AGHAAIA;OIUT A'EORIGTJ A'EOIUT A'WERIPOGTU A

That is angry. Because I'm angry. Not really - I've come to terms with my position, but it could be a lot better - i.e. I could be in LONDON. But no. Basically, we could do nothing about it, and we at least get much more relaxing and much less expensive weekend hanging out in Paris than we would have in London. Alright, here's what's happened so far, and I'll add updates as they come.

SO we leave Nantes at 5:30. Train was delayed just a little while, and it had to go slower due to snow and cold conditions on the rails. We get to Paris about 20 minutes late, tackle Montparnasse after a while and then have to trek to the metro to get to Paris Nord. That is always fun, and then plus ALL of our luggage - it was a good time, and my arms about fell off. Also, on our tickets for the next train, it said we had to be there at least 30 minutes before the train left to get through customs and all that, so we were sprinting as we got there about 6 minutes before the scheduled time. But that train was late as well, and we had lots of fun adventures getting through British customs and security and all that - oh the Brits (ALSO I got my passport stamped with a UK stamp! However, the coolest part is that on paper, I entered the UK...however, I never LEFT it hahahaha). ANYWAY.

We get on the train. I'm freaking out about the Chunnel, and think I'm going underwater at all times and it was scary. But then, we slow down and stop...and they say "oh, there's a train stopped in the tunnel, we're just going to wait." THEN another train breaks. So we can't get through at all. So, the conductor - obviously stressing out a lot - tells us we're turning around to go back to Paris. But then, changes his mind and we decide to wait it out. At this time, it is about 2:30 am, and he says they've started evacuating passengers out of the tunnel, and it should be open about 4:30 am. At 4:30 am, they said there have been delays and it won't be open until 6:30 am. At 6:30 am, it was delayed until 8:30 am. At 8:30 am, he gives up completely. It was sad - he sounded so defeated after the cheery announcement bell came on, and then he was just so sad. So we decide to turn around to Paris, with a stop at Lille for those who want it. We could have taken a ferry from Lille, but then found out that the ports were all closed, plus all the highways in Britain were closed too so there were no busses/cabs that could have gotten us to London from Dover.

ANYWAY. So now we're back at Paris Nord station. Trying to get off the train, the doors are all frozen shut. Awesome. So we wait, queued at the door with all our luggage, for a while for them to thaw haha. It was priceless, really. Then, we get off the train in masses. The train company - Eurostar - had provided drinks and croissants for everyone just off the platform, which was really nice. I truly think they handled the whole situation really well, especially seeing that there was absolutely nothing they could have done. However, everyone was just freaking out; screaming at the representatives they had on the platform, demanding reimbursements and complimentary hotel rooms/taxis/meals/internet...my goodness. I felt so bad for them. Plus, there was a TON of media that was there, interviewing people and everything AND the CEO of the Eurostar was there, being interviewed. I GOT ON THE PARIS NEWS! If you go to Yahoo news, then there's a bunch of video links. Here's the link: http://uk.video.search.yahoo.com/video/play?p=eurostar&n=21&ei=utf-8&fr=yfp-t-702&tnr=21&vid=0001852013431. I'm about 45 seconds in. I look really really concerned. I was trying to translate for a Spanish lady. Which was difficult. haha. It was exciting!!!

So, we went to search for a taxi to the closest hotel; got in a taxi, asked him to drive to the closest hotel; he asked if we had a reservation; when he found out we didn't, he kicked us out. That was pleasant. But, we walked around and then found a fairly nice hotel that had rooms. So we checked in, and then came up and SHOWERED and it was lovely. Then, we bought internet and skyped with parents and figured out flights and relaxed a bit.

SO, right now the plan is as follows: checkout is tomorrow at noon. We're going to head directly to Charles de Gaulle to get a flight to London. We're booked on a flight at 7:30, but the airport is going to be mad crazy so we're allowing as much time as possible. Then, we will get to Heathrow, and then wait it out until 10 am Monday morning, which was when our original flight that's been booked since April leaves for Chicago. CROSS YOUR FINGERS FOR US IT'S GOING TO BE A BUMPY RIDE!!


Alright - so I'm in Charles de Gaulle now, about a half hour before we board. As of right now, the flight is on time and still scheduled. Which is AWESOME because the previous flight and the flight after ours were both cancelled. SO for now, we're lucky, but the fingers are still crossed!

Next update - we're now in Heathrow. It's now 2:42 am, but it's 3:42 am for me. We've camped out in this internet cafe outside of security. When we got here, we meandered around and found the right terminal eventually. So we get here, the United terminal is closed so we can check in at the self-do it kiosks, but we can't check our bags. But we really want to spend the night inside of security, but we can't do it with our bags obviously. So somebody tells us that there's an overnight baggage storage place. So we check our bags in there, and head to security. However, there they tell us that you're not allowed to go through security unless it's the day of your flight. Obviously it was the day before ours. So we couldn't get through - and we decided to go and get our bags back to save the 8 pound fee if it was going to be pointless.....but we went back to the people, and asked to get our bags out. It had been literally less than 10 minutes. However, the lady said they'd already been processed and we'd have to pay. So we just freaked out at her. Obviously, it was ridiculous, and she did NOT understand. It was SO frustrating. Then, we demanded to call the manager (one of the plus sides was that we could do all this in English, and it was probably 10 times more effective) and he did not understand either. It was really really frustrating. So we're now stuck outside of security, in an internet cafe, being cold and uncomfortable. BUT our flight is still on time, and we will be home within 20 hours of now. It will happen. That's all for now!

NOUS AVONS FINIS!!!

I remember writing the 'requisite day before post.' Like, yesterday. This is SO weird. I just finished my last LAST exam, and I actually feel fairly confident that I did well. Which is also fairly odd. But great!

Also, it snowed overnight so we woke up to a magical wonderland of a light dusting of snow. Then, we had an adventure walking in to school because the busses stopped running because of the snow. It was amazing. It was bittersweet at the same time, because it felt so much like home - and now, I can actually say that Nantes IS home. I've been telling people that I "live in Nantes" when I'm away from it, and talking to people and they ask me. But it's true - it's such a 'homey' town, and I know the map like the back of my hand. And every time I leave on the train, I know that I'll be coming back in a few days to the Nantes station, and I'll be back home again. Except this time, when I won't be coming back. At least for a while - because really, it isn't even a question that I'll be back here again to visit. I don't know when, but it kindof softens those realizations that 'oh, this might be the last time that I'll EVER do this, or that, in this town.' i.e. I was looking forward to the bus ride this morning, because it was going to be the 'last time' taking the 21/23 into school. BUT NOPE. and that was fine - because honestly, at some point, I'll be back here again.

And what makes this town even more irresistible is my amazing host family. Last night was the cutest night of my life, and it was so hard not to cry. While I was helping make dinner, my host mom asked me if I was sad to be going home, or more excited. And I responded, then she told me that they were definitely going to miss me being there, and how "my smile always brightened the house." AGH I love her. Then, at dinner, they gave me a really nice cookbook with traditional French foods which was so cute and perfect, and I exchanged gifts with them as well - I had gotten them some nice Christmas tea, because we have it after dinner every single night. They loved it, and it was a lot of fun. Then, my host dad made us some DELICIOUS chocolate custard for dessert, and we had a 'night cap' of some really good cassis liqueur which was made with his great-grandmother's recipe. He told me that every time someone marries into the family, that recipe is the traditional gift. AND THEN - he gave me the recipe. Big deal. I almost broke down at that point. After, we took some family pictures by the Christmas tree, and then host dad emailed me some more family recipes. It was such an awesome evening, and goodbyes are definitely going to be hard today.

So the plan is that we're heading out to lunch, with the four of us that have been inseparable this whole trip and who I'm going to miss dreadfully (but will see again very soon, so that won't make me cry. It's going to be alright) and then Meryl and I will head home, finish up packing and cleaning the room a little bit. Then, host mom is driving us to the station for our final goodbyes and we'll hop on and head to Paris. We have to change between Montparnasse and Paris Nord which will be interesting, but hopefully hilarious and not super stressful (plus, we have three hours to do it) and then, THE CHUNNEL which hopefully will not kill me....and THEN LONDON! We get in tonight, will find our hotel and crash and then start our two days of adventure tomorrow morning! I can't WAIT and it blows my mind that this trip, which I literally have been looking forward to since April, is actually here. And in 3 days, I will be in my own bed, after taken a shower in my own shower, and with my family and boyfriend just rooms away, instead of oceans. I can't wait. It's going to be amazing, and really truly - I just can't believe how lucky I am.

I'll update with pictures and London later, once I'm home!!!! AU REVOIR DE FRANCE POUR MAINTENANT!

T minus 5 days...and counting

I've been meaning to update for so long. It's awful. But these past few weeks have been a blur. It was just November. good lord. And now it's like almost halfway through December. And nine days until Christmas. Today, every time I left a store, they left me with 'Happy Holidays!!' and it made me SO happy. I also saw a bus drive by today, that had garlands draped over the windows(I wasn't on it, unfortunately. But it was the 22, which is fantastic - I think that that is the best bus line. Definitely the most cheery. It makes my day most of the times I take it. And I will miss its awful, awful - not even trying to uphold the stereotype - female drivers). It blows my mind, and to prove my point, I've probably said that like 60 times today alone. Meryl, my very very good friend, came in on Sunday so we've just been hangin out all week. Finals have been passing quickly, which is lovely - especially since the preparation for them almost killed me. Studying was so painful, because we were all stuck in the school together, staring at the same information over and over. Also, I learned that if you try to keep a group of five or more fairly homesick college students that have been away from home for 4 months focused for more than, oh, 45 minutes at best - you have your work cut out for you. It does not work. We have far too much else to talk about - packing stories, some people dreading their awful layovers and others bragging about their direct flights (that's me haha), discussing how exactly we're going to say our goodbyes to our host families (I don't think there will be words for how amazing they have been. That part is going to be pretty tough), and also just how insanely excited we are - or most of us are - to be going back to everything "normal" - things like wearing my slippers around the house and eating things out of the fridge and driving. I can't WAIT to drive! Though I can wait for the cold and snow (it got to freezing here, and I'm dying. It's -5 Celsius...but -5 Fahrenheit at home).

Anyway - I haven't told stories about my past excitements. My mommy's visit, first of all, was absolutely wonderful. Seeing her was just so exciting, and kindof shocking but really nice at the same time. It was really really fun to show her my new "world" here, that is Nantes and France in general. Not that it's MINE or anything, but it's just an aspect that only she - and meryl- will know from home. So it was really great that she could see that, and share it with me. We also had a fantastic time just hanging out, meeting my host family, doing some shopping (LOTS of shopping haha) and lots of sightseeing as well.

Thanksgiving was really fun too, and also nice to have a family member here to share it with. The program, along with the Franco-American Association of Nantes put it on for us, and it was a very nice gesture and really well done. This being France, there aren't many structures that hold not only all 90 of us in the program, but a good portion of the host families, the IES staff, and the members of the Association as well. Therefore, we were in the middle of nowhere, way the heck out in one of the suburbs...but easy enough to get to, and a fairly nice restaurant. We shared "les boissons d'amitie" - drinks of friendship, definitely a favorite term I've learned - to start off with, and then had to strategically plan the seating arrangement. In the end, we had Leah and I with my mom, and both her parents, plus Ruth and Hannah and some of Leah's host fam/host fam friends at the table. It was a great mix, and we had very pleasant conversation. It was just such a nice vibe, with everyone (all the students included) dressed up for the dinner, and in a new and exciting setting that wasn't a classroom....a highly enjoyable evening was had by all, topped off with some really impressive musical displays by some of the kids. We had a great sing-along to "La Vie en Rose" the classic by Edith Piaf. It was all very lovely, and was a memorable and highly appropriate way to celebrate the day.

The following Saturday, we left for Paris wayyyyy early. After fighting with the cab company, the driver finally came and picked us up and proceeded to hit on me as could probably be expected of a French taxi driver at 6 a.m. Obviously. Then, we arrived at about 9, found our hotel at about 10 and then started our one day of Paris right away. We went down to the Champs Elysses, and then headed up the Arc de Triomphe, then we trekked across (what felt like) the entire city to find the Longchamp store which was probably really unecessary but quite fun. Then we headed back to recouperate in the hotel room for a while and took off again for the Eiffel Tower and dinner. We couldn't go all the way up because there was "too much wind"....pshhhh it wasn't really that windy (in fact, it was absolutely terrifying just on the second level of the tower. On the Eastern-facing side, we literally had to hold on to the railing.) It was gorgeous though, and I think it was worth it. Dinner was pretty sweet too, at a nice cozy Italian place, AND we got to see the insane light show that happens every Saturday night, apparently. It was pretty great. The trip to the airport the next day was pretty uneventful, except for the inevitable confusion that is Charles deGaulle, and then I hopped back on the train to come back to Nantes.

So that was Paris trip #1. Paris trip #2 was the following weekend (how lucky am I, that I got to be in the city of lights twice in a week, and then I get to go to London, one of the other major cities of the world, within a week after that!?) with my host sister, Marie. Well, I shouldn't say WITH because that implies togetherness. I actually showed up there a day after she had, because she is applying for internships and had a bunch of interviews (which she has actually heard back from since, and has decided to accept the offer made by 'Elle' - as in, the magazine - to be their exhibition designer. How awesome is that?) and then she told me to just hang out for a while and meet her at this metro stop at this time...which worked out well, and I was so proud of myself! Thinking about how much I would have freaked out about following those instructions before living in Washington, DC last summer, and even before this semester (when I landed, I had to get on a bus and meet a friend for the first night and beforehand, I was TERRIFIED) sort of cracks me up now. I used to get really nervous and anxious about trying to figure out public transportation, whereas now I know that "Oh, if I get on the wrong line, I can probably just turn around and take it back to the station where I started from and find the right one..." which is a wonderful revelation to have had, believe me.

ANYWAY. I met up with Marie, finally, and her boyfriend Max (I won't talk about how wonderfully attractive he is here, because she'll probably read this haha) and we went to some dinner at a fairly chic Parisian resto, called the "Metropolitain," which the group of them obviously frequented, and called "le Metrop" which sounded hilariously French and made me feel somewhat out of place, but I went with it. But it was really fun - I ended up talking about West Wing with one of the guys, who I found out owns a castle, and it was nice and pleasant - and a pleasant evening. The next day was Versailles, which I voyaged to by myself, which was quite the adventure, and met up with some of my friends who were also in Paris for the weekend. We did the castle, and the gardens which were absolutely gorgeous, but totally overwhelming and ridiculous at the same time. The exhibit that was there, on the life of Louis XIV was hilarious; he was one of the most self-centered people ever. But at the same time, he did a lot of amazing things for the world of art and fashion and all that - he invented the high heel, believe it or not, because he wanted some way to better show off his sexy dancer's legs.

Then, after the castle, we headed back into the town of Versailles and got lunch and then I met back up with Marie and Max, who had driven out to spend the afternoon there with me. We walked around and explored - and I fell in love. For sure. The town itself is so cozy and quaint, and it had such a great feel to it. It was like it was this gorgeous town, but at the same time, it wasn't trying too hard to be special or anything. The fact that it's only 20 minutes out from Paris - the huge, huge, hugeness of Paris - and it can still manage this feat was even more endearing and I love it. But we just wandered, and Marie showed me the church my host parents were married in, and where she was baptized...and we went to the market, and just hung out...and then we went to visit my host grandmother as well. She lives in Versailles, but has severe alzheimer's, so she needs to be taken care of 24/7. She has a Portuguese lady who stays during the weeks, but then my host mom and her 3 siblings split the weekends. So host mommy was there for this weekend, and we got to see her too. It was really pleasant, and also really nice - it made me feel like they were really welcoming me into their family. I saw all the baby pictures and all that...I really enjoyed it, even though it was kindof sad too.

Then, we drove back in to town (which was AWESOME - we were driving along the Seine, and I just kept thinking, 'who DOES this?!?') and then I hopped on the metro to meet my friends up in Mont Martre, which is another great neighborhood. We got dinner, and then they were exhausted so I headed towards home. But it was only about 10:00, so I decided to take a walk...along the Seine, next to where all the Bateaux Mouches park, and then past the Eiffel Tower....it was amazing. I was thinking, "what does it take to be French? Because I'm pretty sure I've got it down fairly well." I loved it. And it was also nice to have some pure alone time, though I was in the middle of a huge crowd. I really enjoyed my time there.

The next day was Sunday, so I woke up and then headed down to the Sunday market that was nearby. It was solely food, so I didn't really get anything - except for a ton of photos, just of the colorfullness and the faces on the people that you can see. It's so fascinating to watch some 70 year old woman force her way through a crowd, just so she can get her roasted chicken and the freshest mushrooms. It is an experience, let me tell you. Then, I headed back to the wonderful family's house that we were staying with and helped them prepare lunch. But then, people started showing up and I realized that what we were getting ourselves into - it was a legitimate, huge family gathering: all her neices and nephews came, with their kids as well. There ended up beging about 15 people around the lunch table, all of whom were utterly confused as to why there was an American there, and I proceded to try and keep up with conversation, and then entertain myself with the 3 year olds. It was great fun, and very very authentically French. I loved it.

Then, we went and met up with Max again and went and did some visiting, and then some sightseeing which I think Marie felt was required. Then, I headed back to the station and back to Nantes - home sweet home! I think it was the most 'authentic' weekend I've had here, and it was absolutely fantastic.

As of now, I'm at school and the goodbyes have started as exams are ending and people are packing up and heading home. There's all kinds of different travel plans, and I feel like everyone has their own story to tell - as usual. But it's kindof nice, that we've gotten so close and are so sad to see each other go. Tomorrow is my last day in Nantes, and it will definitely be an interesting one. We'll see if the tears will come or not!!

Oh les francaises...

This week has been going so fast - it's already Thursday. Which wouldn't normally mean anything truly consequential...except for now, that means I have less than three weeks left. We've started the goodbyes, and the number-exchanging, and going-away party/outing planning; I'm in that mindset that I get at the end of things, where each time I do something, I think: "Is this going to be the last time I get to do this in my life?" Not with normal things of course, but, for instance, shopping in Passage Pommeraye (the old, old mall downtown) or picking up a quick pastry at a certain boulangerie or witnessing an old man fishing on the river or a woman buying a bouquet. Not that these things are huge in any way - it's just I don't get downtown as much as in the beginning of this semester with all my work and everything now, so you just never know! It's a bittersweet feeling. But I can also feel the excitement starting to boil about coming home, and London and Meryl's visit!!!! It's just a contemplative time, but also fairly hectic as everyone's tying up loose ends - picking up Christmas presents, gathering up samples (at least) of things we've grown to love while we were here (LU Biscuits and cassis syrop for me!), taking photos of things we've never actually thought to take photos of before, and trying to pack as many last vocab words and grammar rules into our brains as possible. The study abroad cliche of discovering our love for a place just when you're about to leave it definitely has a lot of truth to it. i.e. tonight, Emily messaged me and told me to go look at the moon. For me, that involves putting coat and shoes on and walking down the street to the end of the row of buildings so I can see over them - but once I saw it, it was entirely worth the cold. It was full, and petite, and glowing and all silvery. It was glorious - and it totally epitomized how wonderful this city is, and how much I'm going to miss it. It was great.

In other news: there were campus elections up at the faculte the other day...and BIEN SUR there were protesters. I mean - we're in France, how could there not be? But they were also handing out flyers. Again - this is to be expected, as we've come to learn, especially at the faculte. But this one was particularly interesting. Here's some snippets (translated, for your viewing pleasure):


"Elections are a vain exercise and everyone knows it: but it is from this vanity that democracy takes its force, and it is for this reason that it is the worst of the political systems...you know that voting does not actually accomplish anything grand, but if you don't vote, the result would be even worse...Democracy is nothing more than permanent blackmail to promote terror: as imperfect as it is, it is still preferable to tyranny...democracy is never achieved, never complete, always leaves something to conquer...the defects of democracy cannot support itself, and they are a perpetual failure to achieve anything...."

And it goes on and on...At the bottom of the page, the excerpt is cited from "Mort a la democratie" (Death to Democracy) by Leon de Mattis, and was distributed by the GSAE: Groupuscule Subversif des Anarchistes Enrages (Little Subversive group of enraged anarchists).

First, I thought it was hilarious. Oh, those enraged anarchists - goin' at it again! But it really highlighted, for me, the true rocky, volcanic state of the French society. There is ALWAYS something to combat within the French government - from the privatization of the postal system, to the price of public parking, to working salaries and the '40-hour work week,' to the voting age, to health care...and that's just their problems with the French government - that's not even mentioning all their various problems with the EU and the European government. It is just truly shocking to see people reacting this way. I mean - the US government is leaps and bounds away from being perfect, and that statement would be agreed upon by all sides. But we don't go about changing things by burning tires in the streets, and shutting down entire public transportation systems at a time. It's so shocking.

It also made me realize: Europe is a fairly new concept. When we grow up in the states, at least for me, Europe was full of really, really, really, really old stuff. And it was (again - for me) SO MUCH cooler than America because of that - history has always kind of had an added bonus. And this is obviously true - take the fact that I walk down a road with ruts in it from Roman chariots every day here as proof of that. However, in the sense of present-day Europe - it's a pretty new thing! France itself has had five constitutions, the most recent of which was written in 1958 - ours beats that by about 200 years. But a constitution lends itself in many, many ways to the sociological functioning of a country, and it affects the daily life of all of its citizens (this sounds a LOT like the introduction of my constitutional law paper I just wrote, haha). But it truly is a huge factor in a nation, and having such a young constitution, I can totally see how they would still be hammering things out! They're not fighting a war over it, but strikes and manifestations (and anarchist sentiments) is the French way of getting all those things straight.

Then, when you add that to the whole concept of the European Union, things get even more messy. But even more new. When I was in Brussels, I was lucky enough to see all the official buildings that house the various bodies of the EU...those buildings weren't anything like Victorian castles or Gothic churches. They were new. They were sleek and shiny and metallic and ecologically sound and all of that. But these brand new buildings are what house the core of Europe today - this really really old continent has been transplanted into a brand new idea. And then, to think that the newest development in the EU (the Treaty of Lisbon) was just ratified a few days ago by the final country and went into effect just last week...It's all happening NOW. Not in the 14th Century, which is how Europe functions in my head - not even 200 years ago, when the US probably went through a similar process.

It was really interesting. And I know I'm geeking out about this, but it's definitely been something that's impacted my time here a lot!

And we're in the home stretch!

I am so conflicted - I have no idea what to feel right now, as we enter the 12th week of this semester (as Mme. de Pous LOVES to remind us) which = the third-to-last week of our Nantes experience, and the second-to-last week of class. Shockingly, we're all running around like the crazed college students we are, trying to get all the work done that we are required to do...which is only shocking because it's such a normal part of school, but it's happening in a place where school doesn't really seem like nearly as big of a deal as usual. Also contributing to this is the fact that we literally have had almost 0 work all semester. Other than a few pages of grammar homework, and studying for upcoming tests...nada. rien. For me, at least...but anyway. I'm doing fairly well getting all my stuff done, and I'm not freaking out in the least. But I'm also getting pretty ecstatic to go home. The list of things I'm missing is growing bigger and bigger.

BUT the reason I got all my work done early was because my MOMMY WAS HERE. It was amazing : however, I'm not going to update on that until I have pictures from facebook, all of which she has with her, on her memory card.

Instead - I am now going to update you on our fantastic trip to Marseille. Jade and Cori had gotten there Thursday...and Hannah, Molly and I were going down Friday morning. E.A.R.L.Y. meaning...literally five in the morning. We decided it would be easier (and we'd have less of a chance of one of us sleeping through the alarm) if we were all together, so we stayed at Hannah's house. So our day of travel started at 5 am, we were on the tram by 5:45, switched trams, took the bus and arrived at the airport for our 8:40 flight...at about 6:50. Completely unnecessary, seeing as the Nantes airport was COMPLETELY deserted at that time. Oh well - we took a nap for a little while, until they called our flight. RyanAir is actually a pretty good airline, with highly amusing in-flight magazines and very cute Irish flight attendants. When we landed (after the gorgeous view flying over the Alps), we found the downtown shuttle to the train station and then meandered around and found our hostel.

The view down the street was breathtaking. I love those corners where you just have to gasp, and there are no words. We looked straight down to the 'vieux port' which was definitely the heart of the city. When we get down there, we're hit by the wall of smell - the salty, humid ocean air, mixed with a fishy but fresh and delicious smell coming from the fish market...these people had literally caught these fish within the past hour, at the most, and only about 20 feet behind where they were standing, selling them.


We found a restaurant for lunch, right next to the water, and were joined by Greg - a guy who lives in Marseille, who at some point did a study abroad exchange and stayed with one of Hannah's good friends at home. He was so wonderful, and we couldn't have asked for a better tour guide/photographer/French professor all day long. Also, I would just like to talk really quickly about the whole 'kiss-kiss' or 'faire les bisous' that are such a big part of the French stereotype....just to clarify, it is NOT as easy as it looks, and they actually DO do it ALL the time. Every French person does it differently, so you have the people who actually kiss and then the people who just do the cheek-touch and kiss the air, which completely changes the head angle so you have to figure that part out. And don't even get me started about when you're in big groups - doesn't matter how many people, every entrance AND exit you make means you have to go around and faire un bisou avec EVERYBODY there. Also, if you're sitting down, you either have to stand up to meet the other person who is most likely standing. Or, if you're the one standing, you have to awkwardly crane your neck to reach down and do it to the other person who is sitting...all of which gets amazingly awkward, amazingly quickly. However, I learned in Marseille that faire-ing les bisous is ESPECIALLY difficult when you go to other parts of the country. Greg, upon our introduction, went in for the kiss, but went to the OTHER SIDE than anybody had done thus far in Nantes. Think about it - if you're going in to kiss someone on the cheek, but you go to opposite sides...awkward things start happening, which involve noses bumping, and even, potentially, lips brushing. Let's just say some of these things occurred when Greg and I met, and it definitely started our new relationship off pretty hilariously. But seriously - faire-ing the bisous = NOT as easy as it may look. Just so you know.

ANYWAY: after lunch, Greg suggested we take the Navette out to the islands, as something fun to do. As we had no idea there was a shuttle, or even islands..we obviously took him up on it! For the best 10 Euros I have spent the entire trip, we got a boat tour of the vieux port, and then jetted out across the magnificently clear blue water to first, the Isle d'If, where the chateau is that the Count of Monte Cristo is said to have been imprisoned in the novel, which was pretty amazing. Then, we went farther out into the Mediterranean to the Iles de Frioul, which was a real archipelago of islands, which we proceeded to hike all around, all day long. It was absolutely breathtaking, and the sunshine was absolutely delicious (especially after the non-stop pluie rainrainrainrain in Nantes for a good month now) - we even got a little bit sunburned. On November 20th! Who does that?



We had a great time on the islands, but it was getting a bit chilly (read: about 60 degrees, which was cold after 75 all day long) and we caught the LAST shuttle back to land. We did some souvenir shopping, then headed to the hostel to check in and on to Greg's apartment. We had a ton of fun just hanging out, and he was nice enough to make us a "delicious" bachelor-style dinner of spaghetti and meatballs. But it actually was good, and definitely great company. After, we went to a bar to meet up with some of Greg's friends and watch l'Olympique de Marseille (l'OM - the football club of Marseile) play and BEAT (1-0) PSG (Paris Sainte Germaine - the FC Paris). It was a fantastic time, and of course les Marseillaises went nuts when they won. It was pretty awesome to be a part of all the celebration. After, the metros stopped running so we had to head back to the hostel, where we met our very interesting...I think dedicated and ambitious are good words to describe him, but also possibly a bit morbid? haha... hostel mate, named John from Seattle.

Then Sunday, we checked out of the hostel and headed back downtown to check out the last of the sights. We walked up to the big fort that was at the entrance of the vieux port, which Napoleon built...pretty much, just in case. He wasn't ever even there haha. But it was beautiful, and there was a church up on the hill that was from the 14th century, where fishermen have gone to pray ever since it was built, before they head off to sea. It was gorgeous.

Then, we headed back to town to find lunch, ended up settling on the most disgusting croque monsieurs EVER (probably in all of France - no exaggeration whatsoever) and headed back to the train station to grab the shuttle back! Of course, when we landed in Nantes, it was raining (no surprise there) but it was still nice to be home! The south of France was an absolutely gorgeous place, and shockingly different - especially to think we were still in the same country. There were HUGE immigrant populations, so it definitely had an interesting vibe - much less northern French/catholic/castle-y, but much more Mediterranean/Spanish/North African/Italian/island-y. It was cool to hear some of the history that Greg knew (especially when he told us how big the French maffia was there - who knew?!?) and learning about such a socially and culturally different region. It was an all-around AMAZING trip!

Castle Quest '09

What is this? Two posts in like 2 days? I know - crazy! Now is the only time that I have to procrastinate though, so I have to update now before I run out of time!

So last weekend was Castle Quest 2009. It was one of the field trips that IES planned for us as a part of our program. We did 5 castles in 2 days, and it was amazing. And it was so amazingly French.

We arrived at the buses crazily early. And then we all scrambled on to them, obviously stressing about getting the best seating arrangement, and making it on the "cool bus" - evidently, we haven't really grown up since middle school. The bus ride to the first one was 3 hours long, but mostly spent sleeping. Then, we woke up, and we were standing in front of a giant castle. It was like time travelling. #1 was Serrant - it was where the Duke of (insert name of region here - I forgot) lived back in the day. They lived there until not that long ago (I'm gonna say the 1920's ish?) when the Duke died. His wife, the dutchess, had never had any children, so she decided to sell the chateau to an Irish family - the Welsh's. They were apparently pretty tight with the Queen...as in the Queen of England...so she now vacations there. It was pretty cool.

Then we took off to Castle #2 which was Azay-le-Rideau. It was for sure my favorite. We didn't get a guided tour of that one, so I don't know the background. But the grounds were absolutely beautiful, and we just walked around for a really long time, and explored. It was so beautiful.
We also were taught the Single Ladies dance and some lovely Renaissance dances and played in the leaves and had a lovely fall afternoon at a castle.

Then, chateau #3 was Villandry, which is more famous for its gardens than the castle. They made it into a maze, using all fruits and vegetables. But also, it was only fruits and vegetables that grew in the Renaissance times (i.e. there were no apples, because apples didn't come to France until after then). It was really cool, and also really beautiful.


Then we made our way to the town of Tours where we got to our hotel. We settled in and realized we were starving. Dinner finally came - it was good, but I don't think France doesn't do mass-produced food for 75 kids at once. Then we went exploring downtown Tours! It was a beautiful town, and I really wish I could have seen it in the daylight. But we had a great time, went to an Irish bar and met an Australian couple backpacking across Europe. You know, the usual.....and then Peter and I hung out and had quite the eventful night in my room. Don't worry, it's not at all like it sounds. haha.

Next day, we took off fairly early for chateau #4 - Amboise. This is where Francois 1 lived, who was married to Duchess Anne de Bretagne (who is originally from Nantes - the world was even small back then...probably smaller. ahah) and was also bffs with Leonardo da Vinci. da Vinci had his own palace, a ways away from Amboise, but we could see it from the castle...and apparently there's secret tunnels they used to get back and forth. But da Vinci was also commissioned to paint for Francois 1, which was who he painted the Mona Lisa for. He also died while he was living there, so the Mona Lisa wasn't ever finished, which means the commissioner doesn't technically own it, so the French state came into possession of it. In the Revolution, they destroyed a lot of da Vinci's castle (stupid war) so his tomb was moved to Amboise, where we saw it. It was pretty sweet.

The actual castle of Amboise was also really beautiful. It was still completely furnished from the Renaissance times, but you can rent it out and stuff for weddings, etc. which was pretty cool. Since it was cold, there were fires burning in the fireplaces, and that kindof thing. It was interesting to think of castles as being lived in - but some of them definitely are! We also got a language on olde French while we were there, and the transition from Latin to modern French. Mme de Pous (our grammar prof, who was also our chaperone for the weekend. And is amazing) was very proud of us for being able to figure out even ancient French. It was hilarious.

Finally, castle #5 was Chenenceau, which was huge, the most famous, and glorious. We had a LONG time to explore this one, and there was lots of history. This guy (a king of something, I forget) wanted to build it for his mistress -Diane de Poitiers, but then in the middle of construction, he "mysteriously" died, and then his WIFE - Catherine de Medici - took over, and totally kicked the mistress out. Most of the castle is built on one side of the river, but there is a long ballroom that acts as a bridge over the river too
This room was absolutely awesome, and had a lot of history as well. The castle actually served as a hospital during WWI, and the ballroom was the triage station. During WWII, the owner used it to smuggle people across the river, which was hugely important because (as my host father informed me later) the river literally was the border between Vichy-led France and free France during its regime. How cool is that??
The gardens were also beautiful, and my lovely friends Hannah, Emily and Peter and I had many great HP finds - the labyrinth, and the lake, and Hagrid's cabin...it was an all-around good time. Then, on our way back to the bus, we had the most perfect end to the weekend: a rainbow over the castle.
And it started POURING just as we sat down in our seats (which was awesome, because it had been forecast to rain ALL weekend. We definitely lucked out).

So that's castle quest '09. I hope you enjoyed the history. Since then, I have written a paper on NATO (OTAN in French - if I slip while I'm talking, it's the same thing haha), and pretty much nothing else. But Marseille is this weekend (already! I remember buying tickets and thinking how FAR AWAY the trip sounded!) and then my MOMMY IS COMING IN 9 DAYS!!! We have 5 weeks left, and I'm going to be making the most of them for sure!

My adventures in Benelux!

Omygoodness I have been failing once again! These past two weeks have been jam-packed with both work and play and it's been fantastic. In addition, I only have 5 weeks left here - and only 3 of class! It's crazy, and I have SO many things coming up.

In review - two weeks ago, we had our "fall break" which didn't really count as a 'vacation,' but it is the longest amount of time that IES gives us without classes (we had Friday and Monday off of school). I decided to use it to go visit my friend Nina, who spent her senior year of high school at Spring Lake. When I visited her here, I was the first one (except Steve, her boyfriend - he doesn't count haha.) from Spring Lake to come visit her in Europe. So that was pretty exciting! It was amazing, though, to see her on this continent.

Thursday afternoon, I took the train from Nantes-Paris (had to switch stations which proved a hilarious challenge...the Paris metro is not very compatible with lugging around suitcases. Which will be interesting when Meryl and I have to do the same switch with ALL of our luggage on our way to London in December...not just with an overnight bag like I had on this trip) and then Paris-Brussels. First thing, I had to find a WC (water closet)...found one, but it was a paid restroom, so I had to find a 50 Euro cent...not 2 20 Euro cents and a 10...just a 50. It took a while, but then I found the change machine into which you put your change...and got back more change? It was hilarious. And then I ended up going into the wrong side (because I obviously can't read Dutch!?!?) and I come out face-to-face with this man who was clearly trying to tell me, in Dutch, that I had failed miserably at this attempt. It was great fun. Then, I finally got in touch with Nina, via text, and she called and said that she was stuck in a ridiculous traffic jam and would be a while. About an hour later, we finally met up and got all excited, and then tried to navigate our way onto the highway which also proved interesting...Brussels literally consists of a million tiny little streets and one HUGE street with about 4 lanes, all the way through the city, that goes in and out of tunnels all over the place. It was a bit complicated. We finally got on, though, and arrived at Nina's apartment in Maastricht (or, actually Lanaken, Belgium - about 2 minutes from the border) and stayed there for the night.

The next day, Nina had class, so I woke up late-ish, watched CNN International - my new favorite activity (it literally has so much information...I saw commercials for Kosovo - not for tourism or anything, but literally advertising the legitimacy of the country's sovereignty. It was amazing), and then met up with her when she was done. We had waffles for lunch:
We then did ALL of Maastricht, led around by an amazing self-tour that we got at the tourism office. It took us everywhere we could have wanted to go...and read our minds. We would say "oh, that's a pretty street, we should go down it!" and then we'd look at the map, and it was say "turn left down this street, it's beautiful." haha. Nina lives there, but she even learned about a lot of the history of Maastricht.
I also went to Nina's Sustainable Development class, which was awesome. We were debating the definition of the term, which was fascinating because there were literally people there from: Norway, Denmark, Turkey, Spain, Portugal, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and then there was me. It was so cool. That night, we went out with some of her friends from class, and I had my first coffee shop experience, which was absolutely bizzare. Ask me about the details if you wish. haha


The next day, which was Halloween, we went to Duren, Germany - Nina's hometown...it was so wonderful seeing her hometown and her house, and her parents again - they came to Spring Lake for Nina's graduation, and we had them to our house for dinner. It was not only really cool being able to see them again, but also being around people who could 1- speak English 2- knew my family and my home and my home town and 3-feeling so at home! I loved it a lot. So, when we got to Duren, we just hung out and relaxed, which was lovely. Nina also taught me to drive stick shift, and apparently I'm a natural! I actually drove us to the grocery store, and then home, and didn't kill us! I was so proud. We then went and rented scary movies and bought chocolate, came home and helped with dinner and had a wonderful, 3-hour long dinner - my favorite kind! Then watched the movies and had a great Halloween night.

The next day was Cologne - we took a train in, fairly early in the morning, and started off right away. We climbed the cathedral stairs, which was exhausting but TOTALLY worth it.
It was beautiful at the top. We then explored the waterfront, and the old town, and I experienced a true, real-life beer haus in Cologne, complete with bratwurst and beer and everything.

The next day was my last day, and we decided to do Brussels. So we got up early, packed up and drove in to the city...and we didn't get lost! First, we went to the campus of the buildings in the European Union. It was so cool! Unfortunately, everything was closed -- because, we found out, there had been a summit of all the European leaders the past weekend, which in turn, we found out caused the traffic jam that Nina had been stuck in - all the motorcades for Sarkozy and Merkel, etc. SO cool! -- Then, we drove and found the Grand Place, which was doubly exciting for me, because it was deja vu: we had been there the first time I came to Europe...I even replicated the photo we took. It was still just as beautiful! we had about an hour left, and decided to ask the people at the tourism office what we should do with it...they told us to walk up these steps, so we could get a view of the entire city. It was so pretty!


It was a beautiful way to end the weekend. Then, I hopped on the train, and got back to Nantes. My host mom picked me up at the station, which was lovely because it was pouring rain. It was nice to be back "home" and speak French again ahah.

So that was my trip...much has happened since then, but unfortunately I don't have time now to talk about all the rest of it. I'll have to update you on Castle Quest '09 later on!

I would just like to apologize in advance....

....to anyone who will have to listen to me speak after I get home. This is really just a disclaimer blog, that you will probably all get really frustrated with me, and probably very quickly. And for that I'm sorry.

This is because I feel as though my head is permanently stuck in two different languages. Whoever said that spending a month in France was going to help me learn a lot of French...well they were right. How about that? I feel like I have learned SO much French since I've been here. This is a very good thing, obviously, since that's why I came. Before, I considered speaking to be one of the "easiest" facets of the language...but now I realized that that was because I didn't really realize how incorrectly I was saying things. Now, I get hung up on conjugating things into the plus-que parfait tense...which is such a good sign! Before, I wouldn't even have known when to use it, so I would have just used present or something like that. I have made a lot of progress...yesterday, my host mom actually pointed it out. They have been gone the past few weeks (in ISRAEL! I think it's amazing that everything that I've been studying in every single subject - except American History and maybe math - is now within arm's reach here...it's so cool!) and she said that in the time they were gone, I must have learned a lot. I was very proud of myself.

But it also causes the problem that I honestly don't know what language to think in anymore. This results in me blurting out sentences in half English and half French (whenever I'm not focusing on speaking in one or the other, that is)all the time. It's actually mostly hilarious/entertaining, and right now, this actually functions just fine...because if I'm not speaking with my host family (who know no English) or, say, my friend Hannah's parents (who know even less French haha) then I'm speaking with other American/French students who know both languages. Which means I can speak Franglish and it totally works with them, because they understand either way. With my fellow IES-ers, I don't even notice when someone says 'avec' instead of 'with' or 'j'ai fait' instead of 'I did.' For instance, I was emailing my advisor the other day regarding class scheduling, and I started my concluding sentence with 'Alors,....' and not 'so...' I only caught it when re-reading the email, otherwise he would have seen how crazy I have become as well. Also, you should see all of our facebook statuses (stati?), which are constantly being updated with Franglish. I'm quite enjoying it, actually! I can only imagine, though, what it will be like when I'm surrounded by all of you...who do know the difference. And for that, I would like to apologize, in advance!

In other news, here are some random stories from the past few weeks:
- Last Tuesday, I arrived at my class at the universite (or the Fac = faculte), which is on Constitutional Law. I have been doing alright in this class, solely by copying notes from the girl who types them on her laptop in front of me, and asking every day if we have any work/tests coming up just to make sure. Well apparently, the week before, something must have been miscommunicated, because I walked in and everyone was sitting studying notes (frantically, mind you) and picking up blue books. It was very much a test atmosphere and I kinda sorta panicked. I went up to the professor and told him that I had not understood and was not prepared whatsoever. He and I are pretty tight by now, so he told me to stop panicking, and that if it was a catastrophe, I could re-take it. Thank goodness! It was not a fun experience though!

- Also, my friend Hannah's parents are here this week. They're from a suburb of Chicago (Naperville) and this is their first time in France. I had brunch-ish food with them yesterday, and then I went over to Hannah's host family's house (they are gone on vacation right now) and her mom made us some delicious chicken noodle soup. If you believe in such a thing as soul food, this was it. It was so good, and it made me feel so at home...and it was so American! In a way, the meal pointed out lots of things that are different here (i.e. they don't eat bread DURING dinner, it's always after...and also, they use their paper towels EXTREMELY sparingly here, and I was shocked when Hannah's mom used them as napkins and to wipe the counter, etc.) but also, it just sort of combined the two worlds. It was very pleasant :-)

- It was midterms this week, which I had three of (grammar, Phonetics, and Construction of a European Union). They are all done now, which is lovely, but it was the first week of real school-work that I had to do. I haven't had regular homework, or papers due (they're all due at the end of the semester) yet...so I was sort of shocked into work mode. It was abrupt, and I didn't like it. Thankfully (or unthankfully, I don't know yet) I can put my confidence behind the fact that I just have to PASS these classes...they won't transfer into my GPA. Don't worry, I'm not going to go about purposefully failing them. It's a lot harder when it's in French though.

-MOST importantly...TOMORROW I LEAVE FOR MY EUROPEAN ROAD TRIP! I am leaving Nantes for Brussels, where I'm meeting my friend Nina (who went to SL for our senior year) and we're going to her school in Maastricht, which is on the border of Belgium and the Netherlands, and then to her home town near Cologne, in Germany. I'm SO excited. This also means the next blog will be about that! Can't wait!

Gettin' lost!

I have spent so much time completely lost lately. And it has been so fabulous! I realize this might be a bit cheezy, especially when I realized that Wooster's Study-Abroad orientation booklet was entitled exactly that: 'Get Lost!' haha. But I really feel like this was one of the things about which Wooster knows what they're talking about...studying abroad really truly is about being completely lost, and learning to love it. At least for me. For instance, in our booklet there was a chart (literally, a chart. it's kindof hilarious) about how our emotional status is going to go, and it looks pretty much like a crazy roller coaster. We're going to show up in this foreign country, be totally ecstatic for a while, then normalcy sets in and we realize how far away from home we are and we go through a slump. But then, little by little, we fall in love with where we are, and the new homes and friends and cultures and people we've found here - across an ocean and 6 time zones, but home nevertheless.

As much as I "hate" being a statistic, that's exactly what's happened to me. I have, not going to lie, been counting the days until December 21st, and getting more and more excited as the days pass. However, in these past few weeks, I have realized that I'm also getting more and more excited for the days in between now and December 21st. It's a bit overwhelming, but incomprehensibly amazing, to look forward at my life and realize that I'm literally ecstatic for every single day from now until literally March. I have so much coming up in these next months, and so much to look forward to! It's just crazy. I'm so lucky.

My first getting lost experience was last Monday, where it was an absolutely beautiful, sunny 60 degree day and I was done with class at noon. So I decided to walk home across town with Emily and then find my way back. If I found a street that I'd been on before, I took another one. It was great fun. Hannah called me and she asked where I was and I said I had no idea. Because I didn't! And I found a really cool church, and a school and ended up in this park that was gorgeous. I had so much fun, that I decided to not take main roads anymore and have since found some amazing things...which never would have happened had I just taken the same bus line back to my host family's house and stayed inside watching Grey's Anatomy online all day.

My second, and absolute favorite getting lost experience was when Peter, Hannah, Taylor and I decided to go buy train tickets for 20 Euro to the town of Rennes, which is the capitol of the department of Brittany (the equivalent of French states, or more like counties = departments). We got off from the train (which was literally the most hysterical 2 hours of the trip so far. SO much fun) without any maps or any idea of what there is to do in Rennes and just started walkin. We found an amazing castle-thing, and then the centre ville where we asked at the Office du Tourisme what we should do. She told us there was a market, which we went and explored (and good lord it was amazing. If any of you have ever been to a French market, you'll understand but if not - there are no words. The scents and sounds and colors and options and accordion music and people yelling at you to buy their stuff, and the other people who are on a mission to find their yellow figs and ginger roots and Emmentale or any other of 300 types of cheeses who will literally knock you over if you get in their way, and the man selling olives who is calling you 'beautiful miss' and the taste-testing UGH the taste-testing...it's amazing). Then we went to eat crepes (BIEN SUR!) because crepes are a Brittany thing, and Rennes is the capital of Brittany so clearly - these were the best crepes you're gonna get.
Mine was Apple and Sausage (very different than American sausage) and very delicious. I also had butter, sugar and caramel crepe for dinner UMMMMMM so good. Then we did the Virgin Megastore, and then the Brittany Parlement Building which was beautiful. Afterwords, we found the Jardin du Plantes which most major French cities have, but Rennes' was gorgeous. We sat there and ate our delicious baguette and cheese selection (which was where the 'Journey to the center of the baguette' quote came from. That was Peter) in the most beautiful park on the most beautiful day. AH we just were sitting there discussing how amazing our lives are - all while completely lost.

Today, after I did my homework and whatnot, Hannah called and asked me if I wanted to go get coffee. That never actually happened, but I did learn what was at the end of tram line 2 (and, consequently, how trams turn around - not that exciting, but we felt cool for knowing). I also took a boat back home which is probably the coolest thing ever. Then we followed an obscure path through the woods and ended up in the middle of the University campus. We were loving it.

Since the last post (I apologize for the failing again!) I have also gone to a birthday party with my host sister, where I was very much the only English speaker, and made many, many friends. I have also started going to our conversation club - hosted by IES but they invited French students as well and we spend 45 minutes speaking French together and the 45 minutes speaking English together so we can all practice our foreign language. I have also met friends there, and love practicing in such an energetic and fun atmosphere.

I have done so many things I can't begin to list them all here...but all of them have added up to an amazing feeling of satisfaction: I may not have been able to completely follow a conversation, or not known where in the city I was, or what bus line I should be taking, or how I was getting home at any point along the way........but I feel like all of that is EXACTLY what I'm supposed to be doing right now. I'm not SUPPOSED to know what I'm doing or who I'm going to be doing it with or where I'm supposed to be or even where I am after I get there. Because it means that everything is new, and everything is different. I'm living my life in France! This fact has really just started to settle on my consciousness, but every time I sit back and look at where I am, and where I'm calling home at this moment is a brand new revelation. It's totally ridiculous, how awesome it is. I get to explore French capitals with my amazing friends, and I get to ride a boat across the Loire river, and I get to eat cheese and baguettes in glorious gardens, and I get to do my homework while drinking espresso and eating a chocolate croissant. That I get to study for 2 more months in France, doing even more amazing who-knows-what in who-knows-where just blows my mind, and I'm pretty sure....that that was the point.

Catching up on things!

I decided to stop failing miserably at this whole blog thing...so while I'm sitting here, watching Dawson's Creek in French, I figured now was a very good time to update you all!

It is absolutely flabbergasting that I've been here for a month already. When I think about it - I have fit in so many amazing experiences so far, and have made a lot of progress toward becoming the kind of 'oriented' that I want to be. I have done a lot exploring around my house, and the town, and the region even, and I have developed a fairly good sense of surrounding. Here is what I have learned/seen in a nutshell:

Our neighborhood is very adorable, and also very safe. I get the feeling that a lot of families have searched out this place and decided it was the best. After getting off the night bus (which I admit, is usually full of crazies at about 11-12 at night) I feel completely safe walking the two blocks to our house. I have also met some neighbors, and this only confirms my thoughts.

The neighborhood is also really well-situated. My house is literally a block from the river, and last Sunday I went exploring which was faaaaantastic! When i go to the fac (university campus) from my house, I always walk the 'promenade' or the boardwalk-type path by the river, but only in one direction. So I decided to take a bike ride in the other direction...and I ended up going about 2.5 miles up the riviere d'Erdre and discovering, among many things, the beautiful Parc Florale de la Beajoire de Nantes (literally - the flower park of beautiful joy in Nantes haha)

Unfortunately, I forgot my camera, so this is a Google Images production, but it was absolutely gorgeous. Plus, on the beautiful last Saturday of September, there were a million families and couples out and about and I sortof felt like I was in the 1800's on a promenade in Paris...it was so amazing. And it made it that much better that I just stumbled upon it!

Expanding out further, I got to see some of the suburbs/countryside surrounding Nantes yesterday when my host dad brought me with him to his horse riding lesson with his trainer. There were some really quaint little neighborhoods on the drive out, and then when we got off the highway, we were smack-dab in the middle of the country! It's so shocking how little 'urban sprawl' there is here, and my host dad seemed to be really proud of this fact. He told me that his favorite part about France is that you can drive for not much more than 20 minutes, and be in a completely different area, with different architecture, different culture and even different language sometimes; and then go for another half hour, and it will completely change again. It was great. Plus, watching the lesson was really fun too, and helping him groom the horse (it definitely made me miss Girl, the horse I had for a year-ish...)

We saw even more of the area last weekend as well, when IES took us to go see Mont St. Michel! It was so amazingly beautiful, and also quite a shock that we were actually seeing this amazing monument that people wait years and years to get to see. We left insanely early - 7 am - and arrived just as the morning mist was lifting from the island. We got to explore the church (it's actually a basilica, because there's a difference between church/cathedral/basilica...I'm pretty sure it has to do with what religion built it?) and the little town around it. It was quite fun, and really beautiful. After we finished our tour there, we boarded the busses again and went to St. Malo, a really cute coastal town. We lunched there, and then meandered down to the beach and spent most of our 6 hours there :-) it was wonderful.

I also think it's really interesting that a lot of towns in this region (meaning, farther north/closer to Normandy) were almost, or completely destroyed during WWII. I have heard this reasoning a lot, to explain why there is so much mis-matched architecture in Nantes, but also things like...my host mom said not to take a weekend to go to Brest, which is really close, because it's not very pretty after they had to re-build it completely during the Reconstruction period. It's really interesting, and definitely highlights how different our countries' histories are - we learn about WWII and all, but they LIVED it. I can't wait till we go to Normandy (next weekend!) and get to learn more about this.

So, in addition to all of this exploring, we also went to the Opera in Nantes on

Thursday night, which was absolutely wonderful - we got all dressed up and felt very sophisticated, and grown up (kinda. hah). It was really fun. I also bought tickets this week to go to Marseille in November, I'm going to Belgium to visit Nina and MY MOMMY'S COMING TO SEE ME FOR THANKSGIVING! I'm so happy I have all of these things to look forward to. Not only am I going to have all these amazing experiences, but it's also making it a lot easier to do things by the day. I vary between stressing about how MUCH time I have left here, and then 10 minutes later I realize how LITTLE time I have here. It's interesting, but in general I'm getting the sense that time is going to be passing sooooo quickly. I actually have papers to start writing, and homework to do, plus applications and hopefully some IS research (I know, I'm a nerd. Whatevs) to get done.

That's about it for now...I'm going to head downtown and cheer on our new friends from the Oxford Rowing team at the international Crew Regatta on the Loire. Check fbook for more photos soon!

Random, late-night stories

Ok, I have to blog about tonight, before I forget all about it. It's Friday, which is not the day that French people go out on the town, apparently, because normal busses stop running fairly early, trams are infrequent, and it's more difficult to get home in general (when compared to Saturday nights, that is). However, our 'meal plan' with our families is that we only get 5 meals a week and therefore, we usually go out for dinners on both Friday and Saturday nights. Also, tomorrow we're going to Mont Saint Michel (!!!!!) and we're leaving at 7:45 am and thus could not stay out late.

So Hannah and I decide to go out at about 7:30 to find a place to have a leisurely dinner and be home by roughly 10:30. Easy enough. Except we found pretty much ALL the creepers. On the tram, on the way in, there was a man who was sitting fairly near where we were standing, and mumbling to himself. All of a sudden we hear 'SHUT UP!' coming from behind us. He stood up, and started yelling at us to SHUT UP and stop speaking English. I told him to calm down (in French) but he came closer, then sortof back-handed me on the shoulder and said SHUT UP again. CREEPY! Thankfully, the tram had just stopped at a stop so we jumped off and didn't have to deal with him any further. It was just so shocking! (and I'm pretty positive he was drunk)

THEN, much later, on the C bus coming home, we ran into some other people waiting for the bus (there's only 1 an hour). So 4 of us got on the bus, sat in one of those 4-person seat square things. Then, these two guys came and stood right next to us, obviously too close to the guy we were with (Timmy) for comfort. So then, the two girls got up, and it was Timmy and I sitting across from each other. Then the two French guys sat in their spots. Timmy sent the 'oh sorry, i should have sat there so that wouldn't happen' look, expecting them to start talking to me because I was English, blah blah. Then, all of a sudden, they turn to Timmy and say 'You're very very beautiful.' ahahahaha it was so great. I called Julie, to do a Creeper Call so they wouldn't follow me when I got off. But I got home completely fine and it was such a good story.

ALSO I keep forgetting to post this, but I got asked for directions in my neighborhood! And I knew what she was asking for, and I gave her the correct directions. It was SO EXCITING! I felt like a Nantaise.

Tomorrow is Mont Saint Michel! I'll post pictures for sure!

There's no combination of words I could put on the back of a postcard....

....that could explain how awesome today has been. I'm so content, and it's wonderful. I've had a hard couple of days, feeling like I was really far away from home and being afraid of slipping into the normal monotony of school where I get so focused on what needs to be done that I leave no room for spontaneity or flexibility...and therefore missing out on basically my entire reason for being here (which I don't really know what that is, but it's definitely not that). I might be missing one or two fun things (slash...a lot) at Wooster, but there's always going to be more, and I know that I have all of that to go back to. And sure, maybe I'm SUPER EXCITED to go back...but that shouldn't mean that I should focus on that the whole time and not on how amazing it is that I fricken live in France for the time being. 'There's no time like the present,' right? bah, cliches are the best.

That's why I'm so thankful for days like today, which really prove that point. Last Thursday = awful, because I don't have class from 9:30 - 5:30 which gave me lots of time to do nothing and mope (plus it was pouring rain and freezing which was just not ok because finding entertainment indoors has proved to be fairly difficult). But today I realized that I'm in France - and it's just dumb to be sad.

So after Hannah, Molly and Mac and I had a lovely cup of coffee, and then we had birthday cake for all the September birthday people in IES, I decided to walk home and on the way, explore all of the things that I keep passing on the bus/tram finally. So walked along the Loire for a while, and then went and explored the Japanese garden on an island in the river, and then walked through a park and it was just lovely. And I felt so so so content - the kind of happy where you just feel awesome and gorgeous and like everything is right in the world. More importantly, I felt like I was at home. I've had the feeling before - freshman year at Woo I would get it a lot while walking to class, listening to an excellent song on my iPod (RIP) and appreciating how absolutely gorgeous the campus is. And I get it when I'm in SL on a break, and hanging out with everyone...or even just driving around town thinking about good memories and all that. I get it sometimes when I'm with Andrew too (sorry for being corny) but that's why he's so great, is because he makes me feel just content. It's such a good feeling, and I really can't express what it really is, or where it comes from. I just know that it's a good sign.

So tonight, I have Phonetics class at the fac (university campus) which is amazing, and then my neighbor, Jake's host mom invited me over for dinner. Which will be lovely. Then tomorrow, I think we're going to go scavenging for ground beef (which might be impossible) and try and grill hamburgers which we miss so much, and then Mt. Saint Michel (Diagon Alley) on Saturday! Prepare yourselves for an onslaught of pictures....just warning you!) Which means all the fabulousness is just going to continue!

My Adventures in stereotypes

One of my favorite things about this whole experience has been the whole idea of stereotypes...I've grown up taking French class after French class and clearly I've formed some idea of the typical French person, or lifestyle. Every single day here I've encountered something that has either completely contradicted the French stereotype in my head, or something that has completely supported it. Today, I did a ton of things that definitely supported this one: French people actually eat crepes all the time.

So my host mom wasn't home all weekend, and she's not getting back until about 11
tonight. Therefore, dinner was my host dad (Gildas), the three host sisters and me. Gildas said he wanted to make something simple...which clearly = crepes! So he showed me how! I now have a wonderful recipe for both galettes (savory crepes) and crepes (sweet). They were absolutely delicious and I am for sure a pro.

These are the utensils that I need at home to make crepes. My host dad saw that I was so excited and he showed me a whole website where I could get everything I need!

Another hilarious stereotype that I came across this weekend was on Friday night at the 'Accidental Rave' (phrase stolen from Jake!). We went to dinner, which was lovely, and then heard that there was a free concert (operative word = free) on the Isle de Nantes, which is the island in the middle of the Loire. It's really interesting, because it used to be the giant industrial port for Nantes but when it became less industrial, they left all the hangars and warehouses there and converted them into a giant complex of bars/dance clubs/concert venues/etc. Its really cool. So anyway, we cross the bridge onto the island (after a hilarious tram ride with a bunch of people who were way excited for this concert or something) and we're hit with a wall of noise from one of the warehouses. We go in and it was absolutely nuts. I can't even really explain it...it was absolutely packed. The front/stage of the concert was a giant scaffolding, covered in layers of transparent fabric. The light show that was going was fascinating, and really really cool. It kinda bounced around on the layers of fabric, and was pretty trippy. There were an insane amount of drugs going on too...like hardcore drugs or something. And camelbacks galore...full of who knows what. Not that all of this was what I think of immediately when I think I think French people. I just felt like it was something they would do...and apparently, I was right.

So that was Friday night. It was a good time. Saturday night, I again found myself in a hilarious situation when I entered in the Havannah club in Bouffay (the international quarter, that has literally every single culture covered in a restaurant or shop or bar or something of that nature). I went downstairs to try and find the bathroom (le WC, bien sur) but ended up on a crazy dance floor with Reggaeton music blasting. Obviously, I had to dance...so we did! There were a couple of other girls and I and we had a great time, dancing away. There were some creepers, which we kept trying to escape but that wasn't a big deal...We're definitely going back to actually go dancing some night, as we learned they do this every Saturday. Definitely something that defies my French stereotype - I would have never guessed the French could break it down like that hah.

So it was a very good weekend. Today, Jake and I had more adventures in our neighborhood...we were searching for lunch and we came across a Subway. It smelled just like a normal, American Subway and we almost went in. Normally, as a rule, whenever I'm out of the country I refuse to eat anything that I could find easily at home. But since I'm here for an extended period of time, I feel like I could get my fill of French food while still experiencing American food French-style. We discussed and thought it would be hilarious, but ultimately decided to go a few yards further to the delicious boulangerie where we had sandwiches, drinks, and amazing tarts for dessert. It was a very good decision.

That contributes, though to the fact that this actualization/contradiction to the stereotypes has gone both ways. For instance, my host sister is going to an American themed party and my older host sister suggested she go as a Mormon...no lie. Apparently Mormonism is a sterotype of Americans. Also, the fact that we only drink cold water...once the waiter found out we were American the other night, he took away our bottle of luke-warm water and brought us some cold water, without asking. Honestly, I'm find with that one - I miss me some ice cubes. But what an odd thing, isn't it?

Speaking of ice cubes...I also have found myself missing things like lined paper (all the notebooks I bought for school have this funky graph paper, which is impossibly hard to take notes on), American feminine products (sorry, but the French ones are real weird), DRIVING (so much....it's my fave), cold milk (theirs is usually warmish), and cheaper food! (everything is insanely expensive here). But that's about it...of course, things like my fam and Wooster and Andrew are on there but that's a given. I think my homesick levels are pretty healthy though.

That's about it for now. I love learning about these hilarious things though....it makes life so much more interesting. I also love finding myself in these situations. Just goes to show that having expectations is completely pointless!

8-am's in France = might be French, but still really really early

So today was definitely one of the oddest days I've had here. For some RIDICULOUS reason, IES has decided to schedule our classes with as much time in between them as possible. I'm pretty sure there was no logic behind it whatsoever...except, I suppose, that all the professors are graciously volunteering their time to teach us lowly Americans, and to come all the way from the University (about a 20 minute tram ride, probs lots shorter driving) and therefore have the right to schedule our classes at times that are the most convenient for them. And, I suppose, that I chose the courses myself, and (more or less) had the freedom to schedule my time more logically. However, I didn't really have the much choice in what I took - things like major requirements/potential IS topic research/other factors obviously came into play. This has resulted in my Thursdays looking like this: Sociology from 8-9:30 am.............NOTHING...............Phonetics Lab 5:30-6:30 pm. UGH I told my host mom that I would probably come home (not knowing my schedule this morning) before or after lunch. Which I did, but she wasn't home when I came in, so I went to sleep. Then she comes in later with my laundry (all starched and ironed...she INSISTED on ironing my jeans. She's so cute!) and I roll over and she FREAKS out. It was like 534098 kinds of awkward.

However, I saved myself from too much awkward by getting up and going out to watch Gossip Girl (in English!) with my host sisters. That was a good time. Then, I went into Centre Ville to get coffee and chocolateeeee caaaakeeeee (with delicious creme anglaise). It was sooo good.

Then we had phonetics lab, which is hands-down the best class I've ever taken. Not only is it going to be hugely helpful with my French, and the prof is awesome and super adorable...but it's absolutely hysterical to watch everyone go around the room and so III...UUU...OOOHHH. SO entertaining. Plus, my mouth/chin area hurts which I think means it's working! Yeah! I'm definitely going to come home with a French chin after that class!

Today was made even better by my friend Jake being wonderful. I had called him today because I was so bored, to try and instigate some activity. And I must have sounded sad so he called tonight to check in on me. Then we had a lovely time while he came over and checked his email...as his wifi broke at home and his host 'grand-mere' seems to be technologically challenged. Then, I skyped with Rachie and she played me a song on the thumb piano, and it was probably the best way to end a day ever!

Tomorrow, we're going on a treasure hunt! We have our teams already...and it's going to be intense. Also this weekend are the Jours de Patrimoines...which means the French Minister of Culture decided long ago that they should celebrate their culture by opening up every museum/theater/garden/old building/anything that contributes or displays French culture...and not charging admission at all! Plus, it's a chance to see more of stuff..like they open up storage galleries at some art museums, and old churches that are usually closed to prevent theft...even, apparently, the French version of the White House (la Chaetau Elysee), aka where Sarko lives. So we're going museum-crazy Saturday!

I'll post more pictures soon..I'm so happy with my pretty blog now! I hope you all like it!