Nerdiest Nerd That Ever Nerded

This post comes to you in two parts.

Part one: Game Change.

Apparently I go through audiobooks like I go through regular books, because I finished Game Change today. The HBO movie focused on the Sarah Palin stuff, and having listened to the source, it was put into the film pretty much verbatim. It basically confirmed my opinion of her; she's got a good instinct for crowds and she's a decent actress, but she's incompetent at best and hopelessly ignorant at worst when it comes to serious policy issues. I understand that the McCain team placed her in a difficult position, but if she was being honest with herself, she should have turned them down (that, and they never should have made her the offer in the first place). I rolled my eyes so much at her whining about the "gotcha media," just as I did four years ago. Sorry, Governor Palin, you were vastly unprepared, and Katie Couric had every right to call you on it. It's insulting to the people you were asking for their vote to insinuate otherwise. Thank goodness she wasn't elected.

In addition to Palin, however, the book devoted large sections to the Democratic primary, the Edwards campaign, and McCain before and after he won the nomination. A lot of it I'd already read about to some capacity, but what boggled my mind was how incredibly tone-deaf and out-of-touch John Edwards really was. I was never his biggest fan, but I remember liking him in 2004, and being glad he was on the ticket. Now I'm horrified I ever felt that way. He may have had nice things to say about the interests of the lower class, but the Edwards in Game Change is narcissistic and as good old boy as they come. He honestly believed that he could have an affair (and a child out of wedlock) and still be president, then he was angling for an appointment as Obama's attorney-general even after the story was more or less known. What a creep. Good riddance. I am sorry to hear that Elizabeth Edwards was apparently a piece of work; according to Game Change, she was horrible to her staff, fought with John constantly (not that he didn't deserve it), and had diva moments aplenty. I know she was sick, and it must be awful to see your husband have an affair, but it's changed my opinion of her, and that makes me sad.

My feelings toward the Clintons have been pretty ambivalent since 2008. I've been a supporter of President Obama since 2004, and was on his side in the primary once there was even an inkling he was going to run. I still don't think the media was "in the tank" for him, as the Clintons maintain, and while I understand that sexism plays an ugly role in politics, ultimately I am confident that the president won because he was the more deserving candidate, end of story (and it doesn't make me anti-woman to say that). Game Change gave me some insight into how the Clintons felt during 2008, and I did feel sorry for them sometimes, but mostly the book just rehashed the stunts that made me angriest at them in the first place. While I've mostly gotten over nonsense from 2008, and I really admire the job Hillary Clinton has done as Secretary of State, I can't say I feel more warmly about her having read this book. It wasn't always fun to hear the president's dirty laundry aired out, either, but there were some passages that reminded me why I like him so much. The book recounts then-Senator Obama's approach to the financial crisis during the fall of 2008, and discusses how he would call the fed chair and treasury secretary repeatedly with thought-provoking questions (Henry Paulson says that he was impressed by the maturity with which President Obama handled the situation) and talk constantly with his economic advisers, while Senator McCain gave a more perfunctory response. I haven't been completely happy with everything President Obama has done since he took office, but I think no one can deny that he is a very smart man, and he takes his job seriously.

Other thoughts - the book basically confirmed what I already know about Mitt Romney, which is that he is a raging opportunist and not even other Republicans like him. Also, everyone swears like sailors. I guess that shouldn't surprise or disappoint me, but as someone who doesn't swear much, it kind of does. And while I guess this is my chosen career field and I should just get used to it, it struck me how utterly wearying and childish the political process can be. I dearly hope that not everyone is as petty as they seemed in the book.

Part two: The Legend of Korra

News just keeps getting better and better on the Korra front. First they officially dropped the stupid Last Airbender part from the title at long last. Now Nickelodeon has finally announced the release date, and it's exactly one month from today, April 14. They've also put out a new trailer, and it's making me practically salivate to find out what happens next.



Thoughts:

• I am incredibly happy that an action/adventure series with a female protagonist of color is being taken completely seriously. Just five years ago, when Avatar was airing, Nickelodeon refused to even make action figures of the female characters, and now they're not even trying to hide the fact that this series has a girl as the main character. It might not seem like much, but in the entertainment industry, the prevailing idea is that boys will not watch stories about girls, so especially action shows with female protagonists are thought not to be marketable. I just really want Korra to be an unambiguous success, so the entertainment industry will realize how wrong they are.
• The story sounds so exciting. I can't wait to see where it's going.
• I've already seen all the leaked clips, so I have a small sense of Korra's character, but she seems so awesome. I'm pretty sure I'm going to love her.
• I'm really interested to know what Korra and Tenzin's relationship is going to be like. Based on this trailer, it sounds like it'll be something of a father-daughter relationship, but of course I want to know how Korra being Aang's reincarnation is going to factor into things. 
• I want to see more of the kids, especially Jinora, since Mike and Bryan described her as a bookworm and kind of shy, and she sounds like a girl after my own heart. Plus, girl airbenders! Oh, and Meelo, I guess.
• Mako speaks! He's quite the animated heartthrob. 
• Calling it: Mako and Korra are going to have a thing.
• Bolin, meanwhile, will be her completely platonic buddy, and they'll have really fun times together. I liked the shot of them laughing (and hanging out at a speakeasy?) in this trailer.
• Hnng I just want to know the history of this antibending movement and how Korra gets wind of it and what Amon's beef is and ahhhh!
• One more month!

Top Tens: Literary Crushes

Time for another top ten list! It's been a while since my last one, so here you are.

As you probably know, I am a bookworm. I read voraciously as a kid and still go through new books pretty quickly now even though I have less time to read them. My preferred genre is probably fantasy, but I love historical fiction, contemporary teenage fiction, and sci-fi as well, and generally I'm not too picky; if a book is good, I'm usually willing to read it. I don't read much romance, but most of my favorite books include at least a romantic subplot, and I confess that I care way more about said subplots than I strictly ought to much of the time.

I strongly suspect that part of the reason I haven't had a boyfriend yet is because my expectations have been raised too high by literature. Funnily enough, I still don't really know what my type is in real life, but I definitely have a literary type. Almost all of the love interests on my list are good-humored, funny, devoted to their families, clever, kind, and really dedicated to their ladies. A little distressingly, at least to me, they all happen to also be white, which is sadly probably reflective of the lack of protagonists of color in mainstream literature. I think the other issue is that I love these guys for how they love their love interests, so a lot of the traits I find attractive are really kind of specific to their relationships with women who aren't me. But hey, since they are fictional and I am not, it was never going to work anyway. Well, here goes. See if you can guess who I picked (let me know if you got any right).

SPOILER ALERT: Some ending details for Persuasion, Northanger Abbey, The Hunger Games trilogy, Madeleine L'Engle's Time and Austin series, The Princess Diaries series, the Anne of Green Gables series, Pride and Prejudice, and the Harry Potter series.

 10. Frederick Wentworth (Persuasion)

Favorite Film Portrayal: Ciaran Hinds, 1995

Chosen mainly because he writes the most romantic letter in all of literature to protagonist Anne Elliot. I won't spoil it for you, but it contains the line "You pierce my soul," and it since it throws his character into a completely different light, it makes for excellent reread value.
Pluses: Very patient, honorable, quite the way with a pen
Minuses: Tendency to be distant, man in uniform (I know that's a plus for a lot of people, but not for me. No offense if you happen to be one, but I happen to be ethically opposed to the military as an institution - not to you personally, of course)

 9. Henry Tilney (Northanger Abbey)

Favorite Film Portrayal: JJ Feild, 2007

Pluses: Hilarious, willing to stand up for what he thinks is right, kind
Minuses: As an introvert, I sometimes find it difficult to keep up with very extroverted people, as I think Henry is. Since Catherine and I seem to have this in common, perhaps it wouldn't be a huge roadblock, but I imagine it would hamper things somewhat.

8. Peeta Mellark (The Hunger Games)

Film Portrayal That I Have Not Yet Seen But Am Pretty Sure Will Enjoy: Josh Hutcherson, 2012

I am not the biggest Hunger Games fan in the world, but the one character I kept reading for was Peeta. I didn't even care about his romance with Katniss that much; he was just a really decent guy, and I was impressed by his desire to stay true to himself no matter what happened. Complicated slightly by Mockingjay (as everything in this series is), which is why he's 8th instead of, say, 4th on my list.
Pluses: Strong sense of self, dry, self-deprecating wit, devotion to the people he loves
Minuses: I am a little bothered by how self-sacrificial he is. Possibly another one of my paradoxes; I am moved by all-encompassing love, but I get annoyed at characters that don't seem to have a life beyond their love interests. So, yeah. Also, Peeta's a bit manipulative in a way I don't entirely love.

7. Calvin O'Keefe (A Wrinkle in Time and its sequels)

Not Including a Film Portrayal Because the Only One There Is Neglected His Red Hair (But He's Played By Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century's Boyfriend Greg)

All-around nice guy and whip-smart, Calvin isn't the most standout character in the series, but I love him for his fundamental goodness and his willingness to be there for Meg and her family no matter what. He doesn't care that she's seen as a bit of an oddball at their school; he likes her for who she is, and tells her so. I appreciate that. Also, redhead. I have a bit of a weakness for red hair, in case you hadn't noticed.
Pluses: The "dreamboat eyes" scene, doesn't care what other people think, kind, open, smart, supportive, wants to love and be loved
Minuses: His family would make for awful in-laws

6. Neville Longbottom (the Harry Potter series)

Film Portrayal I Pretty Much Liked: Matthew Lewis, 2001-2011

If you've read Deathly Hallows, this one's a no-brainer.
Pluses: Brave, sweet, devoted to his friends and family, such a fabulously layered and developed character
Minuses: Forgetful, fictional (and therefore not able to be my boyfriend)

5. Michael Moscovitz (the Princess Diaries series)

Film Portrayal That Was Okay Enough: Robert Schwartzman, 2001

One of my first literary crushes, probably because I started reading The Princess Diaries series around age 12, and I loved it so much. Especially in the first four books, Michael is so very dreamy. He's nerdy, which appeals to me, and he's obviously and sweetly in love with Mia, which makes him appealing in general. I particularly love their Star Wars-infused first date, and the fact that he tells her he likes her with a self-made computer program.
He got considerably less dreamy around the time that Mia herself gets really annoying (I don't think either of them acquitted themselves well in the Michael's-not-actually-a-virgin-(even-though-Meg-Cabot-had-said-he-was-on-her-website-and-then-changed-her-mind-because-she-wanted-to-~make-a-point~-or-something)-and-surprise-Mia-he-never-told-you situation. But come book 10, when Mia's with the supremely unlikable J.P. and Michael comes back from Japan, I was quite happy it was as his lovable old self. Mia was, too.
Pluses: wonderfully nerdy, nice, caring, considerate, patient, musical (I like guys who can sing and/or play instruments), hot (as Mia informs us about ten times a book, but those passages about his well-defined pecs made quite an impression on me as a preteen)
Minuses: a little too cavalier about sex (or at least about the Judith Gershner situation above)

4. Adam Eddington (the Vicky Austin series)

Not Including a Film Portrayal Because Good Lord That Movie Was Disappointing (But If You Were Curious, He Was Played By Ryan Merriman)

Easily my favorite of Vicky's love interests (I am NOT into troubled-but-cute types, a la Zachary Gray, who frankly is more trouble than he's worth). Their relationship is so interesting to read about, and not just in the romantic sense. Oh, and a tip, if you've only seen the Disney Channel movie version of A Ring of Endless Light: read the book. Seriously. Book!Adam and movie!Adam are about as different as it is possible to be.
Pluses: smart, caring, friendly, good with kids, "I called you." "And I came."
Minuses: Trust issues

3. Gilbert Blythe (the Anne of Green Gables series)

Favorite Film (Well, Miniseries) Portrayal: Jonathan Crombie, 1985, 1987 (and that is it, do you hear me?)

I haven't met anyone who's read AoGG and doesn't love Gilbert. Of course, it helps that he's "loved [Anne] since that day [she] broke [her] slate over [his] head in school," and one of the most amusing parts of the first book is the barrage of hints at Gilbert's feelings and Anne's blissful unawareness. As they get older, Gilbert's great qualities become more apparent, and it's obvious he's meant for her, which makes it that much more infuriating when she initially turns him down. He's bright, honest, nice, handsome, and head over heels for Anne, and just all-around incredibly sweet. Long story short, I'm constantly flipping through the books just to get to the Gilbert bits, and that should speak for itself.
Pluses: Everything
Minuses: Nothing

2. Fitzwilliam Darcy (Pride and Prejudice)

Favorite Film (Well, Miniseries) Portrayal: Colin Firth, 1995

Obligatory addition to every nerdy girl's literary crush list, but there's a reason for it, of course. Great character development is a key component; being played by Colin Firth in the best adaptation helps. Book!Darcy is plenty wonderful on his own, though. He goes from being rather proud and stiff to someone who is willing to do everything for the woman he loves, even when she's already rejected him once (since he is naturally unaware that he is the male lead in an Austen novel and will inevitably end up with Elizabeth anyway, I think the word "selfless" is applicable here).
Pluses: Devoted (both to Lizzy and to his little sister), a good friend, clever, kind
Minuses: Not great with strangers, proud (although he gets better)

1. Ron Weasley (the Harry Potter series)

Not Including a Film Portrayal Because Rupert Grint, As Lovely As I'm Sure He Is, Does Not At All Fit My Personal Picture of Ron Weasley. Instead, I Give You Two Pieces of Fanart By Women Named Venessa and Marta

Let's not kid ourselves here. For me, something from Harry Potter is always going to be number one. Ron is my favorite character in the series anyway (though this did not preclude him from making me very angry on occasion), and his romantic subplot was the one I was most invested in (I actually felt physically ill reading that Lavender Brown business from Half-Blood Prince for the first time), so it's really not surprising that he would top this list as well. As for why I like Ron so much in the first place, well, I think a lot of it comes with defending him on the Internet for nearly a decade now, but I genuinely love his character arc. This is also why chapter nineteen of Deathly Hallows, "The Silver Doe," is my favorite chapter of anything ever. I love seeing Ron finally overcome his self-confidence issues and be a hero in his own right. Also, he's very funny and he's a redhead, so how can I not like him? And as a love interest? I love how he loves Hermione, end of story.
Pluses: Loyal, brave, hilarious, compassionate (especially midway through DH and onward), protective, caring, red hair
Minuses: Hotheaded, not particularly academically-motivated, has jealousy and confidence issues (that he has mostly resolved by the end of the series), can be rather mean sometimes.

Leap Day in Deutschland

Really nice day today. Raquel and I got up around 9:30 and left for Munich (or, as it's known here in Germany, München) at 11. We had a pleasant two-hour drive on the autobahn, which involved listening to a lot of music and going at speeds that are frankly impossible in California. Fun fact: in certain places, there is no speed limit on the autobahn. The first time I heard this, I was astounded, and I thought German highway patrol would be up to their eyeballs in car wrecks, but actually, having experienced it for myself, the system seems to work pretty well. Raquel also pointed out the exit signs, the German word for which is "ausfahrt." She mentioned that when she arrived in Germany, she was astounded at the size of this great city, Ausfahrt, because there were signs for it everywhere. Then her husband pointed out what it actually meant. Frankly, it's an easy mistake to make, and I laughed when she told me that she's seen t-shirts with legends like "Ausfahrt: the biggest town in Germany" and the like (Urban Dictionary backs her up here).

Thank you, Google Images!

We got to Munich at one o'clock on the dot and headed over to the Alte Pinakothek, an art museum (my sixth in Europe so far, hells yeah), which houses, among other famous works, Albrecht Dürer's Self-Portrait in Fur Coat and The Four Apostles, and Leonardo Da Vinci's first painting, Madonna of the Carnation. Raquel mentioned she had never been to an art museum like it before, and she seemed to enjoy the experience. She really liked Hieronymus Bosch's work; I promised to show her The Garden of Earthly Delights before I went back to France. Working in the art history department comes in surprisingly handy!

Also, for the Doctor Who fans, behold François Boucher's Madame de Pompadour!

After a couple of hours, we decided to head out, though we weren't nearly done with the museum; we wanted to get to Dachau before the concentration camp memorial site closed. We grabbed some sandwiches to go at a bakery on the outskirts of Munich (mozzarella and tomato seems to be a favorite throughout Western Europe, which I appreciate very much as a vegetarian) and hopped back on the road. Dachau, as it turns out, is not very far at all from Munich, and twenty minutes later we were parked and walking onto the memorial site.

The front gates, with the motto "Arbeit Macht Frei"

It was a very strange feeling to be there. I've been surrounded by World War II lately; I'm taking a class on Winston Churchill, my Aftermath of Wars Since 1990 class mentioned post-World War II propaganda in passing, I visited the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam, and shortly afterwards I watched a well-regarded miniseries about her life. But, as the Anne Frank House taught me, there's an emotional distance between reading something and standing where the players have stood. Walking into Dachau felt chilling. I couldn't imagine how anyone could possibly deny the Holocaust happened; I stood in the room that had once been a gas chamber and saw the ovens and the barracks with my own eyes. Dachau wasn't even an extermination camp; it was first intended for political prisoners, and apparently few people were gassed there. But Raquel and I went by at least three memorial stones representing the thousands of people who died of illness, starvation, overwork, and execution, and down an avenue where all but two of the barracks had been torn down, but the foundations were left in their place. It was very quiet, very sad, and very real.

There was a chapel on the property; we lit some candles in honor of the victims

We left just after closing time. On the drive back to Grafenwöhr, Raquel, who had been sneezing all day, went downhill fast. I felt her cheek; she was burning up. I was sorry I couldn't volunteer to drive (apparently I would need a special European license for that), and glad when we finally got back. We went to have dinner with her friends Alex and Jason, both soldiers in the Army like Raquel's husband, at their house, where Raquel could take it easy. Alex made a pizza from scratch - he's a really good cook.

After dinner we sat around in the living room and watched Zombieland. They offered me a German beer, but I didn't like it, so Raquel made me a drink with pineapple juice and some coconut rum. I actually enjoyed it quite a bit, though I drank it very slowly and only after having had dinner. I'm paranoid about getting drunk. I think I may have had my first real buzz, though. I'm not sure if I really liked it, but it wasn't necessarily a bad feeling, just unusual. I noticed that I did slur my words a little toward the end of my drink, so I don't think I'll be repeating this often, but it was an interesting little experiment, and I'm glad I tried it at a house just hanging out with people rather than at a bar or a wild party.

We ended up crashing at Alex and Jason's place; Raquel says their couch is more comfortable than her bed, which helped her get some much-needed rest when she wasn't feeling well, and they had a spare room for me. Raquel mentioned that she was pretty sure we were going to have to cancel Prague; I was disappointed, but I saw how miserable her fever was making her, and knew it was for the best. And really, even though we aren't going to the Czech Republic, my time in Germany has been fun so far, Raquel getting sick aside. I'm glad I decided to pay a visit.

Discoveries

Hey there! You may notice some mysterious updates from the past, mostly Downton Abbey reviews, start to find their way onto my blog. I shall say only this: I was working on a class project most of the week, there are certain days when I have no creative energy, and goodness, can Blogger's posting system be slow. Pay no attention to the retroactively blogging man behind the curtain.

Anyway, in lieu of a newsy post, here are some things I have discovered in my second month of living in France:

• Carrefour baguettes should really be eaten within two days of purchase. There is only so much a healthy slathering of Nutella can do to save stale bread.
• Making sure your phone isn't dead before you go somewhere can be very helpful. It can lessen the stress of an accidental train ride, and it can help you avoid awkward conversations in terrible French with other people's landlords.
• Always buy your fruits and veggies at the Wazemmes Market.
• Spaghetti can be delicious with mixed veggies instead of sauce, especially when prepared as outlined in your vegetarian cookbook.
• Train trips to Germany are super expensive. Gah.
• On the other hand, train trips to Disneyland Paris are not.
• Putting your small suitcase in front of your door will stop Demon Cat from forcing his way into your room at six in the morning, like he did on Wednesday.
• Staying up until three in the morning to watch the new episode of Switched at Birth is a bad life decision, especially when you're only doing it because you're bored.
• It is surprising how much you can get out of a movie even if you only understand about half the dialogue.
• French movies use a lot of English-language songs.
• Mushroom pizza on a baguette is pretty much the best thing ever.
• Churchill class is awesome when you know you've made a favorable impression on the instructor.
• If you drop your pastry on the street, the 10-second rule still applies. Just pick off the dirty bits and you should be fine. I haven't died yet.
• As gross as it is to pick up after your dog when you're taking him for a walk, it is infinitely more gross to have to constantly sidestep the business of other people's dogs. Seriously, France, how hard is it to take a grocery bag with you and just take care of things then and there?
• Spending day after day in cold and cloudy weather has made me appreciate El Centro's warmth and sunshine far more than I ever expected.
• Planning a vacation with your mother is actually really exciting, though it is a lot of work.
• Skype is a lifesaver.
• Absence makes the heart grow fonder. I miss UVa so much, and trying to find a way around a six-hour time difference is much harder than I thought it would be. On the other hand, nine hours between Lille and California is not as inconvenient as I expected. Basically, though, I wish I had my friends around.
• To end on a positive note: The past two weeks have been good ones for making new friends. :)

Sisterhood Everlasting [SPOILERS]

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants has a special place in my heart. They're not the best books ever written, but they spoke to me nonetheless. I hasten to add that I am a quite casual Traveling Pants fan; I've read the first three books and some of the fourth, and I own both movies. I was nevertheless surprised to hear that Ann Brashares had written another installment in the series, however. The cynical side of me thinks she just wrote it so she would have a guaranteed seller on her hands, but even if that is the case, Brashares's writing doesn't really suffer. In fact, I would say her prose is better than it's ever been, bearing in mind it's been a long while since I read the first book. Yet as well-written and ultimately good as this book was, it was also one of the saddest, most heart-wrenching things I've ever read.

Okay, if you don't want to be spoiled for this book, stop reading NOW. Major, major spoilers ahoy. In fact, it is impossible to really discuss this book without discussing the huge, series-changing spoiler, because it's the main plot point in the book. Look away!

Getting to the Netherlands (Eventually)

So remember back in December, when I went up to DC for my visa appointment, missed my train, and kind of freaked out before eventually finding my way back to Charlottesville? My parents told me then that this was a learning experience, and if it happened in Europe I would know what to do. Well, it happened it Europe, except this time I got on the wrong train, and I reacted roughly the same way. I'm not especially proud of myself right now, but I made it safely to Lauran's apartment in Hoofddorp, so I guess no harm was done in the long run.

Here is what happened: the first leg of the journey went smoothly. I got to the train station in Lille with plenty of time, I had my tickets, and I was on the train to Antwerp as soon as they announced the gate. I was actually sort of enjoying myself; one of my neighbors happened to be on the train with me, and we talked (she in French, me in English, and we understood each other) until her stop. It was snowing, which made everything really pretty outside. I started reading Sisterhood Everlasting, the new Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants book, on my iPod, and ate some madeleines. Things were nice. Then I happened to check the time and realized my train was going to be late. I already had a very short layover in Antwerp, and I started to feel quite anxious. By the time we pulling into Antwerpen Centraal, my stop, I had maybe one minute to get to my next train. This was complicated by the fact that everything was in Dutch, including the announcements on the train. I glanced at what I thought was the departures board, and saw a train listing for Amsterdam at correct time. I didn't think twice about it; I just ran for the gate, and when a Thalys train appeared, I got on it. The cars were not numbered very well, however, so I decided to ask a conductor (in French, not my brightest idea) to show me where to go. The second she saw my ticket, she told me I had gotten on the wrong train, and explained where I should get off and change. This entire conversation was in her Dutch-accented French, and I was panicking, so I didn't really understand what was going on.

Of course, my phone was nearly dead because I hadn't given it enough time to charge earlier, and I had forgotten to write Lauran's number down before I left. I ended up frantically calling my mom and asking her to get on my Facebook and find the number. I had forgotten that my Facebook is in French, which my mom doesn't speak, and I was terrified (and yes, crying) about my mistake. She had to tell me the phone number a few times over before I got it down. I finally got in touch with Lauran and explained the situation; then the same conductor came and explained the directions to me in English, which made me feel somewhat sheepish for not trying my native language in the first place. As it turns out, I had gotten on a train to Essen, Germany. In Essen, I waited on the platform for a train to Rosendal, where I could find a train to Amsterdam. Apart from having to tell myself out loud, several times, that I was going to be okay and for goodness' sake stop crying, I made it to Rosendal without a hitch and boarded a train to Amsterdam within ten minutes. Some of the passengers there spoke English, and luckily no one ever checked my ticket, so I didn't have to explain the situation to a disgruntled conductor. I successfully got on a smaller train to Schiphol airport, which is closer to Lauran's apartment, and half an hour later she picked me up and we drove back to her place in the snow. As I told my mom on Skype later, I was pretty ashamed of how things turned out, but hopefully next time (fingers crossed there won't be a next time), I'll remember to a) keep my head, and b) speak English to the conductors. Anyway, I'm here, and that's the most important thing.

Lauran's apartment is beautiful and her cat is so friendly. She was very understanding about the whole situation, and didn't mind fixing a plate and some tea for me at eleven o'clock, which is about the time we made it to her place. Everything is actually quite pretty with all the snow, and I'm looking forward to Amsterdam tomorrow. Here's hoping the next post will be much more cheerful than this one!

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.

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!

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.

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!

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!

Endings and Beginnings

Fall semester of 2011 is finished. My bags are packed, the contents of my room are boxed up and in storage, and I leave for the airport in roughly four hours. I go to France in just under three weeks.

Everything is changing so quickly. I can't believe my study-abroad semester is almost here. I certainly can't believe I'm not going to be at UVa in the spring. My therapist and I talked a lot about the difference between knowing things intuitively and knowing things emotionally, and this is one of those times where that situation applies. I spent my day packing and getting everything ready, so in my head I know that I am going to California tomorrow and Europe a few weeks afterward. But emotionally, I don't think it's hit me yet. Maybe I'm too worn out from exams.

Today was beautiful. It's hard to see the forest for the trees sometimes. I get caught up in the ups and downs of everyday life. Occasionally I feel moody and unpopular. Not today. Friends volunteered to help me move my stuff (Elizabeth and Ryan - thank you so much. You are fantastic and amazing, and you don't know how much I appreciate you giving up time during exam week to carry my boxes upon boxes up and down three flights of stairs and then play real-life Tetris to fit it all into your cars. You have my undying gratitude). Pooja took me out to lunch and brought me tape and blankets when I needed them. Andi kept me company and sorted my recycling with me. Lauren - wonderful Lauren - turned what I thought would be a nice, one-on-one Lemongrass outing into a fabulous and very thoughtful farewell dinner, with nearly all my closest Wesley friends in attendance. Matt treated me to Lemongrass/Arch's (a glorious combination if there ever was one), and together with Andi and Pooja, I got to see him experience the Avatar: The Last Airbender finale (and nerdily discuss its narrative structure and speculate about Korra). Matt (roommate of the aforementioned Matt) is very selflessly getting up at an ungodly hour to drive me to the airport. Every time that I feel lonely, I need to remind myself of days like this, and how blessed I am to have the friends I do. Wow. I am just floored by their kindness and their love.

I'm going to wrap this up here. I need to try and get some sleep if I want to be at all functional for tomorrow. But my time at UVa, at least for now, has ended well, and I'm so glad I have wonderful friends to come back to next year. Adieu, mes cheries! Time to see what the future holds.

In Which I Visit the French Consulate, Miss My Train, and Obtain Cupcakes!

Next semester, I will be studying abroad in Lille, France. Among other things, the French government requires that Americans who plan to attend a French university for more than 90 days obtain a student visa. It's a long and quite arduous process, which involves an exhaustive list of documentation, often in duplicate, at least two websites, and of course, humiliating passport photos. The last step is to visit the French consulate nearest your permanent address for an in-person visa interview.

I imagine this is complicated enough for someone who doesn't live and go to school on opposite sides of the country, but in my case I fretted for a few days over whether or not I would have to go to Los Angeles for my visa appointment. Luckily, my UVa student ID qualified as proof of residency, and with that, I had ample time to mosey on up to the consulate in DC and iron things out.

Naturally, I didn't end up going until today, almost exactly a month before I leave. Oops. I had an especially stressful week, thinking I had to have an address to put on my visa application before I went for my interview (as it turns out, having an address? Totally not necessary). I've now written email after email in my terrible French, trying to secure an apartment, at first without much success, although I last night I sent my prospective landlady a tentative agreement. With that behind me, I reserved a seat on the Amtrak (at vastly inflated prices, because of course I didn't do this until the day beforehand) and got my papers in order.

This morning I woke up at 5:30 to catch the 7:09 train. I figured I would dress, put on make-up, double-check to make sure I had everything, and be out the door at 6, with enough time to enjoy a leisurely breakfast at Little John's before walking over to the station. Instead I had to answer email from France and print out both my train reservation and my acceptance letter from Sciences Po. By the time I left my dorm room, it was almost 6:40, and I was once again thanking my lucky stars that I live in Brown and can get to places on time even if I wait until the last minute. One frantic ride on the 7 later, I was at the station with about five minutes to spare. Not great, but at least everything had worked out.

In fact, initially, things were going great. The train got into DC early, the Metro I wanted arrived at the same time I did, and I didn't have to wait at all for the bus to the French Embassy. I couldn't believe my luck. I was worried I would just barely make it to my appointment on time. Instead, I was there almost an hour early. The whole process felt very official, too; at the front gate, I exchanged my driver's license for a visitor's badge, walked into a spacious foyer, and entered a crowded room where people were speaking French almost as much as English. I sat down nervously, took out my iPod, and waited.

And waited. And waited. Apparently, there was a huge problem with the computer system this morning, and everyone's interview was delayed. I arrived at 10:20. I had an appointment for 11:15. I was finally called up about 12:30. By the time I had handed over my documents and paid for my visa, it was past 1. And surprise, I still wasn't done. My friend David, who is studying in Paris right now, mentioned that he had had to bring a prepaid express envelope to his interview, but I didn't see anything about it on the website when I was triple-checking the list of required documents, so I figured they had just changed their system. Nope. They still expected me to have an envelope, though they had completely neglected to tell me about it in advance. So I had to hop back on a bus, buy an envelope at the nearest post office, and get back to the Embassy by 3. I waited for nearly 15 minutes for a bus to arrive, and after the post office had to find a store with cash back so I could pay my return bus fare. This was on top of paying for my visa and buying the express mail envelope, which, let me tell you, wasn't cheap. I was also starving and considerably stressed out, considering I had had nothing to eat since a muffin on the train at 7:30 that morning and I was on a time crunch. Nevertheless, I eventually made it back to the consulate 10 minutes before I had to be there, and finished my application without much further hassle.

Originally, back when I was planning out my day, I thought I would be done with everything by noon at the latest and still have four hours to kill in DC before my train left. I planned on strolling over to Georgetown Cupcake and then maybe checking out a museum or walking by the monuments. Instead, it was almost 3:30 by the time I left, and I knew my cupcake stop would have to be quick if I wanted to be back at Union Station on time. I had texted my brother to look up directions while I was waiting for my appointment, and luckily it was not a long walk. But I had to wait in line outside the store (!), and then promptly got on the wrong bus for my trip back to the station. The shop assistants at Georgetown Cupcake told me to take the Circulator. I got on a Circulator, but because I have my moments of incredible stupidity, I got on the Circulator to Dupont Circle, not Union Station. At this point, it was just after 4, and I had a ticket for the 4:50 train.

If I had realized my mistake, I probably still could have gotten off at Dupont Circle and taken the Red Line back to Union Station, no harm done. But it was not until we passed a suspiciously familiar Christmas tree that I figured out with growing horror that we were back in Georgetown, and it was past 4:30. Panicking slightly, I asked the driver how much longer it would be until we got to Union Station. He did a double take, told me I was on the wrong bus, and promptly opened the doors, indicating the correct stop across the street.

By this point, I was basically hyperventilating. I'd done a fair bit of traveling on my own, but I'd never missed a form of scheduled transportation before. Never. And now my train was leaving in 20 minutes, and I was clean across the city. By 4:35, the correct Circulator had yet to appear, and in desperation I started to ask a nearby cab driver to take me to the station. He didn't take cards, however, and as I only had about eight dollars in cash, there was no way he could get me all the way across the city. Finally, at 4:40, the Union Station Circulator turned up. I leapt on, anxiously stood by the back door, and watched the cars go by. Slowly, I realized that I was on a city bus that had to get from Georgetown to Union Station in rush hour traffic, and make other stops along the way. Heart sinking, I knew I wasn't going to make my train. I found an empty seat, texted my parents, and fought back tears. 4:50 came and went, and I started to cry silently in spite of myself. Predictably, no one around me even spared me the slightest glance, even though the bus was full and it was pretty obvious I was upset. My parents called to reassure me, but mostly all I did was sob over the phone while my dad told me it was going to be all right, and he was proud of me for getting through the visa process. Eventually, I composed myself and prepared to get a ticket for the next train to Charlottesville.

The bus arrived at Union Station about half an hour after my scheduled train left. I trudged over the ticket counter and somewhat hollowly traded in my ticket and paid the difference. Then I bought some dinner and sat sadly by my gate, wanting nothing more than to be at home, curled up in bed. I read some of North and South, which I downloaded onto my iPod's Kindle app last night on a whim, and ate my pizza, but I was exhausted. I had expected to have a slow, leisurely afternoon and return home on time feeling accomplished and content. Instead, I was miserable.

Once I got on the train, though, I started feeling slightly better. I spoke with my mother on the phone, read, did some Sudoku puzzles, and slept. I got to Charlottesville and boarded a trolley without much trouble, and now I'm in my dorm room with last night's Parks and Rec to watch and a Georgetown Cupcake in my belly. And really, I can't say that I didn't have an eventful trip. I got done what I intended to do, at least, and my semester in France is just on the horizon. I had an experience in adulthood today, and while it wasn't in the least pleasant, it was definitely informative. Here's to better times ahead, hopefully with fewer wrong buses and many more cupcakes.

Twenty-One

Well, I am now twenty-one, and I have consumed my first drink. Sara and I headed out to Harris Teeter this afternoon, where after much deliberation I picked out some Korbel Sweet Cuvee, a not-champagne from California (as a Californian, I figured it was an appropriate choice). It was really cheap and 11% alcohol, so it probably wasn't very good, but since I didn't really have anything to compare it to, I had to judge it on its own merits. I did enjoy showing the cashier my ID at the check-out line, although I look about sixteen in my driver's license picture. Hells yeah, I'm of age!

Many of my closest UVa friends came by my room tonight for a little get-together; Sarah gave me a wine glass, Pooja brought birthday cake, Sara gave me a card, and everyone else brought their lovely selves. We started the evening off with sparkling cider, since it's non-alcoholic and something I know I like, and then I opened the bubbly around 10. My more experienced friends said the champagne was actually quite good for being as cheap as it was, but I'm not sure if I liked it yet. I've never cared for the way alcohol smells, and the taste was pretty strange, too; I ended up pretty much drowning my champagne in orange juice and sipping it very slowly. I finished it over the course of an hour, partly because I also had birthday cake and friends were trickling in and out, so I had hostess duties to attend to. Consequently, I don't think I felt much when I was drinking, not even a little buzz. Honestly, I think alcohol consumption is way overrated. There's still about half a bottle of champagne to consume, and I'm not sure I'll have the rest. Still, the party was nice, especially because apart from Pav Lunch and the excursion to Barracks the rest of my day was pretty terrible (scholarship rejection, econ test, and a politics class I wasn't prepared for, among other things). Ah well. Hopefully I have plenty more birthdays to look forward to!

Entertainment 2011 for October forthcoming. Time to get some religious studies homework done!

The Truth

I'm entirely too sleep deprived to write much in the way of a meaningful post tonight, though I'm hoping to upload another Top Ten before the week is out. Monday is one of my busy days; once I leave my dorm in the morning, I almost certainly won't be back until dinnertime. Today I found myself stumbling from class to class, having slept very badly last night for no discernible reason. However, although I wanted very much to curl up in a ball and catch up on the sleep I missed, I had quite a nice day. I had spent Friday's calculus class in almost complete confusion, but at this morning's I was able to follow along relatively well. Apparently I haven't succeeded in completely erasing eleventh-grade precalculus from my memory! History was basically a review of everything I learned about the end of World War II from AP U.S., I finally figured out what a diaspora is in my Christianity class, and I spent most of French discussing Impressionist paintings. I also had my first econ discussion today (not that there's anything very remarkable about it). When you factor in my recently-discovered love of egg, swiss, mushroom, and spinach bagel sandwiches from Einstein Brothers, I can't really find much to complain about, apart from the pervasive layer of mental haze I struggled with all day.

It's funny how things you learn in high school come back to you. My religion professor discussed the Jewish and Graeco-Roman origins of Christianity this afternoon, and he mentioned that it was easy for Greek Christians to transfer their feelings about "the Good," Plato's term for the force that enlightens and enlivens the soul, to God. To illustrate this, he talked about Plato's "Allegory of the Cave," which I first studied three years ago as a senior in high school. He used a beautiful diagram to explain the allegory, which was in color in the lecture but I could only find in black and white online:

Plato obviously didn't approach his allegory from a Christian perspective, but I think he was searching for the same thing as Christians, and really the practitioners of any religious faith: the truth. When it comes down to it, that is one of the main reasons why atheism doesn't appeal to me. The idea that there is no underlying pattern to the universe, that the shadows on the wall are all we're ever going to get, is so unfulfilling to me. There has to be a greater Truth out there somewhere. I'm doubt-ridden about a lot of things, but even if there isn't a person in the sky-God, the universe just doesn't make sense to me if there isn't a higher Truth. So to see the person at the top-right of the illustration emerging into the sunlight for the first time honestly nearly brought me to tears. Christianity is my path to seeking the Truth, and someday, perhaps in a life beyond this, I want to perceive the Truth at last. And for me, at least at this point in my faith journey, the Truth is God.

Wow, that went way deeper than I meant for it to go. Well, it is certainly something to ponder, particularly as I have a sizable chunk of Plato's Republic to review before I go to class tomorrow. Until we meet again!

You Know, Just Blogging During a Hurricane

Or at least what Charlottesville is getting of it. Irene's not very powerful anymore, but it's still a very large system, and the outer bands are passing over central Virginia while the eye is by northern North Carolina. What this means for UVa is that it's windy and rainy. Not very exciting for my first hurricane, to be honest.

Safari, my default browser, has been withholding my blog from me for the past week, which is why I haven't been updating. I just figured out that can still access my blog on Firefox, hence my being able to post this now. However, I get the impression that this will be a temporary fix. Hopefully I can keep this going for the time being.

The first week of classes is now over. I really like French, which so far seems to be the complete opposite of last semester's nightmare. My politics seminar will probably generate a lot of interesting discussion, although the readings are probably going to be dense and difficult to get through. I'm also taking History of Christianity I (great so far), United States Society and Politics from 1945-1990 (not as cool as the name would suggest, but I have several friends in the class), Microeconomics (huge lecture, not a good subject for me, but a prerequisite for the public policy program), and Applied Calculus I (do not want; unfortunately another prerequisite).

Expect another update tonight, but for right now I'm working on homework and enjoying the John Adams miniseries in the lounge. I shall leave you with a couple of UVa-centric anecdotes:

Seen on a temporary construction wall by Newcomb Hall: "WWJD (What would Jefferson do?)." The scribbled response underneath: "Sally Hemmings" [sic] (Her name is actually spelled "Hemings.") I'll admit it, I laughed.

Last night was the Tom Deluca hypnotist show. At one point, he made the participants believe there was music coming from their shoes (just go with it). He asked one girl who she was listening to. Her answer: "Lou Reed, he's so poetic." Tom Deluca: "This is why I love coming to UVa."