Oh my goodness, I really need to update my blog more often because so much happens every single day! I have a lot to catch you all up on, so I'll get right to it...
Classes
My classes are going really well. As I mentioned last time, I managed to move up into 314 and I really think that it is the perfect level for me. First of all, my
Langue professor is wonderful. Since that is my primary class, I am very lucky to have her. She does talk to us a little like we are kindergartners, but
meh, c'est bon. In all of my classes (with the exception of
Histoire de l'Art) everyone talks and interacts a ton, and everything is in French! For those of you who may not know, learning a language in the States is way different because 1) we speak English most of the time and 2) the students aren't usually so enthusiastic about participation. Here everyone talks all the time, which is not only very helpful in learning the language but also encouraging to those people who don't normally speak up.
The other classes that I'm taking are
Phonétique Théorique et Pratique, Expression Orale, and
Histoire de l'Art. Art and Phonetics are interesting, but I have started liking Expression the best. The other day was so cool because for the last few days we have been doing introductions in which we had to tell a mix of truths and lies. Then everyone else had to ask questions to try and figure out which were which. But yesterday, our questions just dissolved into a really interesting conversation about our different cultures. There is one other American in that class and then a few Chinese, a couple Koreans, and two Middle Eastern people, so it was extremely interesting talking about things that may seem everyday to Americans but are completely bizarre to people of other cultures and vice versa. And the coolest part of it all is that the only reason we are able to have those conversations is because we all decided to learn French! If I hadn't made the decision to come here, I would never have met any of these wonderful people and, even if I did, we wouldn't have been able to communicate. When I think about it that way, I am overcome by awe and by the beauty of it all. I am so thankful everyday (even on the rough ones) that I have had this opportunity.
Le Chateau d'Angers et le Centreville
Last Sunday, a few friends and I took a lovely trip to the chateau just down the street! It is quite literally a ten minute walk from the school. It was a beautiful day and the castle was
très cool. From the top we could see the whole city and inside there was just so much history to be discovered. Inside are kept
les Tapisseries de l'Apocalypse. When I first heard about it I expected one giant tapestry with a ton of detail, come to find out there are actually about sixty of them and they tell the story as you move from one to the next to the next. They are very beautiful and the story is quite detailed. Overall I would say that excursion was a great success.
The day before, we tried to visit the chateau but a few in my group forgot their passports to get in free. So instead, we just walked around
centreville and had a great time exploring. Angers is the epitome of what one would expect for a little French city. Everywhere you go there is something beautiful or spectacular to see and it is rich with history. About ninety percent of the people here are very nice and will go out of their way to help a lost or confused foreigner. I hope people who come to the United States feel as welcome as I do here! There are a ton of places to shop, eat, or just be entertained, so there is never a time when we don't have somewhere to go-- well, maybe on Sunday. When they say that everything is closed, they really mean it. The chateau is open and a couple cafés, but until the bars open around 7 PM there is really no point in going out unless you just plan on a nice stroll.
Conversation Partners!
A bunch of my friends and I signed up for French conversation partners a week ago and we just got them Thursday! I guess I am supposed to have two, but only one was there that night: Diane (Dee-Ahn). She and all her friends I met were lovely and endlessly sweet. They also speak English and at least one other language, so it's nice that they can always understand me and help me when I'm struggling. We had a great time talking and afterwards Diane and Rose, another French student, took me to Rose's apartment to wait for the bus in warmth, then Diane walked me back to the stop and insisted on waiting out the remaining time with me. So sweet! I can't wait to hang out with them again. Diane even offered to take me with her to the movies or out to eat since she has a car. There are fun times ahead for sure!
Surviving-- where there are adventures, there are struggles...
With all my fun adventures this past week or so, I have also had a few hiccups along the way. Unfortunately, the distance became very hard on my new relationship from back in the States and in the end we decided to go our separate ways. That has been wearing on me this week because I miss him a lot. However, I think it was the best decision for both of us, at least while I am away. Long distance is difficult and not something I would recommend if you can avoid it. But who knows what the future holds? For now I am just going to focus on enjoying myself as much as possible.
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Nananananananana Batman!
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Other than that, the days here have been exhausting. I never noticed in the U.S. how easily I slid through the days. Here, I constantly have to be engaged or else I might miss something. It is very draining on the mind. So by the end of the day, I really just want to sleep. Fortunately though, I am so busy during the day, that I don't always notice my exhaustion until my head hits the pillow at night.
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Roomies!
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Lastly, laundry. Definitely not the best experience I've had... I forgot soap, so I had to buy it and after everything I feel like I spent a lot. Upon returning to the bus stop, I had the bright idea to walk to the next one instead of standing in one place waiting-- it has been freezing cold and extremely windy here lately, so any movement is good movement when you have to be outside. I found the next stop, but of course I decided to continue to the next one. I ended up walking around lost for twenty minutes until I returned to the last stop I was at and had to wait another six minutes for the next bus... great job Emily. Oh well, I got home at last so it's all good now.
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Yilin dans la Cuisine
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10 Village des Perrins
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But there is still more fun to be had! Yesterday was our first excursion for CIDEF and it was amazing. We went to Saint Malo and Mont Saint Michel, two gorgeous fortresses packed full of history. But I don't have all the pictures for those yet so I will save it for another post, hopefully some time this week. Also, friends and I are planning a trip to Dublin for April and I can't wait! There will definitely be a whole post about that too.
Au revoir!
My classes are going really well. As I mentioned last time, I managed to move up into 314 and I really think that it is the perfect level for me. First of all, my Langue professor is wonderful. Since that is my primary class, I am very lucky to have her. She does talk to us a little like we are kindergartners, but meh, c'est bon. In all of my classes (with the exception of Histoire de l'Art) everyone talks and interacts a ton, and everything is in French! For those of you who may not know, learning a language in the States is way different because 1) we speak English most of the time and 2) the students aren't usually so enthusiastic about participation. Here everyone talks all the time, which is not only very helpful in learning the language but also encouraging to those people who don't normally speak up.
The other classes that I'm taking are Phonétique Théorique et Pratique, Expression Orale, and Histoire de l'Art. Art and Phonetics are interesting, but I have started liking Expression the best. The other day was so cool because for the last few days we have been doing introductions in which we had to tell a mix of truths and lies. Then everyone else had to ask questions to try and figure out which were which. But yesterday, our questions just dissolved into a really interesting conversation about our different cultures. There is one other American in that class and then a few Chinese, a couple Koreans, and two Middle Eastern people, so it was extremely interesting talking about things that may seem everyday to Americans but are completely bizarre to people of other cultures and vice versa. And the coolest part of it all is that the only reason we are able to have those conversations is because we all decided to learn French! If I hadn't made the decision to come here, I would never have met any of these wonderful people and, even if I did, we wouldn't have been able to communicate. When I think about it that way, I am overcome by awe and by the beauty of it all. I am so thankful everyday (even on the rough ones) that I have had this opportunity.
The day before, we tried to visit the chateau but a few in my group forgot their passports to get in free. So instead, we just walked around centreville and had a great time exploring. Angers is the epitome of what one would expect for a little French city. Everywhere you go there is something beautiful or spectacular to see and it is rich with history. About ninety percent of the people here are very nice and will go out of their way to help a lost or confused foreigner. I hope people who come to the United States feel as welcome as I do here! There are a ton of places to shop, eat, or just be entertained, so there is never a time when we don't have somewhere to go-- well, maybe on Sunday. When they say that everything is closed, they really mean it. The chateau is open and a couple cafés, but until the bars open around 7 PM there is really no point in going out unless you just plan on a nice stroll.
A bunch of my friends and I signed up for French conversation partners a week ago and we just got them Thursday! I guess I am supposed to have two, but only one was there that night: Diane (Dee-Ahn). She and all her friends I met were lovely and endlessly sweet. They also speak English and at least one other language, so it's nice that they can always understand me and help me when I'm struggling. We had a great time talking and afterwards Diane and Rose, another French student, took me to Rose's apartment to wait for the bus in warmth, then Diane walked me back to the stop and insisted on waiting out the remaining time with me. So sweet! I can't wait to hang out with them again. Diane even offered to take me with her to the movies or out to eat since she has a car. There are fun times ahead for sure!
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