New semester, Italy, et beaucoup d'autres choses

Salut y'all! thought it was time to jot down some recent occurrences. Time passes so quickly, I always forget how long it's been since I last posted. It is currently a rainy and very very cold day in Bordeaux, so obviously I am curled up under the covers (and not in class). I have never been so cold in my life than I am here. I kind of feel like this:

Anyyyyway.....

Lauren Cope comes to France
My friend Lauren Cope came to visit me in France !! She stayed with me for 2 weeks and we had a grand old time. I showed her all around Bordeaux. It was fun being the tour guide and pretending I know a bunch of facts about this country. But in reality I just made up a lot of information. I think she caught on to me.  It was also hilarious to witness the language barrier from an outside perspective, although I was also victim to that in Italy (you'll read about that later).

We also squeezed in a weekend trip to Paris. We went to the Louvre, which I was super stoked about. Not only because it's the largest and maybe the most famous museum in the world, but because last time I went there (8 years or so ago), I was really sick and kind of had to lay down on benches the whole time. So needless to say, the 2nd time around was much more interesting and fruitful. We also cruised down la Seine, saw the Eiffel Tower and partied with frenchies. All in all it was a successful trip to Paris.

After we returned back to Bordeaux, I had to start school (more on that nightmare later). Before we knew it, it was time for Lauren to head back home and start her new semester too. It went by too quickly but we had a great time.

Place de la Bourse in Bordeaux

Shenanigans in Paris

Jardin de Tuileries

Second Semester in Bordeaux
Ok, can I just say that I CANNOT believe it's already February (almost) and spring semester is already like 3 weeks in. I know I always say how fast time goes by in my posts....but for real, I am trippin out!!!! So I finally have my emploi du temps all figured out. You may think registering for classes would be slightly easier second semester, since I did it before. No. Pas du tout. It was an excruciating process filled with hours of waiting, confusion, uncertainty and being made fun of for my terrible accent. Ok, maybe I'm exaggerating a little- it wasn't thaaaat bad. I made it out alive! But the disorganization of French...everything...never ceases to amaze me.

So I'm taking French literature, a French film class, methodology (where you learn how to be a French student) and ... drum roll.... PSYCHOLOGYY!!! yay! i am very excited about this because I really missed learning about psychology, the most interesting thing on the planet.  It gives me a break from learning about French culture all day. My one psych class is Developmental Psych, all about the development of the brain from infants to adulthood.  And, I feel like I really have come a long way cause I can understand about 80% of the lectures on a good day. Oh and another added bonus is that I go to a separate campus for psychology, which is 18923748932 x better than my other campus (which looks like a post-war zone). This is me in front of la belle fac à Bordeaux 2:

Italia!!!!
Last weekend, I jetted off to Rome to meet up with my friend from Davis! She just happened to be spending a week in Italy, so I couldn't pass up the opportunity to rendez-vous in Roma. It was such an incredible weekend. I've never been so moved by art. I feel like I witnessed the culmination of human kind's finest achievements, right before my eyes!!!! Several things I saw literally brought me to tears. Here's a recap: I arrived Friday and miraculously found my friends (without the aid of technology). The first thing we did was go to  a photography exhibit at a really cool gallery. The photographer turned out to be Steve McCurry, a famous photographer for National Geographic. It was a collection of hundreds of his most famous photos from all over the world- New York City to Africa to India to Europe. Here are some of my favorite :

I was amazed at the emotion he was able to capture in each photo, without needing an explanation. Mind blowing!!!

Next on the list was to see the Trevi Fountain. We managed to find it at night and man was it beautiful!!! I threw a couple coins in for good luck.

The next day we were the ultimate tourists. We took a 4 hour tour of Vatican City, including the Vatican Museum, the Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter's Basilica. Again, I could not believe that I was physically standing in the presence of such amazing, world-renowned works of art! It was exhausting but well-worth it. Our tour guide was a jolly American who I found out was from San Francisco! Le monde est petit. He was full of interesting information and really added to the tour. When I got to the Sistine Chapel, I felt as if I were in a dream. Though there are hundreds of tourists, the security guards make you be silent, as if to reinforce the holiness of it. Everyone has their heads tilted to the ceiling, taking in this  spectacular sight. Every square inch is filled with detail- Michelangelo really was a genius. I was humbled and in awe.

Following that, we went to Saint Peter's Basilica, the largest church in the world. If it was possible, I was even more amazed by this. There is just something about churches that I love. When I stepped in I was overwhelmed. I just kept thinking, the fact that humans can create such a thing- and so long ago, with limited tools- seems so unreal. We walked down into the catacombs, where the Popes are buried. Upon leaving Vatican City, I felt so deeply touched by art and history. It still gives me the chills!

After a much needed nap, Sarah and I hit the town for some debauchery. I'll give you a hint how the night went:

Sarah and I:

We met some ... interesting... Italians, then went out with a new friend. It was a crazy night that produced many funny stories, that aren't necessarily blog appropriate ;)

One thing I noticed was how difficult it was not speaking the language. Though I am nowhere near close to a fluent level in French, I can easily communicate important things, and even hold semi-interesting conversations. In Italy, I was limited to "ciao", "bella", and the combination- "ciao bella". Maybe throw in a "buon giorno"and that was the extent of my vocabulary. I felt disabled and alienated at times... it put things in a different perspective for me. the language barrier can be impossible, but we made it through- and it made for hilarious, awkward interactions!

Rome is an amazing city and I recommend that everyone visits. Just drop what you're doing and buy a ticket! Except finish reading this blog, of course :)

Bordeaux Life
I have been adjusting quite well to living on my own. I've started expanding my cooking horizons, and my friends and I decided to have a dinner party once a week to practice our cooking and just relax over a good home-cooked meal. Last time I hosted it chez moi, and made poulet à la crème- SO GOOD! By the time I come home, I'll be full of yummy French recipes that I can just whip up :)

I'm past the halfway point of my year in France. It's hard to wrap my head around, but in just 4 months I'll be returning to California. It's bittersweet for me, but I know I have many more adventures to come. Til then mes amis, I'll try to keep ya updated via my blog! Hope you enjoy! love and miss you all!!!

That one time I was in France for the holidays

Bonjour!!! Ooooh lalalalala, these past few weeks have been so amazing. I feel like I've been living in a dream! I am one lucky fille to have this experience. So here's a recount of my Christmas and New Year in France - j'ai beaucoup à dire!

To begin with, my mère came to visit me for Christmas! We had a wonderful time traipsing around Paris and Bordeaux. It was really nice and comforting to see her, especially for the holidays. Living so far away can be hard sometimes, so being able to spend time with my mom was awesome. She arrived in Paris, so I met her there and we spent a few days soaking in the beauty of Paris at Christmas time. I also made a new Parisian friend :) and I got to ride on the back of his motorcycle !!! That has been one of my French cliché dreams for so long, and it was finally fulfilled. Besides my girly dreams coming true, my mom and I did lots of fun things in Paris. We ate at really nice restaurants, saw the Eiffel Tower at night, visited the Musée Rodin AND the Musée D'Orsay, and re-visited the Notre Dame (one of my favorite sights). We were very tourist-y looking, but I had to take pics:

The Thinker by Rodin

In front of Notre Dame!

It was very cold and gray, but we still had a great time.

After our little séjour à Paris, we headed back to Bordeaux. I had lots of things planned to see and do, but we kind of took the relaxing route and just chilled at Erika's a lot of the time. That was fine by me! However, I did show my mom the must-sees of Bordeaux, like the fountain at Place de Quinconces, the St. André cathedral, and of course Rue St. Catherine. We even got a drink one night at Charles Dickens (and got harassed by drunk French mecs) ! All part of the experience though. Erika and her daughters left for the campagne for Christmas, so the Americans had the house to ourselves. It was really nice- my mom cooked a delicious dinner on Christmas Eve which we spent  with my roommates Laura, Deyuanne and her sister and brother, and our friend Hannah.

Our American Christmas dinner in France

It was really sad when my mom had to go back to California, and I was a little nervous she wouldn't make her way back home without my French-speaking assistance, but she is an intelligent and capable lady so there were no problems :)

The next exciting thing that happened was that I moved into my new house!!! It is so amazing. It's right down the street from Jardin Public, my favorite spot in Bordeaux. The weather is ugly right now, so it's not at its prime, but I'm still enjoying the fact I can walk 5 minutes and be in this huge beautiful park. Can't wait for spring time, when I'll be pique-niquing there every day! This picture doesn't even do it justice, but take a look:

Also, the house is really really cool. I wanted to take pictures but my camera is currently dead and I'm too parasseuse to charge it. More pics will be posted soon. But it's very modern, with a metal grate-type winding staircase and a spacious living room. My room is awesome too, and my colocatrice Arielle is so nice! I'm really happy with my situation. And I'm finally walking distance from downtown, so no more worrying about catching the last tram. Oh and I'm learning to cook! So far I've made spaghetti and an omelette! I know I know, I'm no Rachel Ray yet...but you gotta take baby steps. Anyway, I love living on my own, and life is good :)

Next order of business: I went to Nantes with Edouard, mon ami francais, for New Year's!! It was a blast. His family is so nice, and let me stay with them in their cute home. I was spoiled with delicious home cooked meals grâce à Ed's mom. She is Australian so we spoke English with each other, but I also spoke a lot of french. I can tell my speaking and comprehension is improving, albeit slowly.

Ed took me around the city of Nantes, which is very modern and artsy. First we went to super cool graffiti exposition at a contemporary art museum, called Faire le Mur, which means to sneak out. They had quite some interesting and unique pieces.

Apres, we saw a real castle from around 1400, complete with motes and everything! (no alligators though).

We also visited a beautiful cathedral. Downtown Nantes is really nice too, it reminds me of Bordeaux a bit. Oh, and the coolest thing was this giant moving mechanical elephant! The city just decided to build it for no particular reason, but it was truly amazing. It was like a sign :)

Really made an impression on me.

The highlight of the trip to Nantes was that I got to go to a classy French new year's eve party! Ed's sister Claire invited us to her friend's apartment, which was la classe. Unfortunately I don't have pictures (or maybe it is fortunate...) but it was really great. There was foie gras, saumon, champagne...everything to make a true soirée. We rang in 2012 in style (sort of) and I get to say I spent new years in France :) The next day Ed and I went back to Bordeaux and I began the process of moving into my new place.

Since then, things have been easy breezy... school starts the 16th so I have a nice long break. Most of my friends are traveling or back in California for the holidays, so i've kinda been extremely lazy. I'll be taking psych classes this semester though, so that's probably gonna kick my fesse... gotta gear up for school mode soon!

Well mes amis, that pretty much sums up the recent happenings of my vie francaise. I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday wherever you are! Happy New Year, I miss all y'all more than I can express in a blog.
Gros bisous :)