Recent Aventures

Bonsoir mes amis. things are going swimmingly here in france, well for the most part. I still feel slightly slow when it comes to speaking the language. but ya know, what can I expect? I'm hoping my progress accelerates when school starts. Speaking of school, i'll start with that:

La Fac
So university is called 'la fac' here, which sounds dangerously close to what you're thinking. It is completely fou (crazy). As i mentioned before, nothing is organized in the least... but they keep telling us we'll figure our classes out one day, so I'm counting on that. My friend and I tried going to a psych class, and after encountering many problems such as finding the building and maneuvering through thousands of frenchies, there was a man there who announced there was no class. Like it was an obvious thing. So that went out the window... I think i will stick to French classes. I am also considering just dropping the whole taking-classes idea and becoming a free traveling gypsy woman. That's a joke...sort of. But, I have to say, the campus of the psych department is GORGEOUS. see for yourself:

It seriously looks like a museum, right?? Ahhh i love it. Anyway, French classes are supposed to start next week, so we'll see how that goes. For now I'm enjoying my free time this week and doing various activities during the day/night. Such as:

Recent Adventures
Last saturday, my friends and I experienced the boites, which are the night clubs that open at midnight and close at 7 am. It was absolute craziness. i redefined the meaning of 'dance the night away'... So much fun! they blasted house all night and everyone was feeding off each other's energy. However, people get crazy at those hours of the early morning. we saw some scary sights... I think i'll keep my boite-nights to a minimum. still worth it though :D

Monday was the beginning of classes, for both the foreign student program and some of the real French courses. as i explained, registration is a nightmare. i'll save a very long story by saying I spent 2 hours signing up for 1 class. After all these trials and tribulations, I've rewarded myself with retail therapy... too often perhaps. But i've familiarized myself very well with French fashion. my friend Sara and I know the stores too well now... but i must say, i'm looking more and more French every day! However, I still feel like i look like a dog compared to these gorgeous French people. seriously, it is hard to find one less-than-stunning frenchy here. my standard for attractiveness has infinitely increased. it's a good thing

That photo doesnt even do it justice. And tonight, Erika made ratatouille! And i mentioned the movie (one of my faves), not expecting her to know it, and she runs and gets the DVD from her living room IN FRENCH!!!!! i died. i am so happy here i cant even explain! oooo lala.

I have to mention my 2 favorite places that i've discovered so far: le Quai, and le Jardin Public. First of all, the quai is the area that runs along the river in downtown Bordeaux. it's one of my favorites because it encompasses so many different things. During the day, its a lovely, tranquil place to stroll, drink a cafe (or wine), read a book or just people watch. And at night, it turns into the center of night life. there are lots of bars around and its great to meet friends , and acquaint yourself with real frenchies! This morning i relaxed there just reading my book- Erika's daughter lent me 'Into the Wild' in French. Ive never read it in any language, and im doing my best to understand it. it takes me about 1 day per page, but thats ok!

Anyway, onto the Jardin Public- the public gardens. This place is absolutely marvelous. it's a giant park with a pond (river?) and tons of grassy areas, where you can eat, drink, hang out with friends, watch cute french guys play rugby, and do whatever. We have pic-niced there several times. its so awesome! today we took a nap there in the beautiful sunshine after a long day of museum-going.


Oh ya, so today's other activity was going to the Musee des Beaux-Arts. it was really cool and interesting! First, we were french noobs and went to the wrong museum. but we still saw a cool exhibit on the paintings of Moses, from the bible. Once we realized that wasnt the real museum, we found the right one and saw classic paintings from 17 and 18th century artists. They also featured Monet and Renoir. very cool! but very tiring too. french culture is pretty exhausting to take in.

well this is a very long bloggy post, so i'll wrap it up by saying that every day that I spend here, I love this city and country more and more. i am so content here, living with lovely Erika in her amazing home, going through the struggles of adjusting to another country and just living life. i cant wait to see what more adventures life holds. Oh one last thing- today's 1 year since grandpa passed away. so this post is really dedicated to him. love u gramps !!!!! <3 <3 <3 and love to all my homies in the BEST state,ca <3
Til next time- a bientot! :)