JVS baby!

So, it's the weekend again! Les jeunes ici say "jvs", which stands for Jeudi, Vendredi, Samedi- the weekend! Yay for jvs. I went out J and V, and it was pretty crazy. And today is S! The last few days have actually been awesome. We finally finished our "intense" language courses, which was such a lie. They were like the easiest thing of my life! I passed the test, so I can take real frenchy classes at Universite de Bordeaux. I would have felt really really stupide if I hadn't passed... but heureusement, J'ai reussi!
    So thursday, all the californians went out to a big group dinner at a nice restaurant called Les Provinces. Here is une photo:

It was quite an experience. I tried duck! Not my favorite, but definitely worth the try. Afterward, some of us went back to my friend Laura's apartment to celebrate the end of our classes, and the beginning of the weekend. She lives in an adorable apartment with 2 frenchies, one of whom is actually my host mom's daughter! They have a rooftop terrace that looks over Bordeaux. it took my breath away! They invited over some friends of theirs, and it turned into an American/ Francais soiree. I met lots of interesting people, and could actually hold a conversation that wasn't just about where I was from! I feel like in just a few weeks, my french has vastly improved. it's a really cool feeling. And last night, a few of us went out on the Quai, which is the area that runs along the river. Lots of people hang out there, often with bottles of vin, and just chill and enjoy the beautiful view. i met lots of cool people !!! The only problem is the tram that I take to get home stops at 1, and once again I missed it, so i crashed at Laura's apartment. I have done the walk of shame more times than i'd like to admit here, wearing the same going-out outfit as the night before. Oh lala, c'est la vie!
    Today, I think i'm going to relax in Erica's beautiful backyard and maybe read some livres francais. Tonight we might go check out the discos, which are crazy clubs that open at midnight and close at 5 or 6 am. The french love to faire la fete! Then, some of our classes begin Monday. I'm excited to get into a school routine again... I still feel like I'm on vacation.
   A couple funny things I learned:
- 'Un oiseau rare' is an expression to mean a unique and cool person, but it literally means 'a rare bird'. I like that a lot.
- Meetings (especially concerning school) are conducted is a very different and often annoying way here. They put you in a hot stuffy room, talk about nothing really of importance and keep you for much longer than necessary. And in the end you come out with a piece of paper with info you could have read yourself. Sorry this sounds very complain-y. but it is a recurring theme here.
-Similarly, the registration system for classes is kind of an up-in-the-air ordeal. You basically show up the first day, see if the class interests you and if it is to your liking, you go ahead and sign up. Much different than our months of planning ahead in the states.
- My favorite french words so far are : pamplemousse (grapefruit), ronronnement (a cat's purr) (it's really fun to say) and shampooing, which is pronounced sham- pwan.
      Anyyywayyyys, every day is an adventure but this is just a summary of my recent ones. I miss everyone and my home so much but every day I feel  more at home here. Peace and love!!!!!