“Attention à la présentation!”

All the other Americans I know in France agree on at least one thing: the school supply situation here is quite frankly ridiculous. Everyone has a pencil case containing at least 10 different colored pens, 4 different highlighters, whiteout (in pen form and in roller/mouse form), a ruler, glue, pencils, and an eraser. Bare minimum. The prepared, well-organized French student will also have scissors, a stapler, and probably some other super fancy goodies that I'm not even aware of. Here, no one is too cool for their super decked-out pencil case, whereas in the US, guys who think they're cool will often forgo the pencil case entirely, preferring to bring a single pencil or just borrow from their neighbor in every class.

I'm pretty sure if you turned in homework written in a million different colors in the US, the teacher would sort of roll his eyes at you and remind you that you're no longer in middle school. Here, it's what you're supposed to do. I write all in black, and can't stand doing anything else.

Even in the US my bad handwriting sometimes provoked “try to write neater, please” comments on particularly messy homework, but not usually. It's cramped and sloppy and I make a lot of mistakes, which I tend to just cross out and continue writing. (I can't stand whiteout. The stuff drives me crazy.) What makes it look even worse is that French handwriting is actually different – we are taught to form our numbers and letters differently, so that makes my writing even more difficult for my teachers to read. In math it was most confusing, so I've already switched to writing my ones like sevens and my nines like lowercase Gs, but I will probably not adapt to their super curly semi-cursive style of writing.

Where all of this is heading, of course, is that everything I do looks like cat vomit to my teachers and classmates. I got a math homework back with “Attention à la présentation!””written on top (“be more careful with the presentation!”). I was aware it wasn't pretty, but felt rather self-righteous about it anyway since it was I who had explained the homework to half of my class. Then on our math test, I was careful to be really neat and use my best “presentation” handwriting – I got it back with the same comment. As my classmates would say, in an exasperated tone of voice, “Putaaaaaiin!”

The funny thing is that in a way, neatness is subjective. Yes, in general Americans just turn in messier work than French people. But in the US they hate when you do math homework in pen, because there's always too much crossing-out or whiteout. I am stubborn and generally try my hardest to ignore this rule and write in black pen, but in the US, neat math homework = writing in pencil. Here, turning in work written in pencil would be unheard of, practically an insult to the prof. And then, of course, there's the matter of handwriting, where I have just as much trouble reading French handwriting as they have reading mine. Yes, I'm a messy student with terrible handwriting, but not all of it is me – some of it is just plain cultural differences.

Anyway, if any of you are thinking of moving to France any time soon, practice your prettiest handwriting and get used to colored pens and using rulers to underline everything. That's all.

Another thing I find pretty cute, and in rather the same vein, is their lab attire. But first, permit me to describe science class in general. Comparing my physics/chemistry class this year to my Chem Honors class sophomore year is rather like comparing you, dear reader, to an arsenic-based lifeform. The contrast between teachers is equally stark – my shy, awkward, nerdy prof now is the farthest thing imaginable from Napoleon-complexed, over-compensating, fire-breathing Narf at Homestead. In Chem Honors, labs involved a lengthy purpose, procedure, and research before starting, detailed observations in the lab notebook during the lab, and a conclusion and error analysis afterward. Here, labs consist of going to class, doing the lab (no lab notebook, no procedure, no nothing), and then talking with the prof about the results and what it means. I like the general idea – it makes science stay science instead of being the elaborate religious ritual that it was in Chem Honors, but at the same time it takes away from lab technique, and we don't get very good results. Today we were measuring concentrations of a solution, and I'm certain our lack of procedure and carelessness were reflected in the data. But the funniest thing is the lab attire: Lab attire back home consisted of closed-toe shoes, tied-back hair, and safety goggles. Lab attire here consists of none of these things, but we wear lab coats. How cute is that? As my mother said, “Dressing appropriately is a high priority after all, at least in France.” Protecting their clothes is apparently more important than protecting their eyes. Oh well, to each his own. I rather like my eyes, but I guess clothes are nice too.

Hey, guys! Look at the view from my window this morning! Also there was a really cool spider. Too bad you can't see how nice his web is in the picture.

In other unrelated news, frisbee yesterday was really fun. Only 5 people showed up: the coach, two adults, another young and relatively inexperienced player, and me. We worked on technique, played games (2 on 3 works pretty well when 2 of us are young and amateur and the other 3 are world-class players), and just plain had fun tossing around a disk. In a smaller group, I'm less intimidated by the quality of the players and not quite so lost. I just really enjoyed it, and hope frisbee will keep getting easier and more fun for me. I know I have a lot to learn, so if I keep my ears open and pay attention to our coach, I don't doubt that I'll improve quickly.

To follow up on my last post, I just thought I'd mention that I talked to my English teacher about my bad grade and he changed it to 12/20, just like that. The pretense both of us used was that it was my poor French skills that got in the way. Huh. So now my grade in English is as good as it is in French. Yay? Oh, the irony. In French, on the other hand, I was exceedingly pleased to get a 12/20 on my essay, which is about a B even though it looks an awful lot like a D- to us Americans. The prof said if I were French, she'd have given me a 10, which is still not too shabby at all. Good lord, was I relieved. I worked all weekend on that thing and was still terrified that I'd completely missed the point of the texts we were supposed to analyze. And that, my friends, is exactly why I'm not your ideal exchange student. I don't know anyone else who expects to write essays in French and get passing grades. Most of the other exchange students I know don't participate like a French student would, not doing all the homework or tests, and they are totally okay with that – we're not French natives and we shouldn't be ashamed of what we can't do, just like how we shouldn't be ashamed of not being able to swim as well as a dolphin. Me, on the other hand, even when I know logically that I should have different standards than the other students, I'm terrified of not passing my classes and therefore not getting my diploma, not going to college, and ending up as a McDonald's janitor for the rest of my life. Welcome to the beautiful neurosis-land that is Ikwe's brain, everyone!

And my last bit of unrelated news for today, far away in the land of college apps, is that I am DONE applying to McGill University, the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, and the University of British Colombia. I'm slowly but surely editing my essays for the other three (University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of Washington, and the UCs), so if you feel like editing, shoot me an email. I was extremely impressed because the other day I sent UW-Madison a question, fully expecting them to take several weeks to respond. It's admission season, my question was complicated (everything becomes a million times more complicated once you're applying from another country), and they must be flooded with admissions questions every day. It took them an HOUR to write me back with a thorough and helpful response. Go Badgers! Whoever said that public universities can't give you the individual attention you deserve, I present this as evidence against your case. It's particularly impressive once you compare it to the month it took for my high school guidance counselor to get back to me and tell me that she'd look over my email “later” to let me know if I'll even earn my diploma or not...

Okay! Super long rambling post is over! I've had a great week and hope all of you lovely people are doing well too.

Love,

Ikwe/Jenna

Your complimentary song today comes with a condition: if you recognize what American song the melody strongly resembles, please tell me, because it's driving me nuts. I'm sorry it's not a very good song, but I'm dying to know what the American song it reminds me of is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKJx-BnSLQU&feature=endscreen

(Keen'v, Contre Son Corps)

Another song by the same artist is way over-played on the radio, but is kind of catchy: Ma Vie au Soleil http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOdOhQFt1GE

And if you wanted an actually good French song, here it is, Joyce Jonathan's Je Ne Sais Pas (Merci Nina! <3) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsJWSDe44Uk