Day 24-26: Autumn

Grenoble, it is the flattest city in France, it is the hottest city in the summer and the coldest city in the winter in France. My toe-rings are telling me that it is high time that I wore a pair of shoes instead of my Birkenstocks. The temperature goes up during the day, and you see people in their no sleeves and short pants. It is a very comfortable climate, somewhat similar to that of Vancouver.

As we do not have an oven, my cooking is done only on the gas stove top. There is a vegetable-fruit shop called "Au Jardin de Provence" and they are open in the morning and again at 16h. I only buy things that I need for the dinner and some fruits. Fruits here taste just amazing. We were enjoying the white peaches and nectarines earlier, and now we are in prune heaven. Yesterday, I tried something called "prune reine-claude" for the first time. I could not skip buying them as the store clerk who was refilling the basket were snacking on them. I got to the cashier and asked, "Qu'est-ce que c'est?" and the person said, "Prune blah blah blah." I had him repeat maybe three times, and I said, "D'accord." They are delicious. Similar to plums but sweet! Well, thank you Mr. Google. Now I know its full name. Nice to meet you, Prune Reine Claude!

Day 23: Manifestation! Gréve!

Hello from Häagen Dazs. It has been 7 business days since I opened the internet account with Bouygues. The ADSL device called B-Box is sitting in our bedroom connected to the wall. I decided that it was high time that I visited the Bouygues store once again and ask what was going on. I was told that I have to wait 10-15 days. It has always been like that apparently. Great!

My classes were canceled today due to the "manifestation" and "gréve." People are protesting and striking against government plans to overhaul the country's pension system. I heard that it is the largest protest of the year, so I decided to see this French spirit with my own eyes. I took the tram as far as it went (2 stops from ours), and walked toward the station where a big crowed appeared in front of me. It was pouring rain, but the air was warm. From young to old, kids to dogs, they were out there protesting in the rain. I guess this is my first protest I have ever seen in my life!

Day 21-22: The 3rd weekend=back to 3!

Nathan came back from Austria on Saturday. He had no problem getting back to France. He said that he went through the passport control but nobody was in the booth. Now it is proven that we can travel while you wait for your Carte de Sejour, as long as we are inside the EU or probably inside shengen district.

He came back with tons of chocolate as he did last time, which made me happy. But this time there was one special souvenir. It is a bottle of olive oil from Italy made by a father of a participant of the workshop that Nathan was attending. I love anything that is homemade and handmade, and the best part is that we are invited to help them make the olive oil in December! My holiday plan is now set. I will be picking olives in Rome.

To prepare for Nathan's arrival, I took Chana to her first grooming experience. I only asked for a full bath, as her last grooming was only a month ago. She came back smelling beautifully, and apparently she behaved well.

So we were back in business. Nathan's back and Chana's clean. We decided to go up La Bastille together!

We took Les Oeufs (the cable car) and walked around the fort. It was hazy and the sun was strong, but we got to see Mont Blanc in full. It might be worth it to buy an annual pass for the cable car, as the view from there is just magnificent. Instead of taking the cable car back, we took "le grand escalier" which is a long staircase that takes you all the way down to the foot of the mountain. Chana had a blast coming down the stairs off leash, and she even posed for us like a sphinx on one of the steps. People who we passed by would say, "Oh, cocker~!" and she would greet them politely. It was her first mountain descending experience and there will be many more times after this!

The only problem with her running off leash is that she collects stuff on her ears...

Day 19-20: Getting Accustomed

Unless you are on campus, particularly in Ile Verte (the quarter where I live), it is very rare to see any Asians or anyone who does not speak French beside me. I go to a boulangerie called Maison Floran quite often, and they have started recognizing my face. It is a small and close neighbourhood, and it does not take long for one to be a regular. I also go to a cafe called Le 5 at Musée de Grenoble, where I have free WiFi (pronounced=we fee) access. The server now knows me and my order: un café noisette.

I am now also getting used to saying my name in French way, which is much similar to how it is pronounced in Japanese. I do not pronounce my name properly in English, or is it the American medial T, people would write down my name often with a D. I am also picking up more words and getting a gist of what people are saying. It will be a long way though, before I will be able to eavesdrop on the conversation on trams.

French classes are going well. I love grammar! Learning the rules and following the format, it is so beautiful. When I was teaching Japanese, I realized that many students who were in engineering, math or CS did really well in the introductory classes. They pick up the system and the formula quite easily. However, when the language starts involving more of the cultural and social aspects, arts student excel in understanding the concepts such as the honorifics. I wonder which one I will be as a French learner. I will let you know when I start saying "Ouais" instead of "Oui."

Day 17-18: French classes

If you know me, you know that I am not a morning person. I had a very effective alarm clock when I was growing up (aka my mom who strips off my duvet and sometimes my pjs), and Nathan is still acquiring its skills without being injured. For the past few days, I have been managing to wake up at 6:30, and it is a miracle. I get ready, take Chana for a walk, make coffee, have breakfast, and take the tram for 15 minutes, and voila, I am usually the first one to arrive in class.

I must have done so well on the placement test I took on Monday, and I somehow ended up in the class where the first grammar lesson revolved around "relative pronouns." Yes, I did learn that 12 years ago in university, laquelle ,auquel, desquelles, etc, etc.... I understand the grammar class fairly well thanks to the grammatical terminology in French being pretty much the same in English. What I cannot do is the pair work... talking to the classmate! My default response is "OK" or "a-ha," but I do not think French say that, do they?? I think I need a TV!?

So it is September. The weather is beautiful, but it is getting chilly. I am hoping our shipments will arrive sometime soon so that I can wear a jacket.

Day 16: Examen de Niveau

I love tests. That is probably the reason I like learning and teaching. I particularly like assessment test, so that I can see my progress. Obedience classes for Chana has always been like that, and I wish I could have tried CKC Obedience or Rally-O. We applied for Chana's Performance Event Number to participate in CKC Obedience, but the application was rejected. The reason was that Chana could have had the paper (pedigree) if the seller was a proper breeder. We got Chana from a farm (a real farm, not a puppy mill), and we even got student's discount. It is amazing she turned out to be such a good dog! Her new thing in France though, is to raise one leg when she is doing her business. I really think we got a confused dog. I guess her argument is that there are smells on the wall rather than on the ground...

So I got to write a test today: a placement test for intensive French course at CUEF. The listening test and written test followed an oral test in an interview format. I will find out my level tonight, and my classes begin tomorrow. I am so excited, and I hope I can start from the very first level. My three years of French during my university years have absolutely vanished, and it will be good to start from abc.

Day 14-15: Le weekend

Chana has been sleeping in her crate these days, but I usually leave the door open as she is a great guard dog. The drawback is that every morning around five she decides that it is time to wake up. That's when I invite her on the bed, where she would sleep another few hours with the contra gravity pose. After that is her walk to the boulangerie. I usually leave her outside the store in sit-stay, and she does really well. The reward she gets is big. A micro tiny piece of bread before I take a bite.

Yesterday, Nathan's boss kindly delivered two boxes that my mom sent from Japan. I packed them when I was over there in May, and the contents show a rosy image I had about my life in France. Well, I am adamant that we will make it like that. The coffee I had this morning using the cup I sent from Japan definitely tasted better, for sure ;).

It is a beautiful day today, so the laundry had to be done. Instead of using the dryer, we have a clothes rack that I usually put out on the patio. I am still figuring out how much softener a load needs. So far, our towel ends up like a loofah.

Then I decided to grab my camera and got on the telepherique=les oeufs. The sun felt stronger up at La Bastille, the fortified mountain. Grenoble is surrounded by three mountain (ranges): Vercors, Belledonne, and Chartreuse, and La Bastille is at the foot of Chartreuse. On the clear day, you can see Mont Blanc from there, and I believe I saw a part of it behind the cloud today. My dad would be thrilled to have seen that, as he was always fascinated by the mountains, or beauty of nature.