Ben's France blog

new hobbies

2006-02-12T09:11:00.000-09:00

New hobbies

So i've taking up a new hobby. Midevil fencing. I have done modern for about 4 years now and I thought a little change of pace would be good. So now I am learning from one of the best fencers in europe. Its in a German style and I get to learn how to use all sorts of fun things like, two handed broadswords, shortswords, axes, daggers, pretty much anything old and sharp is fair game. Unlike modern fencing, midevil is not faught on a piste and is no way linier. It simulates the battlefield and is totaly open borderwise. It is also very realistic in its style. The various body techniques, tripping, punching, bashing people with a shield are just as important as the movements of the sword. O and by the way there is no protection, supposedly the lack of any means we are supposed to pay more attention. Well thats about it, midevil fencing is pretty cool and very physical. This is my weapon of choice, a Viking short sword, its longer than the nomal short sword and very heavy. Wielding it with a shield really kills the arms but gives me a big advantage. Most people dont like using it because its so heavy, but I feel that it gives me harder blow when I wield it.This is a bag full of goodies, lots of long sharp objects inside. oooodles of fun ^.^

some more pics

2006-01-25T12:05:00.000-09:00

Half way there

2006-01-25T11:37:00.000-09:00

Well its amost halfway over. The last few weeks have been pretty cool. I have hit the soldes and I got some new duds. I am quite happy at my new host family. I am passing most of my classes, and I am prepping for my job shadowing experience. I am really looking forward to going on vaycation in Switzerland.

Well Happy New Years

2006-01-05T09:21:00.000-09:00

Alot has happend since I last wrote. Christmas has come and gone. I have changed my host famly. I am now at the Chevalliers. It was very hard to be away for home for the holidays. Much harder than I thought it would be. I got some really great gifts for noel and have to get to work on those thank you notes, tomorow, or maybe the next day.... School has started up again and I am back to working on that. Its all easy street from here exchange wise. At least I hope so.

first free weekend in a while

2005-11-20T03:22:00.000-09:00

Well all my various events have finished now and I finaly have a weekend to chill. Not that I mind jaunting off to different places to see new things and have new experiences. Quite the contrary I love it. Two weeks ago I went to a rock fest up in lille called les inrocks. Saw four english bands. It was a blast. The crowd was great, everybody there was really into the music and it was fun to here so many people speaking english. A huge crowd came down from england with the bands I guess. Me and max were standing around talking when we heard a guy say "where the hell are you guys from?" it was the merch vendor. We replied that we were from california. He was like "Well than what the F*** are you guys doing in lille? we told him that we were forign exchange students. He got a kick out of that, but unfortunatly didnt give us any deals on stuff. The Kaiser Chiefs were great. They really put on a great live show. The futureheads and maximo park were also really good. Hard fi was average. Then I went back to school for almost a week and headed into paris. Versailles is absoultly incredible. It has a grandure that is indescribible, it is just amazing. We visited that and Les Invalides, then The towers of notre dame de paris. We stayed with my host uncle who is a wine and beer connaisseur. So I now have a modest knowledge of french wines and belgian beer, not to worry, its a very small knowledge. But both are very very good. Paris really is an beautiful city, it just has an atmosphere that I really dig, ill think ill have to go back. Well thats all from here in france. Ben Bloomfield

I am safe

2005-11-09T11:52:00.000-09:00

Just for the record I am safe and ok. The riots and violence havnt hit my town very hard and no where near my area. All is ok in my immediate area.

vaycation, only half begun

2005-10-29T07:37:00.000-09:00

I am now halfway through vaycation and its only beggining to rev up. The first night I spent the night in a french friends beautiful house. They might be my third host family wich would be very cool. The second night was a party. Well thats what they called it anyways. It was seriously straight out of Miami Vice. Rich white kids in pastel polo shirts dancing disco. I kid you not. DISCO, well it was a fun time anyways. Then my friend elena came up despite all resistance from her rotary club. We just kinda hung out in St Quentin, shoped a little, met up with some of my friends. Then we went up to douai wich was cool. Ate really good food at the host grandparents house. My host family and I went up to berc on the coast. It was pretty ok, cold and gray but still nice. Saw some friends of the family up there and ate crepes mmmmm. Got my hair cut today. Really short, feels kinda wierd. My side burns got shaved off too, first time in a long while I havent even had side burns. facial hair is a no no on the kids here. Well have to go pack for the second leg of my vaycay.

two month update

2005-10-26T01:34:00.000-09:00

So ive now been here for over two months. I like it most days. I have a routine and friends and I sometimes I really feel as if I have completley integrated into the community and on other days its like im still stuck at the first day. My french is getting better most times, but sometimes I cant get my point across at all. Very frusterating. Elena came over for a few days and that was a blast, we hung out and went up to douai. So far vaycation has been pretty cool, we are heading up to the ocean tommorow I think. here are some pics of my life, me in a cafe with friends, le hotel de ville, my friend florin, a group of friends, le basalique. so thats all for now. Ben Bloomfield

Chantilly

2005-09-19T11:10:00.000-09:00

My host family and I went to visit the Cheatau Chantilly. A cheatau is a cross between a castle and a mansion. It was very beautiful and grand. Later we ate creme de Chantilly, its like whipped cream only much thicker and more rich. More pics later.

The view from the gardens

integration

2005-10-19T08:49:00.000-09:00

Well I really think im starting to integrate into the french lifesytle. Im at the point that when people meet me on the street they dont realise im american until after a little while. Most people who talk to me when they realise im not french think im german. Well its closer geographicly than the US. I will post pics later of my friends and town. Right now im trying to find a place to crash after a concert that I want to go to in Lille. Well thats all for now.

Ben Bloomfield

one month later

2005-09-29T09:36:00.000-09:00

so I have been in France now for one month. Im starting to make some friends but it is still very hard. Not only is there the language barrier, most of the people who go to my school live in surrounding hamlets and commute to school by bus. I am beggining to develop a regular schedual and that is nice. I hope to change my speciality from science/math to french literature. Ive realised that I can take chem and bio at home but not a french literature class in france. Its a difficult choice because ive already integrated into my class right now, however I still think switching is a good idea.

French clothes, school etc...

2005-09-17T19:02:00.000-09:00

It has been a very busy last two weeks or so. I have started school full time and that is very difficult. For now the material covered isnt so hard, but the fact that it is in french makes it very difficult. Im making some friends and that is nice. I have been fencing 2 times a week, and im getting in shape. Ive had to switch from foil to sabre because there are no foilist here. I have bought my first french clothes and I like them alot. They were more expensive than I would pay in the USA, but there is a much larger emphasis on the way you dress here. The pants I bought are much smaller around than the pants im used to, but they are very flattering. I will post some pictures when I take them. I am going to meet my second host family in a little while. Thats all for now.

bruxelles pictures

2005-09-02T10:26:00.000-09:00

this was a nice little street with some cafes and shops. I liked it alot.
the hotel de ville

A nice view of the Grande Place

school

2005-09-02T06:12:00.000-09:00

Well I finished my first day of school today, actualy my first half day. It was very very different than the ones I went to in Truckee. St. Jean de le croix is very formal, Truckee high isnt exactly known for their strictness or formality. The charter school I went to was even more informal. I come from an area in wich there is a huge powder day the students and teachers may or may not show up for class. The school here in france has more students but less area than truckee. Its really crowded. All the classrooms I have seen here are very spartan, none of the posters and things that are in every classroom in america ive been to. Ill say more about school more when I learn more.

bruxelles

2005-08-31T11:00:00.000-09:00

We went to bruxelles today, amazing city, really beautiful. We ate waffles and drank beer, both were good. I bought some gifts for my parents. I will post pics later

im here

2005-08-26T22:57:00.000-09:00

so after a very long plane ride, actualy several planerides I am here in france. I woke up at 330pst and drove down to reno to get on the plane. I met up with elena and danielle there. I also saw chealsea on her way to new york. Because we have friends who work for the airline we got to ride first class for the first part of the journey. We flew into st paul, a very beautiful city, and hung out in the airport for about an hour. We then boarded the plane for detroit and took about 30 min to taxi. On the plane I sat with some guys from birmingham who were on there way back from las vegas, a real bummer because they kept talking and wouldent let me sleep. At detroit we met up with a bunch of other exchange students. It was fun talking to the other people who were going. Some very interesting people are now in france. My plane to paris was delayed by 2 hours because the cargo hold smoke detector was broken. I then took a very long flight to paris. On arival in paris I went through customs wich was a snap. My host family then picked me up and went home. Every thing here is so green and lush, quite a change from the landscape of truckee. The town I live in is very picture-esque, its exactly what you think of when you picture a french town. Well I got to go to market now.

Keep on Trucking

Ben Bloomfield

My Town

2005-08-18T14:05:00.000-09:00

The town I will be living in is called St Quentin. It is an agricultural town of 60,000. It seems very cool. Here is its website http://www.agglo-sqy.fr/fo/fr/home/home.asp.

my french house

2005-08-18T14:01:00.000-09:00

pic of me fencing

2005-08-18T13:52:00.000-09:00