Attention all customers, please make way for the stupid American in the bakery!!!

Here are some photos: the Conservatoire du Geneve, inside the foyer of the L'Institut Jaques Dalcroze, L'Institut Jaques Dalcroze, and again back to the foyer inside. (PS Please excuse the truck in picture 3...and in case you're wondering, the title on the truck is not what you think...)

So on Tuesday, I go to the Manor, a huge 6 story commercial center which is sort of similar to our Super Target back in the states. The place is packed with people, and I’m trying to negotiate how I will plan to survive in a country where 10 medium/small eggs are about $3.30 and pasta sauce is about $5.00 for an 8 oz jar…yikes! Anyway, I staggered up to the boulangerie (bakery) and ask for the price of a loaf of bread. (I will state here and now that my French is marginal at best). The woman points to the bread and says the price. Naturally she says it about 80 km/second, so I ask her to repeat herself. She shouts back: “Trois Franc cinquante !!!” I swear, the entire store stopped what they were doing to look the “situation” in the bakery. Some man proceeds to yell across the aisle: “She said, ‘Three dollars and fifty cents!!!” Now, I realize that turtles truly do have advantage over humans with their ability to pull themselves inside their own shells!!!

Other than that things have been fine, and people are much more patient with foreigners here than in the US. There was another laughable moment at the bar when I went drinking with two of my friends here, Pablo and Stephanie. I had already had a few glasses of wine, and when it was time to pay the bill, I asked in most polite French: “L’addition, s’il vous Please!” The waitress laughed and laughed, and my friends have not yet forgotten my slip up.

L’institut is quiet because today is the Fete du Geneve…an annual event where all of the Swiss take the day off and celebrate their city. I think it’s a great idea; perhaps we can do the same thing back home and have the Fete du Federal Heights? We’ll see, but it doesn’t sound nearly as exciting. In an effort to save on time and money, I’ve moved into a VERY small room here in the L’institute. It would cost me over $30 and 4.5 hours each day to travel back and forth from Patrick’s house. So, I’ll stay here during the weekdays and Froideville on the weekends until my apartment becomes available at the end of the month.

This week has been all about orientation for the Conservatoire du Geneve (where Franz Liszt taught and performed) and L’institut Jaques-Dalcroze. I am excited to start classes and get going on my Dalcroze life. Each week, my schedule includes 4 classes of Eurhythmics, 3 classes of improvisation, 3 classes of solfège, 2 classes of pedagogy, 2 classes of movement, 2 classes of Plastique Anime, and 1 class of French. It’s a lot. But it will be good, and I’m stoked.
So, now I will practice…which is the best part of being back in “student life”. Chopin, Beethoven, and Copland for as much as I can stand it…yea, me!!!