Les Paques juives

Bonjour a tous! I hope that all the Jews are enjoying their seders and all the non-Jews are enjoying eating leavened foods.

I had a VERY interesting and lovely experience last night; I went to a communal seder for the
Communauté Juive Libérale Grenoble-Dauphiné (if curious, here is their site: http://www.cjl-grenoble.fr/page/synagogue). I found the synagogue by happy chance when googling, and sent a curious email and before I knew it I was signed up--and waived the fee for attending the seder! They are pretty much the only "liberal" synagogue in Grenoble, and were basically equivalent to Reform back home. They are also, surprisingly, mostly Ashkenazi, whereas the other area synagogues are apparently more Sephardi.

The seder was mostly attended by older people, with a few families, and only one other person my age; I was told to sit at a table where "l'autre jeune" would be. And from the beginning, I felt very much at home, despite the language difference. It turns out Jews are pretty much the same in France; one of the conversations went like this:
"Did you hear, a new kosher restaurant opened up in Lyon!"
"No, no the one on Boulevard XXX? That's not kosher, its vegetarian."
"Isn't the owner Jewish?"
"Yes, he's the cousin of so-and-so, but the restaurant is open on Saturdays."
"Well, vegetarian is still something."
It felt like everything I was used to was there, just translated into French. And this also made me realize how good my French has gotten lately. First of all, I could really understand everything anyone said. Secondly, the BEST compliment ever was paid to me by a very nice lady who was kind of listening to a conversation; when I said something about bettering my French she interrupted with "Wait, you aren't French? But  I didn't hear an accent. . . " Then when I talked a little more she said she heard it--BUT STILL! I am not obviously American any more!

The service was very well led; they brought in a cantor to do it and he did some lovely things. It was mostly in French, and the songs they sang I knew, even down to the same tunes. We even sang the order the same way we do back home, although at the end I did miss "Chad gadya", but one can't have everything. He also shared some interesting insights into the holiday. It was one of the first times this semester I felt like I wasn't totally in a foreign place, and I was very happy to be there, from the moment I walked in and smelt that first scent of haroset and maror.

The one damper on the lovely evening was the food. Naturally, when I think of Pesach I think of a big traditional meal that one can hardly move after, starting with hard boiled egg and followed with matzah ball soup, some sort of meat and about half a dozen sides. (Plus, chocolate covered matzah for dessert!) This meal was nice, but hardly Passover-worthy. We had a salad followed by fish and potatoes and green beans, with ice cream for dessert. The French all seemed to like it, but I really just wanted a hot bowl of soup. Ah, well. I know what request I will make when I get home this summer. Maman, take note.

The other nice thing was  that at the beginning the president of the synagogue, with whom I had been corresponding, was welcoming the outsiders in to the community, saying how it was part of the mitzvah of Passover, and he welcomed me! At first I was a little embarassed to have everyone looking at me, but I think they were genuinely interested in hearing about why on earth an American Jew would be having a seder in Grenoble. Plus, two people came up to greet me; one was an expatriate American, and one was a Grenobloise who has lived for a long time in Norfolk, VA, and she also ended up giving me a ride home.

Naturally, there were also many French cultural elements that enter in to the event. I did la bise (kiss on both cheeks) so many times; I think I finally am becoming not awkward at it. I also learned a little bit of what it is like to be a Jew in France today; they talked about putting mezuzot on the inside of their front doors, and the importance of being "discreet". I wonder what they would think of my synagogue back home, with its large pro-Israel sign, or of the large kosher sections in ordinary supermarkets. We see ourselves as a minority in the US, but in France, especially outside of Paris, its even more so, and the importance of discretion is really underlined.

Anyways, I'm going to go try to go one "Chabbat" and see how it goes!

Love,
Miriam

La vie quotidienne

Bonjour tout le monde!
Well, I can't promise to match the excitement or photographic content of the last couple of posts, but I'll share with you a couple of my fun French experiences and some notes on the culture I'm living in right now.

One of the subtle differences in France is the way one conducts oneself with salespeople. It is very rude to enter/exit a store without saying "bonjour" and "au revoir" and/or "bon journee". Not only that, but in many stores the salespeople are on the whole much more helpful and chatty. At home, generally my experience has been that a salesperson will have to be sought out for help, but here they are often happy for some conversation, giving advice, and helping you find what you need. Not only that, but the French are habitual people, going often to the same cafes and boulangeries, and the workers there tend to be full time so that you get to know them all a bit. There are one or two places here in Grenoble I frequent--a boulangerie/cafe, and a little pasta place, as well as a burger place--and there I always receive acknowledgement and chat a little with the salespeople/cashiers. Quite different from in the US, where one doesn't generally get to know the people at the local places, and we try to be as distant as possible from eachother.

Living with a French family, I get to see lots of little things that differentiate the way they function from the way I've grown up--there are plenty of similarities, too. Apparently in England there's a big hit book about how the French raise perfect children. This is not true. They raise normal children. They have the same punishments--no TV, bed early, no computer--and their kids, like anywhere else, are sometimes lovely and sometimes frustrating. They do have, however the benefit of no school on Wednesdays, which I wish I had in elementary school! And they still come home for lunch. Plus, this being Grenoble, the older girl has ski with her school on Fridays! Skiing! I never even had swim!

One thing that I do very much prefer back home is how university functions. BU is far more specific, organized, transparent, and challenging than anything at Stendhal. My professors are both very good, but are not teaching the most coherent courses, and don't even have syllabi. The classes are interesting, but disorganized, and I miss in class discussions and actual specific reading assignments--here students are just expected to read the material on their own time, and I'm never sure where I"m supposed to be in a book. Plus, I miss extracurriculars and student life! There are some clubs at the university but they are few and far between and poorly advertised. This is all, of course, probably also part of the fact that we pay 50,000 a year for BU and French students go for free.

Despite all that, I do enjoy my classes, and I am learning. My French has definitely improved, and I understand much more easily what is going on around me, and can speak more fluently.

Oh, and I have news for you all! Our spring break is coming up at the end of April---and I'll be going to Fez and Rabat, Morocco! So excited!

Bisous,
Miriam

Les Vacances II: London!

Bonjour tout le monde!
So after leaving Paris and taking the train to Angleterre/Londres we arrived. Sam showed me around Spitalfield Market, which is right by where she lives. Its a very cool market, very nicely priced and if I lived there/had had more suitcase space I would surely shop there often. Some very cute dresses and t-shirts and things.
That night they took me to this pub nearby where I had steak and ale pie for the first time. It was delicious, and very different from the French food I'd been eating! Also came with some delicious "chips".

MMM so yummy.
The next day, which was Tuesday, I went (by myself!) to the Victoria and Albert Museum. This was one I had particularly been looking forward to as it houses one of the most famous costume collections in the world. I took the Tube by myself and didn't get lost, thanks to some very intensive Google Maps-ing. It was a beautiful museum, and I really did enjoy it as much as I'd thought. The costume collection on display was stunning, and I also enjoyed their equally impressive jewelry collection, which had example from all eras and was overwhelming opulent. I found a theatre exhibit as well, with examples of costumes, posters and such from different British theatres over the years, which naturally I quite enjoyed. Some highlights:

Beautiful example of a Regency gown!

1950s glamour.

Early G&S poster!

As you can see, this museum basically was catering to me and Things I Like. To add to that atmosphere, I next went to the British Museum, where I saw my second First Folio of the day, along with lots of old manuscripts and illuminated texts. It was really a perfect day. Plus the bookshop/giftshop there was wonderful--was sorely tempted by a "Cat that Walks by Himself" t-shirt.

The next day, Wednesday, Sam didn't have any classes so she took me round to some markets--first Petticoat Lane Market, which was mostly used/consignment type clothes, then over to Convent Garden, which I was a big fan of. Lot of adorable shops and booths with artsy things, plus I got to go in a very cute store I'd only before been able to eye online. After that we went to High Tea, where we had a reservation and met two of Sam's friends there. It was extremely delicious and elegant and fancy, so naturally I wore my new dress I'd gotten in Paris.
When at High Tea one has, of course, the Tea Tray and the Tea Cup:

 Plus and assortment of butters and jams:

I tried to comport myself well. It was difficult.

That night we went to Pizza Express, which is pretty much everywhere in England. Its always nice to enjoy foreign chains. Plus the pizza was pretty good.

Thursday I met Susan (one of my mother's many cousins) at the Royal Academy for a Manet exhibit, which was good but arranged rather confusingly and VERY crowded. One thing I have found in Europe: the museums are generally rather packed. Perhaps they are more cultured than we are? After lunch we parted ways and I went over to Fortnum and Mason's to find a gift for the host parents. The host mom loves tea so I got her an assortment, but mostly oohed and aahed at the fanciness. That is the Style to Which I Wish to Become Accustomed.

I then went to the British Museum, which I thoroughly enjoyed, particularly the various hordes and such. Hordes are fun--I wish we had them in the US.  I focused on old Britain, then met my great-aunt for tea, after which we worked our way over to get dinner with my great-uncle--we ended up eating at a French place! I was amused. But it was very good and I got duck so I was quite happy.

Friday I left for Manchester, where I had a beautiful visit with some family who I hadn't seen in a long time. I also got fish and chips then, and was fed some very nice home cooked meals.
Sunday I had to go back. I flew direct from Manchester to Grenoble and was absolutely, as they say here, crevee!

Bisous,
Miriam

Les Vacances, Part I: Two Americans in Paris!

Bonjour tout le monde!
My, it's been a little while! And very eventful too, so much so that I'll have to break it into bits to get it all out there. This post will focus on the first weekend of my trip, when I went to Paris.

I have of course already been to Paris, but it was when I was thirteen and so I was eager to go back. I was going with my friend Sam, who is studying abroad in London for the semester. Sam understands French pretty well, but is less comfortable speaking, so I was the main translator. It was a beautiful and delicious weekend! We stayed at this nice little hostel in Montmartre, close to a Metro stop and not far from Sacre Coeur. The hostel had breakfast included and a very international group staying there--though we mostly chatted with Americans. It was also very colorful. Our room alone had four different wall patterns going on.

The first night we went for some traditional French cuisine next door, complete with wine. I had this lovely special:

And the above was dessert. The next day we headed out, ready for our adventure! We started out with a visit to the Arc de Triomphe. It was beautiful but very cold and windy, especially up the windy stairs to the top. Here's a picture of one of the views, with this little tower that keeps showing up:

 

After that we walked down the Champs-Elysees to enjoy the classy shopping. We started out at the Mont Blanc store, oohing at the fancy pens that cost more than what some people make in a year. I naturally wanted the Grace Kelly pen, but one cannot have everything. The shops there are really quite fun to wander through and unlike when I was thirteen I now actually enjoy shopping. But for sure one of the highlights was going to Laduree for macarons. When I spotted it across the street, I knew we just had to! And it was an experience. Beautiful creations and the inside was decorated in lavish 19th century style. Some photos:

 If I could, I would have ordered one of everything but our six macarons cost about ten euros alone so I could not.

After that we wandered over the the Latin Quarter on the Left Bank. We wanted to find Shakespeare and Co but got a bit lost; nonetheless we had a good time going into shops and enjoying the little streets and atmosphere. We also got some cidre in bowls which I haven't had since coming to France, as its not as common in my region, and we both really enjoyed that! The snack was especially necessary as it was snowing and flurrying all day, which we are told is unusual but of course happened when we came. Ah, well.

The Little Dog Watching Contingent in Paris spotted this Little Dog wearing a coat (and his brother, hiding) in the Left Bank

The next day we headed over the the Louvre, and ended up spending most of the day there. It was incredible. We spent quite a bit of time in the Objets d'Art, with some beautiful old French things and I particularly enjoyed the Napoleon III apartments, as I do enjoy my emperors. We attempted to bypass the Mona Lisa as to avoid the tourists, and managed to do that pretty well. Again, we got lost a bit, but that's not so bad in a place where every room is crammed full of incredibly beautiful works of art.

I hang out with Empress Josephine

As an Empress, I too would decorate in red.

We finished the day with an incredible meal. I had duck breast with honey sauce, and I have discovered that duck breast is one of my favorite things. The place we ate was very cute, very Montmartre, and there was lots of red in the decor so naturally I approved. I also had a very perfect creme brulee with a nice solid crack-able top, so I felt a bit like Amelie, especially given the setting.

The next morning we woke early because our train to London was going to be mid day and we wanted to see Sacre Coeur before we left. It was snowing, and this time actuallly sticking, which was annoying for walking but beautiful for scenery. I enjoyed the church as its really different than most others I've visited here and the views of Paris are stunning.

Then it was off to continue the whirlwind in London!
NEXT: the V&A; two First Folios in one day; High Tea; British hoards

Bisous!
Miriam