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!
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