parisienne for a week
It's been a long time since my last post... but what can I do... so many things to do so little time. hehe... anyways, as i said earlier, i'm staying in paris for the week... never expected that i'll be a "parisienne" but here i am.
i'm studying at the écoles de mines de paris for the time being, as part of an exchange student program with my belgian university. nice escape from courses in belgium. this way i can enjoy myself in paris, submerge myself in a new culture, and at the same time escape 6-8 pm classes every wednesday in leuven. yahoo! + the fact that there's a job forum (and i'm hoping i can get a job).
when i arrived saturday for the inscription, i felt a bit lost. as always, i signed in for the program without knowing anyone, quite typical of me actually. i just sign in for stuff without knowing anyone and get a bit anxious when i realize geez, i dont know a person in the room. oh well, but that's the beauty of things. you get to know a lot of people, see a lot of cultures. now i can say i have at least 5 more friends or acquaintances, and it's just simply fun.
i also met other filipinos, im living at dr. alarcon's place by the way. i'm having a blast staying with her and chatting endlessly with her friend tita menchi. oh and we had terrific sinigang.
i know it's a boring post. i just basically summed up what im currently doing. the mere mention of sinigang stimulated my tastebuds. so, voila, im going to eat right now. hehehe
Of Washing Machines and Dryers
In an ideal scenario, I would be writing right now about my laundry feat which happened three days ago. Unfortunately however, we're not in an ideal world, and my feat was a complete loss. Hehe. Three months ago, I attempted doing my laundry just upstairs. However, when I saw the instructions in French, and the plentitude of options for both washing machine and dryer, i thought it was just too much for me. Thereon, I did my laundry at Tita Juliette's house using her less complicated machines and asking for instructions in either english or filipino.This week however, I didn't have the luxury of that option anymore. I didn't have the time to go to Linselles and I couldn't put off doing the laundry since I was running out of clothes (more specifically socks, hehe). I thus ventured to do my first laundry adventure. It may not sound too much really, but it really is literally too much. Imagine 3 euros for a token for the washing machine and a token for the dryer. In my country, it would have sufficed for a friendly help from a professional labandera. oh well... So I scrounged for 3 euros in my room and went to my landlady, Madam Bogaert, to buy the tokens. Since the tokens happened to have different sizes, I asked her which was which. She explained and I just made a trick to avoid getting confused - S for small and séchage (drying) and L for large and laver (washing). Glad to have made a trick to avoid confusion, I then put all my things in my sac, pocketed my laundry tablets, and armed myself with my handy-dandy French-English dictionary (just in case i don't understand the instructions). While climbing up the stairs, I prepared my mind for the whole ordeal, not wanting to lose my three euros because of some mistakes my other friends have encountered with the machines beforehand. When I got there, I saw two machines - one happily churning and another on standby. I looked at the porthole of the occupied one and thought, "Strange, there's water in the dryer. Oh, maybe that's the water being removed from the clothes." I then turned to the other machine, relieved that it was empty and started to unload my stuff. I followed the instructions carefully, and encountered just a slight problem. The token slot for the washing machine seemed too thin. I thus thought, maybe the landlady mixed them up. I then made the right adjustments, and in a few minutes I was happily hearing the engine revving up. Feeling a wave of triumph, I returned to my room, ready to happily retrieve my clothes in an hour or so.An hour passed and I made my way back upstairs. When I opened the machine door, I was so relieved that there seemed no running over of colors. I then started to unload my stuff in order to prepare them for the dryer but strangely, they were warm and dry. I also noticed some powdery stuff on my clothes and I thought, maybe the laundry tablet wasn't dissolved that much. When I had finished unloading my stuff, I couldn't help but be happy that my clothes were dry already - too good to be true! I don't have to spend time another hour waiting for them to dry! But then I examined my clothes closely... and reality dawned on me. I hadn't washed my clothes, I only had them dried. Grr... Since it would again cost me three euros to buy another pair of tokens (mind you, you can't buy them separately) I just went back to my room, washed my clothes by hand, and hung them by the heater to dry. tsk2...
Daylight Saving Time Victim
Blooper of the Day # 1I woke up this morning at 9am, or at least I thought so, because the two clocks which were in my immediate vicinity this morning displayed 9am. My class today was schedule to start at 10am, so I rushed about, a bit afraid that a moment of laziness may cost me my attendance in one of the last meetings for my subject MGE.
As a final touch to my outfit, I put on my wristwatch, and toink! The time was only 9:00 am. Grr. I checked my laptop for the time and yes, it was 9:00 am. I asked my friend Karol online what the time was, and he confirmed it was 9am. I'm a victim to the daylight saving time scheme again. tsk2. I forgot that I didn't adjust my two big alarm clocks. Oh well, at least I had time to go about my other
room chores (I would have said household chores but I only have one room so that's it. hehe).
Blooper of the Day # 2After my daylight saving time ordeal, i went to class from 10am to 5:30 pm, with a 1.5-hour break during lunch. Anyways, since my class was in French, I could only understand segments of the sentence and a seatmate would explain to me what the teacher is saying. Anyways, at the start of the afternoon class, the teacher said that we would be having an early dismissal since some of the students wanted to watch the football match in Paris (Yup, if some Filipinos are addicted to basketball enough to buy thousand-peso tickets for a UAAP Game in Araneta, some French students are addicted enough to football to go all the way to Paris from Lille [
mind you, 36 euros na ung papunta palang ng Paris ha... ung actual ticket price, that's another story].)Of course, being the "excitable" person that I am, I was looking at the clock every so often. Anyways, 5:00 came and the students started to stand up. So I grabbed my bag and rushed to the door while pictures of food paraded in my mind (Hehehe, I was pretty excited because I was going to the grocery to buy a week's supply of food after class). But Juliette held on to my bag, and asked me where I was going.
"To my dorm and then to Carrefour" with a grin.
"We're not allowed to go yet. We're going to have a discussion for the promotion.""Hehe, you're kidding me. Really now..."Juliette smiled and I was really convinced she was tricking me.
"Look at everyone, they're standing around but their bags are still on their seats."I looked around. Yup everyone was having a chat with their group of friends - and yes, their bags were there on their seats. *Gulp. I hope they didn't notice my big pink Jansport perched on my back when I was on the way out.* What's worse, I remembered seeing a puzzled look cross my seatmate Bertrand's face when I said
"Au revoir" before I grabbed my bag. After 5 minutes, I was back in my seat by his side, still a bit dazed about my foiled grocery exploration mission and trying to forget that I tried saying goodbye just a few minutes earlier.
BalikBayan Box Tales
I separated this entry from the previous one because they're so funny they deserve an entry solely for them. These are the balikbayan box adventures of Tita Myrna which were disclosed to us during dinner that's why our jaws ached so much from laughing last night.Tale # 1: Apple Green ShampooTita Myrna's mother called her after she sent a box.
Tita Myrna's Mom: "Myrna, ang bango naman nitong shampoo na pinadala mo! Salamat!" (translation: Myrna, the shampoo you sent smells good! Thank you!)
Tita Myrna: "Ha? Anong shampoo?"
(translation: Huh? Which shampoo?) Tita Myrna couldn't remember putting shampoo in the box.
Tita Myrna's Mom: "
Ung green. Nakalagay sa harap Apple Green."(translation: The green one. The label says Apple Green.)
Tita Myrna: "Naku nanay! Hindi yan shampoo! Dishwasher yan!!!"
(translation: Mother! That's not shampoo! That's dishwashing soap!")
Tita Myrna's Mom: "Diyos ko! Buhok ko!!!"
(translation: My God! My hair!)
Tale # 2: DoucheTita Myrna received a call from her family about a week after she sent her BalikBayan box.
Tita Myrna's Mom: "Myrna, ano ba itong pinadala mong gel? Nagkabalakubak ung pamangkin mo!"
(translation: Myrna, what kind of gel did you send? Your nephew has dandruff because of it.)
Tita Myrna: "Gel? Anong gel? Ano nakalagay? Pakispell."
(translation: Gel? What gel? What does the label say. Please spell it out) Again, Tita Myrna begins to wonder what gel it was because she doesn't remember sending gel.
Tita Myrna's Mom: "Eto o. Gel douche. D-o-u-c-h-e."
(translation: Here. Gel douche. D-o-u-c-h-e."
Tita Myna: "Naku! Hindi yan gel para sa buhok! Pang-shower yan!"
(translation: Oh no! That's not gel for the hair! That's a gel for taking showers!)
story extension:
There's a funnier story behind this tale. When Tita Myrna's relatives received the package, the nephew immediately saw the gel and claimed ownership to it. He put it on immediately. Neighbors and friends commented that it was fantastic - his hair was all shiny and it smelled really nice. Being generous, he gave some to all his friends and they all wore it. They've been wearing it for a week already when rainy days came. The nephew went home exclaiming,
Nay, bakit bumubula buhok ko! (Lola, why is my hair bubbling!) The lola was worried that's why they called Tita Myrna. Of course, the nephew stopped using the gel on his hair after that, but since he and his friends have been using it on their hair for a week, they later developed dandruff. Too much dandruff in fact.
Halloween Celebration
Back in the Philippines, I spent Halloweens with my family in MegaMall, accompanying my cousin Joshua (when he was still small because now he's taller than me already) go around the shops shouting out "Trick or Treat!" We would go home carrying loads of candies which we would then distribute to our other cousins at night when we have our own version of Halloween celebration. This celebration is a yearly event wherein each house in the compound would take turns decorating their houses with booby traps and frightening sights, and then invite the kids (and sometimes even the adults) from the other house (2 houses in the compound). It would be similar to going into a haunted house in the arcade, only this time it was better because it would be our uncle, or tita, or my cousins who would be spooking you. Afterwards, at the end of our explorations, we'll all settle down, exchange candies, eat whatever food has been served by the adults, climb up to the room of one of us kids and share ghost stories while chewing on our newly acquired candy treasures.
Trick or Treating at Mega Mall ended when my cousin was too old already to partake in such events in the mall. This year however, I regained my chaperone status! I, together with one parent, accompanied Nicolas and Clara (Tita Juliete's kids), and Clara's friend Cassandra, go around Linselles buzzing the doorbell or knocking at the door, watching them shout out "
bonbon monsieur" (i have to edit this... i don't know the exact thing they were saying because as you know, I'm still not fluent in French) when they were lucky to have someone open the door. We went through 2 streets only but we ended up with almost 3 kilos of candies. Hehehe! Success!!
Afterwards, we returned to Tita Juliete who had prepared a nice meal for everyone since there was a small Filipino reunion during the night also. (Oops, now that I think of it, it's not that small because there's Tita Juliette, Tito Olivier, Natalie, Clara, Nicolas, Tita Myrna, Dominique, Fritz, Antoine, Sophia, and I - 11! But compared to the typical Filipino reunion here which is comprised of 15 or more than 15 people, 11 is small. hehe). Tita prepared Raclette, salad, monggo and palitaw!
(Comments: 1. Raclette is a fancy french dish. You bring out your raclette cooker, place cheese(the kind of which is often called raclette) in small pans, put them back on the cooker, chat with your friends and remove the skin from the potatoes while waiting for the cheese to melt. When the cheese has melted, you pour it over your potatoes and place cold cuts to wrap the bunch, and there you go! Yummy!2. Yes, there's monggo! Yehey!)Since I was going a bit crazy, I shaped the last palitaw as a heart. And then, we remembered Fritz' birthday was last October 30, so we thought of making it her small cake, sprinkled candy on top and placed a candle on it! Hehehe. It was so funny but cute!
We exchanged stories until half past midnight. At the end of the party, our jaws were so tired from all the laughing. Whew. :)
I gained an hour!
Tita Juliete called me this evening while sopfia was tinkering around with the internet in my room. As kind as ever, she invited us to stay with her in Linselles tomorrow. We happily obliged - who would be crazy enough not to? Free cooking lessons (and very good i must add), good food, cute kids to play with, and the chance to simply chat with Tita Juliete in Filipino as opposed to spending hours in our rooms here in Lille - all locked up (or maybe we could even leave our rooms open because our dorms have transformed into ghost dorms due to the
toussaint vacation).
Anyways, just a few seconds after I put down the phone, it rang again, and in came the cheerful voice of Tita Juliette again.
"Nakalimutan ko pala sabihin. Kaya ako tumawag kanina, adjust niyo oras niyo ha." Huh? I looked at my watch, my phone, my computer, my alarm clock, they all were displaying the same time - 8:43 pm. Nothing seemed amiss, except for the growing disbelief and amazement at the thought that Tita Juliete could sense what's wrong with my watches when she's miles away from my place.
"Adjust niyo ng isang oras. Bawasan niyo ng isang oras. Anong oras na diyan?" "Umm, 8:43 po" "So gawin mong 7:43, nag-adjust na kasi ung oras ngayon." Another "Huh?" from an utterly confused me.
"Bakit po? Dahil winter?" And then it dawned on me. Suddenly the term daylight saving time made sense after years of knowing it at the back of my head. It was amazing, I gained one more hour! Cool! But then again, on second thought, oh no. I have another hour to get bored. Good thing sopfia was there to share my amazement and kill one more hour of boredom.
This daylight saving time scheme sure is cool. At least now, I wouldn't have a hard time screwing up my eyes in the morning (of at least for the succeeding weeks) looking out at the dark sky outside my window while checking all my watches if it really is 7 am when it looks around daybreak only. Now it would really be a bit more sunny when I wake up, or at least I hope it will be.
The Adventure Continues
AUGUST 28, 2005Flight from Manila to Muscat4:00 pm Manila Time - 8:40 pm Muscat TimeFlight time: 08h 40minI guess the reality of the fact that I'm leaving the country all alone for 10 months just settled in. Memories of the past weeks and months flickered in my mind while I tried very hard to concentrate on the french crash course I was listening to, or while trying to sleep. I couldn't help but be afraid of the things I'm going to miss, and of what the state of things will be when I return. I tried finding solace in watching the other people in the plane, but everything was in vain because the plane was like an isolation box. Everyone else was asleep, or was at least trying to sleep. I could see a few lone lights turned on, but the people were just reading, or were like me, staring into space. The only bright scene I found in the plane was that of a baby and her mother. The baby was so cute, and she smiled back at me when I smiled at her. At that moment, I couldn't help but wish that I was in her place. She was probably travelling for an international trip for the first time in her life, and she was so bouncy and happy, unaware of the baggages (literal and emotional ones) adults like me have to bring with them when they travel.
Yes, i'm an adult already. I'm not a teenager anymore and it is my first time to travel alone. It might be too late an age for some people, but just the same, I'm thankful that I had the opportunity to do this trip even if there are so many thoughts bothering my mind. I couldn't help but think that in a few months, I would again be in a plane, but this time going back home. Maybe I'll be so excited that I'll be going home finally, or maybe I might not want to go home. Whatever the mood will be, I just know that I'll survive and life will go on.
Muscat AirportSome time between 8:40 pm and 10:00 pm Muscat Time
The Muscat airport looked just like any other airport. It had lots of empty space and bare walls. Nothing was new, save for the fact that there were lots of Arabs, Muscat being in an Arabian country. I'm a good traveler, I don't know which country in particular.
I wanted to go to their souvenir shop while waiting for my next flight but the stares of the people around scared me a little. Besides, Naomi texted me and warned me not to go wandering around so I just stayed in the waiting area and watched everyone go about their business. There were lots of Filipinos, and it was nice to have someone to relate to. I met a Filipina who was going to Bahrain to visit her relatives. She helped me reserve a spot in the line, and we went to the plane together. She came from the same flight as mine. She said that if I had met her in NAIA (the international airport in the Philippines), she could have helped me get a 1st class seat to Muscat. Anyway, the time came for us to board the plane and we had to part ways. I hope I'll meet her again.
Flight from Muscat to Bahrain10:00 pm Muscat Time - 10:30 pm Bahrain Time Flight time: 01h 30min The food was bad. The moment the food was served, my mouth started to water since the food smelled really good. When I gulped in a big serving however, I was severely disappointed. I don't know how to describe it, but it was starchy. Then I remembered meat wasn't allowed in that plane because it was an Arabian plane. So I just put my food aside, and I just watched the people around me and the lights in the desert below. By this time, I was too tired of nostalgic thoughts that I just wanted to enjoy the view.
Bahrain Airport Some time between 10:30 pm and 1:15 am Bahrain Time Bahrain's airport was grand. The rooms were really large, and the seats, comfortable. Besides, there was a Duty Free shop so I was spared from the boredom of just sitting while waiting for my plane. After looking through the shops and the expensive prices attached to the goods, I decided to buy phone cards to call home. I enthusiastically went to the nearest phone booth, read the instructions, dialled the number home, and waited for someone to answer the phone for eons. (Yes, i forgot that i might be calling at such an ungodly hour.) Anyways, my mom answered the phone after a while and we had a short chat as to what had happened to me. I then tried calling JC next and luckily, he answered the phone and we also had a short chat. I wanted to call Naomi but I remembered that yes, I was calling in an ungodly hour and bothering 2 people was enough.
I tried to stay put while waiting for my flight because of the strange looks of the men who were also waiting for the flights, but I couldn't. I saw women who wore black from head to foot, with only their eyes exposed for the first time in my life, and I found the sight unnerving. Since I didn't want to see the sky-high prices of the duty free goods either, I decided to just buy an internet card (yey! they had wi-fi!) and bring out my laptop. The cashier looked very Filipina and with the way she smiled at me, I could feel that she was also wondering if I was Filipina. Being lazy to ask however, and being quite enthusiastic to go online, login to Chikka and send messages to everyone, I just bought a card and plopped into the nearest, safest spot I could get. After sending messages to everyone and e-mailing ICAM and friends, the internet card ran out just in time. Since the terminal number for my flight was already available by that time, I went to the terminal and waited for them to open the line. An airport personnel was there and seeing that I was alone, he asked if I needed help. I told him I was waiting for my flight to begin accepting passengers. He asked where I came from, and when he learned that I was from the Philippines, he said "Mabuhay!". He was funny and very friendly. It was nice to see that he was interested in the Philippines also. Anyway, the time came for him to leave, and I continued waiting for my plane. Finally, it came and as I fell in line, I couldn't help but notice that I was the only Filipino, and with that came another wave of feelings of anxiety.
Let The Game Begin!
Here I recount my first few hours in France - more specifically, my first few hours outside the Philippines.
Sunday, 28 August 2005 11:30 am Manila TimeI was taking in the view of my room, the smell, the disarray which I have always been used to when the doorbell rang and in came my gradeschool friends - pima, ghe, ayen - and pima's boyfriend Tatang. I was so surprised with their appearance, and very happy. For a moment they pushed away the feelings of dread and anxiety which had been building up for the past days. But only for a moment. The next instant, I remembered I wouldn't be with them for quite a long time - no Meris reunions, no pigging out with them, no healthy discussions, or plain
chikka. Feelings of nostalgia ran through me and to prevent any more sad feelings, I went down the stairs to go to where my family was, busily looking over my luggage.
11:45 am Manila TimeTheoretically, by this time, I should have been saying my goodbyes to family and friends already. But no, lo and behold, my luggages were being unpacked. They were too heavy and thus, we had 15 minutes to unpack and repack (mind you, prior to this, I had packed and unpacked my luggage 4 times already). Out of sheer exasperation (Why one earth did they give me
only 20 kilos luggage allowance for a 10-month stay in france! Hello?!? I'll spend four seasons there! Winter clothes already take up half of that weight!), I left them to finish off my things because the more time I spend looking over what to remove and not to remove, the more I become sentimental - nostalgia piling up with each article they remove from my luggae.
12:00 pm Manila TimeWell, they made it. They packed my bags successfully. After a brisk snack to arm me with a little courage before I leave, we loaded everything to the car. My Meris friends started to say goodbye... and tears began to well up in their eyes. We had a group hug and almost everyone emerged with tears running down their faces... I was close to tears, but since it won't do any good, and with my lola, tita and mom also crying a bit, I couldn't bring myself to cry and I could only smile - a simple silent smile, just enough to show them I was brave enough to do it, that I was standing by my decision, and silent enough to prevent me from crying, from betraying the fear and the nostalgia which had built up in me.
12:30 pm Manila TimeFirst drama episode finished. Reality check. I forgot my batteries, my plug adaptors, and I didn't have a decent wallet!!! So we checked out a nearby sari-sari store and procured some batteries which I could bring with me. Passed by Crossings, and with my cousin Joshua, ran up the steps, looked for adaptors in vain, and found a wallet which was good enough, and which could fit into my tight peso budget since I only had a few peso bills left in my pocket.
2:00 pm Manila TimeSurprisingly, not a tinge of nostalgia in my blood. Toxic - of all the worries of checking in, of leaving something, of not making it on time. Good thing the staff of Gulf Air was very accomodating and kind. After a hurried checking in, I went out again to the sending off area - my Ateneo friends + joAnne, and my family were still there. I wanted to, but dreaded, formally saying goodbye.
2:05 pm Manila TimeThe moment I feared the most. The hardest part of leaving is walking into the sliding doors of the airport knowing that the next time you reemerge from those same doors, the scenery will be different , the people have changed, and even you will be different one way or another. The hardest part of being left is seeing the person you care for actually walk to the sliding doors, see the sliding doors part in welcome and then close, sealing and concretizing the parting which you've dreaded for the past weeks or even months.
So there I reemerged from the sliding doors one last time to say goodbye to everyone. I had dreaded that moment the most, and I had prepared myself for that - prepared myself so good in fact that I myself was astonished that I left without a tear, and only with a smile. Everyone was there sending me off with well wishes - kuya nits, lolo, lola, mommy, joshua, jc, naomi, jeleen, joAnne, dande, and el (who unfortunately got caught by the guard and was prevented from going to the departure area). It was a potpourri of emotions -
sad because I'll be missing them,
happy because I learned that they really cared for me and because my friends gave me a new book (eleven minutes by paolo coelho) together with letters,
afraid because after saying goodbye I'm on my own,
excited because I'll see the limits of my courage and
apprehensive because the guard was watching and was already warding us away even if we haven't finished saying goodbye (maybe he's too used to the scene it wasn't important to him anymore). Finally, when all was said and done, I had to go, and with one last hug, one last wave and one last smile, I stepped into the carpetted floor leading to the airport entrance, wrapped up my emotions, shrugged off my fears, and prepared myself for the long journey lying ahead of me.
Gulf Air staff member, Henry, was already waiting for me at the counter and with his cheerful personality, he escorted me to the boarding area and entertained me with stories and friendster information until i've settled into my seat.
2:15 pm Manila TimeEl texted me saying he was sorry he wasn't able to send me off personally (because of the guard who caught him). It was a pity he was able to get through the guard only after I went into the airport already. I spent my last moments in the Philippines looking at the other Filipinos around me (some wearing smiling faces, the others wearing chagrin ones), and texting my friends and family.
3:00 pm Manila TimeBoarding time. Carrying my hand carry I went in line, wishing that my seatmate would be nice. I found my seat, saw my seatmate. He was ok. He talked with someone the whole time before taking off, finishing with tears in his eyes... (sniff)
Misery loves company. I found solace in knowing that I wasn't the only one leaving the Philippines with a heavy heart.
4:00 pm Manila TimeTake off. Too bad I didn't have a window seat. At any rate, I saw the far away view of the Philippines for one last time and entertained myself with the amusing gestures being made by the stewardess for the security briefing.
to be continued...
