many other people, I started to feel anxious and short of breath. Luckily, I only had to wait five minutes until my stop, and then I could concentrate on running over to Sciences Po. By the way, apart from the Republique Beaux-Arts Metro station, Lille's Transpole system is in desperate need of some good cleaners. Maybe I'm spoiled by the DC Metro, which is generally clean(ish), but I'm not very happy with having to navigate around a floor covered with cigarette butts, used tickets, leaves, and spit. I know I sound peevish - I think I'm probably a little homesick. I was uncomfortable with how much people smoke in Virginia, but in France I'm starting to get a permanent stomachache from all the cigarette smoke. I've met some incredibly nice people in the international program who smoke, and I understand that it's an addiction and very hard to quit. That doesn't change the fact that it's deadly, and I don't enjoy being constantly surrounded by it. Sigh.

Other than having to deal with the Metro and smokers, the day went by reasonably well. I'm a fan of the cheese sandwiches served in Sciences Po's cafeteria, though I suspect I'll have to start limiting my intake if I don't want to gain five pounds of French bread. I finally took out some vegetarian recipes tonight to try and put together a menu, since for the past week I've basically been surviving on yogurt, bananas, and peanut butter when I'm not at school, and cheese sandwiches when I am. Basically, I really need some vegetables, stat.

No big plans for the weekend. I might go to an international student get-together tomorrow night, although considering most of the BDI events have involved bars and partying, I'm a little out of my element at them. Apparently there's a nice market in Wazemmes on Sunday with great prices, so I might do some shopping then. Other than that, I'm trying to take it easy; I've already had to spend money on French insurance, and until UVa sends me my refund in about a week, I've got to be responsible with my expenses. Shame, really, because I'd like to go to Paris, but I ought to be practical. Even in Europe, I'm the scholarship student.

Watching Miyazaki

Am I the only person who, despite not wanting kids for a good long while yet, gets really excited about the idea of introducing them to her favorite works of fiction? I guess it helps that I still enjoy family-oriented media, as my love of all things Pixar and YA fiction indicates. Anyway, I had always heard that Hayao Miyazaki's films were treasures and often great for children, but not having grown up in a particularly anime-appreciative family, I hadn't seen many of them myself until I got to college.

I have to admit that I'm still not a huge fan of anime in general. It has nothing to do with animation as a storytelling medium (as longtime readers will know, far from it). It's probably just that that particular style of animation is not especially appealing to me, and sometimes I prefer to watch movies in a language I understand (although this is not always a problem, as I love Akage no Anne, the anime adaptation of Anne of Green Gables, like no tomorrow). But I'm really coming to love Miyazaki's work. True, almost all of it has been dubbed, but they're Miyazaki-approved dubs with generally great voice acting, and if it helps me to access the story better, I can't see why anyone should have a problem with it (I'm sure the Miyazaki purists would beg to differ, though). As of now, my favorites are Castle in the Sky, Spirited Away, and My Neighbor Totoro. I love that Miyazaki consistently chooses female protagonists (although sometimes, as with Sheeta in Castle in the Sky, they can be rather one-note), and can convincingly tell simple stories without major antagonists, like Totoro (I watched the Disney dub with the Fanning sisters, and it was adorable). I don't love all of it (I thought Ponyo was visually stunning and super cute but light on plot, and Princess Mononoke was a bit too gritty for me), but overall I can see why Miyazaki has the reputation he does. I love Pixar precisely because their maxim is storytelling is key, and I think Miyazaki operates in much the same vein.

So, as I get ready to watch Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, I'm quite happy to report that I've added Miyazaki's collection to my list of fictional works I must introduce my future children to. They're beautiful stories, full of imagination, inventiveness, and, especially with Totoro, reflections on childhood, and I can't wait to share them with my kids someday.

P.S. Random side note: I was watching Castle in the Sky for the first time last night, and it struck me that Sheeta and Pazu look very much like Anne and Gilbert from Akage no Anne. I don't know if it was the wardrobe or the fact that Miyazaki worked on both or what, but I think it only helped me to love the movie more.

P.P.S. I really do have an actual list of fictional works I plan to introduce my future children to. Let me know if you'd like me to post it!

Top Tens: Places I Want to Visit While I'm in Europe

Nothing much of consequence happened today, so I thought I would post another Top Ten list! It's been a while, hasn't it? Starting with 10, as usual:

10. Italy (in general)

All of my friends who have been to Italy told me it was one of the most beautiful places they had ever seen. It has incredible art and architecture, gorgeous landscapes, and, of course, pretty great gelato. Considering my background in art history and my desire to see all that I can on my limited budget, I don't doubt that they're right. I'm certain that if I do end up in Italy, I'll have an amazing time. It doesn't top my list of places to visit, but if the opportunity presents itself, I'll be off to Rome, Florence, or Venice in a heartbeat.

9. Ireland (in general)

Ireland is another place I've heard spoken of as particularly stunning. The cities, most of my friends have said, aren't really much to write home about, but the countryside is breathtaking, apparently. Many of my favorite stories take place in Ireland, and I probably have at least some ancestry there (I'm mostly English on my dad's side, but apparently centuries ago we lived in Ireland for a while. Highly doubt I have any Irish ancestry on my mom's side, though, haha). Ireland also has the added benefit of not being terribly far from Lille; I could probably get a ticket from Brussels to Dublin for less than a hundred dollars round trip if I played my cards right. In any case, I would love to see firsthand a country I've been dreaming about for years, and now is the perfect time to do it.

8. Amsterdam

No, I don't want to go here to try legal pot or hire a male prostitute. Frankly, the kinds of activities university students supposedly get up to in Amsterdam don't interest me in the slightest. But it is a city famous for its culture and vibrancy, and one of my mom's friends and colleagues lives nearby. In fact, this may be the first place on the list I end up visiting; I'm currently planning a trip for February. I'd particularly like to see the Anne Frank House, the Canal District, and the Van Gogh museum, but really, I'm open to whatever Lauran has to show me. At any rate, I'm looking forward to seeing this great city sometime soon!

7. The Scottish Highlands

This is probably one of the longer shots on my list, although I'm considering spending a week in the UK during one of my breaks, in which case I will definitely try to make it up here. It'll probably be cold and rainy, which the Californian in me is not looking forward to, but I'll suffer through it for the chance to see the home of Hogwarts firsthand. There isn't much in the way of cities in the Highlands - the population density is apparently lower than that of Sweden, Norway, and Argentina. However, judging by my reaction to just walking around Heathrow Airport, I think I will absolutely love the United Kingdom, and I can't wait to explore "the heart of this fierce land," as the Brave trailer calls it.

6. The South of France

Again, a very broad region, but also one I'll probably get to explore extensively. I'd like to go when it's warmer, maybe just before I go back to the States in May, so I can try swimming in the Mediterranean. It'll probably still be quite cold, but when am I going to get another chance? I'd also really like to see Provence and Nice (I know, I'm such a tourist), and Lyon and Marseille.

5. Prague

There are also family friends here, although I still need to arrange things with them. Still, this looks like it very well might happen; I'm planning to visit a high school friend of mine in Germany, and she doesn't live very far from Prague. As for the city itself, I want to go see it because of its rich historical background (I've always been weirdly fascinated by Bohemia) and its sight-seeing opportunities (and of course, my family friends). I hope I can make it happen!

4. Barcelona

Just before I left Virginia, my friend Matt told me this was a must-see. I already wanted to go; now I really want to go. I anticipate going to Spain at some point, anyway; it's nice to be somewhere I can speak the language, and my family has friends in Valencia that have already said I'm welcome at some point during my time abroad. But Barcelona has a lot more going for it than just the language. It's right on the Mediterranean shore, it has incredible architecture (and fantastic art museums), it's both modern and historic, and, okay, it's nice and warm compared with most of Europe. Spain is one of the must-see countries on my trip anyway - Barcelona is just a primary reason for going in the first place.

3. Edinburgh

Okay, yes, J.K. Rowling lives here. It's where she wrote the Harry Potter books. I'd be lying if I said I won't be running by the Balmoral Hotel or the former Nicholson's just to get a glimpse of where my favorite works of literature came into being. However, Edinburgh is a great city in its own right, and I'm looking forward to wandering its streets and taking in its sights, like the famous Edinburgh Castle. Plus, it's Scotland, and I'd be dying to see Scotland even if I'd never read Harry Potter. Except now I'm imagining a horrible, horrible world in which I'd never read Harry Potter, so let's move on, shall we?

2. London

Just the thought of seeing London makes me giddy. I'm pretty sure the Brits at Heathrow thought I was crazy for gleefully poring over signs (I've spent the last decade of my life acquainting myself with Britishisms, so it was quite an experience to see them used in person) or getting excited about driving on the left side of the road (so weird, but exhilarating - shut up, I know I'm strange), and I wasn't even properly in London. In fact, I think this is the only time in my life I was disappointed by having a relatively short layover, because it meant I wouldn't have time to leave the airport and explore the city. As I mentioned before, though, I'm planning to take a week to entirely devote myself to visiting the UK. I've heard so much about London, and I fully intend to see as much as is humanly and financially possible for an American college student on a very limited budget. The West End, Piccadilly, Westminster, Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, and yes, King's Cross - here I come!

1. Paris

Well, of course! If I weren't on a budget, I would be off to Paris this weekend. It's probably the most-visited tourist location in the world, but there's a reason for that! Plus, I'm only an hour away by train. How can I live in France for five months and not go to Paris, really? It's a completely amazing city, and I need to visit at least once in my life. Who knows? Maybe I'll get to go twice or more!

Observations à propos de France

• American things I have seen in Lille so far: McDonald's, Pizza Hut, and Subway. Sadly, no Starbucks.
• The stop signs by the Metro station have "STOP" written on them. In English.
• Bringing peanut butter with me was a smart idea. Having no grape jelly makes me sad, though.
• I found cheddar cheese in the supermarket today and got really happy. I bought a couple croissants and am going to experiment with sandwich making; here's hoping it goes well. The ciabatta I bought got stale after only a day, but I'm betting croissants will be a little easier to deal with.
• Hulu, Netflix, and ABC Family are no-gos so far. I can, however, access The Daily Show and The Colbert Report here, as I think I've mentioned before. Hallelujah. By the way, there's a Chuck Norris World of Warcraft ad I saw in the States before I came to Europe that is dubbed in French and plays between the show segments here. Chuck Norris speaking French will never not be weird. ("Je suis Chuck Norris, et j'approuve ce jeu!"). That link also has French Chuck Norris facts, haha.
• My landlady made up my bed with a Tintin duvet. It's different, but I kind of like it.
• Trains actually leave and arrive on time here. It's amazing. Also, I was at the train station again today to exchange some dollars I didn't spend during my trip, and I saw a train to London on the departures board. I want to go explore the UK so much liek woah. Not gonna lie, I mostly really want a picture at Platform Nine and Three-Quarters at King's Cross.
• So on the one hand, I think Lille's Metro is very handy and efficient; I can leave my place between 10 and 15 minutes before I have to be at Sciences Po and still get there on time. On the other, my station is smelly and there are cigarette butts everywhere.
• Have I mentioned before that I really, really loathe cigarette smoke? Guess what? Everything you've heard about France and smoking? Probably true. I'm continually shocked at the number of people my own age I see smoking, too. Um, you do know that you're polluting your lungs (and mine) with every puff on that thing, right? I hope you enjoy getting lung cancer and dying young!
• Eight-story bookstore with a whole section of English books, including British editions of Harry Potter? Yes, please.
• I keep forgetting I'm actually in Europe until I walk down the street and there's a completely gorgeous church from at least the 1400s. If I were in the habit of pinching myself to make myself wake up, my arms would be black and blue.
• When I'm with European students, I often find myself speaking with a weird mixture of American and British accents, maybe because they all speak English with a mixture of British and their own native accents and I'm trying to subconsciously emulate them. I don't know, it's weird. Although I'm tempted to test how good my British accent is, and let people guess where I'm from before telling them.
• Today, the international students had a methodology lesson, where we learned how to ... write an essay. No offense, Sciences Po, but I did graduate junior high.
• I'm starting to feel a bit more comfortable here (for example, it doesn't take me five minutes to unlock the front door anymore!). Let's hope it lasts!

Palais des Beaux-Arts

Today I decided to meet up with some new friends at the art museum, the Palais des Beaux-Arts. It's in the pretty part of Lille, with the old, ornate buildings and smaller touches like statues and a flowing water fountain. I showed up a little early and wandered around looking for a boulangerie, even though, as I realized walking down the Rue de Gambetta, most stores in France are closed on Sundays. I finally found a sandwich shop that also sold pastries, and bought a pain à la crème and a crossaint. I must say, anyone who talks about the glories of French baking is absolutely correct. Much like my pain au chocolat yesterday, the pastries were absolutely delicious.

The museum itself was wonderful, too. It's a beautiful building, intricately designed with mosaics in the floor. I didn't take many pictures, as I wasn't sure if I was allowed to, but it was a gorgeous place, and I can't wait to go back when it's free. Working in the art history department has served me well; I love being able to identify certain painting techniques or recognize an artist or style. I especially loved their Middle Ages and Renaissance collection, which surprised me, as art from the Middle Ages is usually not my favorite. I think there was something about being in the same country where so many of the works had been created, and realizing just how much work had gone into their crafting and restoration, that made everything that much more impressive. And sue me, I like religious art, okay?

Afterward, the group went out into the city center for a snack. There were creperies galore open; I'll have to try one once I get all my major expenses taken care of. We ended up at a place that served fancy drinks and sandwiches; I ended up getting just an egg sandwich without anything to drink. We talked American politics while we ate. It was so interesting discussing politics at a table with a Canadian, a Finn, a South Korean, and a Swede, and only one another American to bounce my views off of. If this is what the semester is going to be like, I can't wait for the rest of it!

Then I went back to my place and slept, which is the story of my life nowadays. I'll be so glad when my body finally gets accustomed to this time zone, you don't even know.

Introductory seminar begins tomorrow! Yay!

Being a Tourist

Entry to come.

Sciences Po, and I Visit a Bar for the First Time (But Don't Drink Anything)

Today was the orientation session for spring semester international students.

I Think My Brain Has Melted

How did anyone study abroad before the Internet? It's basically the only thing keeping me sane right now. France is beautiful, but the limits of my college French are quickly becoming apparent. Every time I try to talk with my landlady or the others living in my house, the words get stuck in my mouth and I sound like I'm about five years old again, except five-year-olds can express themselves in age-appropriate ways. I just want to be able to be understood, and at the moment that's pretty hard to come by. Thank God for Skype.

Last night I fell asleep around 8 o'clock (sorry for leaving you hanging on Gchat, Pooja!), woke up at 11:30, went back to sleep, woke up again around 1, and slept for another hour or so before finally giving up around 2:30. I didn't want to wake anyone else up, so I found my headphones and surfed the Internet for a few hours. I knew beforehand that Netflix wouldn't work while I was abroad, but I was disgruntled to find out that Hulu is also limited to the U.S. I had to watch the new Switched at Birth episode on YouTube in short segments. At least The Daily Show and The Colbert Report's websites are accessible overseas.

First Impressions and Travel Tales

Post to come tomorrow, once I've had some sleep.

Allons-y!

Au revoir, Etats-Unis!

Preparations

Just a few more hours and I'm off to Europe. My bags are packed and under the weight limit, I'm checked in online, and all the last-minute errands are done. There is nothing left to do but maybe make a sandwich for the plane and decide which podcasts go on my iPod. I'm too exhausted to feel excited, but I suspect that tomorrow morning I'll be bouncing around on the balls of my feet, eager to get going. True, I am rather anxious about the travel days; I'm exchanging currency for the first time in San Diego before my flight, I have no idea where I'm supposed to go through passport control (my layover is in the UK, which is not in the Schengen zone, but I'm still going to be in another country, so I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to go through some kind of security), and I suspect there's going to be a bit of a time crunch when I get to Brussels. My French is not great, which will make for some interesting interactions with my landlady. All of the family friends I visited today, though, told me not to worry. I guess I'll have to trust that they're right and enjoy the ride. Here's hoping I can!

Madeline is excited to return to her homeland.

Blog housekeeping: Since my resolution is to post every day of my study abroad experience, I will upload a small post tomorrow, either from my house or San Diego, but it may not be the final version. Anything I cross-post to Facebook is final, barring the correction of any typos.

2012

The new year has arrived! My family and I are at our annual missionary retreat on Palomar Mountain, with a group of their colleagues I've known since I was eleven. It's been an overall pleasant time; the people are lovely, and the activities are fun (I went zip-lining and horseback riding, and we've played board games aplenty). When I haven't been hanging out with missionaries, I've been reading and preparing for France. I still can't believe I'm leaving on Tuesday; it's a rather scary prospect. There's still a lot to do, although at least I have all my documents in order. Here is a picture of me with my visa:

I have to get an early start tomorrow, so I'll leave this here. However, it is my new year's resolution to blog at least every day that I'm abroad; we'll see how that goes. A demain!