A little taste of home, right in the middle of France

Perhaps I have had the chance to see mountains in the past, but I certainly don't remember. It could be, though, that the view of the Mountains in Grenoble has erased any and all prior memories. To be able to simple gaze upon the snow-dusted peaks through your windows, at any time the feeling strikes, is completely and absolutely incredible. To climb one, however, is a different story. The going on the way up is tough, and for a city girl, not exactly agreeable. But the feelings of elation (both at the view and the conclusion of the hike) and accomplishment that arrive once the goal is reached overcome the past emotions of exhaustion and defeat. The view is stunning, and one is able to truly say that they've climbed a mountain, and a french mountain, no less.

Just a bit removed from the splendor of these towering masses lies the center of Grenoble. The typical stores can be found here, just like the ones in Nantes, but then there are little treasures all in-between the clichés. The chocolate shops are fascinating an mouthwatering, like always, but are surrounded by an aura of uniqueness. The self-owned boutiques stand out much more than the chain-stores, simply because of their little quirks and oddities. there is much hustle and bustle in this busy part of town, but a sense of history and originality is maintained.

While the architecture and landscape truly resonated with me, it was definitely the people who made the deepest impact. People who reminded me of home, but encouraged my love of France at the same time. Spending time with them taught me that I should live out my desires while they are possibilities, like seizing all I can here in France, but to also remember my roots, and first loves.

Today was a good day. The rain tapped on my window throughout the night, but ceased by morning. The humidity remained, but the temperature was perfect. No gloomy darkness was present, but neither were rays of sun.

After classes, we visited a restaurant named Black & White. We've been intrigued by it ever since we saw that they sell burritos. But, we always go searching for them only to find that it has already closed, or never even opened that day. Today, however, as I said, was a good day. We walked into the tiny place, having no idea what to expect. In Nantes, there are hardly any places that claim to have Mexican food or even something that resembles it. So, apprehensive but excited, we walked in and heard English! The two ladies, the owners, were speaking English to a French man and a quirky woman with an English accent. They greeted us with huge smiles and much conversation. That, along with the comfy, artsy atmosphere already had us hooked and we hadn't yet ordered. The burritos were not exactly American or Mexican, but were welcoming all the same. While bread and cheese are enough to live on, monotony can set in, at times. The prices were definitely not bad (especially for France), and comparable to Chipotle's prices (and the food was definitely better quality.) We ate and drank while watching a cheesecake being made. Everyone in the place was sharing and talking alike, though none of us had met before.

We questioned why they spoke English, and not French, to customers. They said that while it scared some away, it also kept more people coming back. As much as I detest being the typical, pompous American, English truly is universal. Everyone here wants to better theirs. They speak when they can, listen to the music, and wear the language on their clothing. This also has to do with the fact that many here worship Obama, but that is besides the point.

The difficulty being here lies not in the possibility of homesickness, but the tendency to compare and contrast. They're skinny, we're fat. They have little water glasses, we have huge glasses of pop. The list is endless, with pros and cons on each side. But, I've realized, it's perfectly fine to miss things and people from back home. American pride is not a sin. Upon returning home, I know I will also miss much from here. The goal, however, is to see and drink in the most good that I possibly can, from both places. Life is not about exclusions, but explorations. And somehow, I think I can love it all at the same time.

planning+euros=gym shoes

we've all started planning trips! it's so exciting. everyone is trying to figure out how to spend the least amount of money, have enough time for school, and still travel as much as possible. well, at least, that's what i'm doing. the trip i'm most excited about right now is dublin, ireland! two of us already bought the tickets, sort of on an impulse, and are now recruiting others! we're probably going to go on this tour of the countryside around dublin (with castles and everything!) for 3 hours and then spend the rest of the time in the city.

all this planning makes me quite tired. the switch between french and english also leaves me a bit fatigued. i'm usually tired by 10:00! i'm sure i wont be sleeping so much when i travel, though, because i'll only be there for weekends, so i figure i'll just save up now =)

in france, everyone always looks dressy...now, i love dressing up, but some days i just want to wear gym shoes and a t-shirt. i will definitely stick out if i dress like that, though. however, i carry around a bottle of water, and that definitely makes me stick out! their glasses here and miniscule...it doesn't seem like they intake much liquid. all the students in my program carry around bottles of water. the first couple of days without we were all a bit dehydrated. haha.

well, i am off to class soon, i only have one today!

first day of classes

I had my first day of classes today! It wasn't bad at all, since all of them were at the study abroad center and not actually at the university. Next week is when I start my class at the university, and I am both excited and anxious for that one.

So, while orientation was long, and I am EXTREMELY glad that it was over, some good has come out of it. I do know a variety of people. Everyone has the same sort of attitude, like "we're all in this together" and realizing this makes it all a lot easier.

Knowing a lot of people will hopefully also be good for traveling. I hope to do a bunch of that. I've been looking at tickets for Grenoble and have also talked (just tentatively) with people about traveling. It's so exciting!

The only thing not exciting about this day, however, is the fact that I now am going to have homework. =)

âme d'enfant...

I am done with orientation! Thank goodness. Tomorrow classes start, and I can get some semblance of routine in my life. I'm not one for exact orders or routines, but a schedule of sorts will be nice. Less choices (which I am not very good at), and more "guides", so to speak.

I absolutely love Nantes and France, but it is very different than I thought it would be. Things at home were always taken for granted, I've always had it pretty easy and didn't notice it. What I thought was hard work doesn't even come close to the efforts I've had to make here. Nothing is without excessive thought, courage, and exertion. Once home, everything will seem like a breeze. Yeah, remembering to blog is even more difficult here...apparently.

"Well, more preparation for tomorrow needs to be done for tomorrow." is the sentence I just wrote. Yes I think some preparation is in order, then bed right after...I'm kind of loosing it =)

fascination

I absolutely love Nantes. It is the perfect size. It has every type of store, but is not confusing to navigate. I am very glad I did not go to Paris, I think that would've been a bit overwhelming.

Today we had more meetings...but tomorrow we visit the university! I am excited.

What I'm more excited about, though, is reading the Twilight books in french! My host sister owns all 4 all, and is letting me borrow them!

Another exciting thing (my life is just full of excitement) is that I bought a phone! I just have to figure out how to work it now...

**fascination is the french name for twilight

back from Vannes

I got back from my 3 day vacation/orientation in Vannes. We visited many historical sites...c'était très intéressant. We also visited downtown Vannes. This part would've been my favorite if we hadn't gotten lost. We missed dinner because we were lost...but stopped and ate there. And when we got back, we all went to sleep because we had ridden bikes for 5 HOURS. The island that we rode around on was very beautiful, but 5 hours was a bit much =)

Instead, my favorite was Rochefort en Terre. We were very tired of little villages (without much shopping) and this was our last stop, but once we saw it, we changed our minds. It was so beautiful that it looked fake. There's this church that is gorgeous. Above are pictures of the street and the church.

Tomorrow we begin orientation on-site. We are all hoping to get to know the city of Nantes better, so hopefully there will be a tour. Also, we have intensive french lessons to prepare us for classes, which I am excited about, but I'm not sure if anyone else is =)

Well, I'm off to bed soon, since we start at 9h30 and I'm taking the tram (by myself!).

Bonne nuit!

Off to Vannes...

Today we leave for Vannes. It is closer to the ocean than we are, so it will be even MORE humid. Pictures of it look really pretty, though...

I had bread and homemade jam for breakfast. The bread is so much better here =). Oh! And we had bread and cheese for part of dinner last night. That was exciting.

So, I have my own room! I've never had my own room in my life! I also have my own bathroom, unless they have guests. I definitely could get used to that. No one else lives on my floor, so I have that of my own too. Nice, but strange at the same time.

Now on to packing for Vannes...I need to stuff a few more things into my bag. I do not understand how some people only brought one suitcase and one backpack for four months, I could bring more than that for one weekend!

Pictures and updates of Vannes to come...

The beginning...

Yes, I am finally in France! While plane rides aren't bad, I'm pretty much over airports. CGD is huge!

Nantes is beautiful, and many of the apartments look exactly as you would imagine them to be. Also, they weren't kidding about it always being cloudy...and it was raining as we were trying to walk around to a few places today =). Hopefully it will be nicer for our orientation days in Vannes.

Here are some views from the IES center, where most of my classes are---

 

 

The family I am staying with is super nice, they would hardly let me carry my bags anywhere, and i live practically on the roof! The apartment is at the top of the stairs, and inside there are more stairs that lead up to my room. There's a huge window so I can look up and see the gray sky.

Jet-lag effects are kicking in, so it is now time for me to crash. =)

All packed and ready to go!