Sunday, April 1, 2012

Bienvenue au printemps

bonjour tous! since it's has been such a beautiful weather, I decided a new blog post is definitely in order. Before I begin, let me set the scene: I'm perched on my very narrow little window balcony catching the last rays of the sunshine, which is on one hand tres francais and cool but also very dangerous. I hope  I don't fall off while writing this. Also, I'm creepily peering in on the moving-in process of my neighbors across the street, and I'd just like to note that they appear to be yelling at each other at one moment, and intensely making out the next. ahhh l'amour francais!

Anyway, on to relevant things. It's officially springtime in France! The weather has been gloriously warm and sunny. It has seriously turned the city around. Instead of being miserably cold and frost-bitten, les bordelais are emerging out and everyone is enjoying the warm days. I've spent almost every afternoon in the jardin public- picnic-ing, reading, hanging out with friends or just doing anything (note how studying is not included in that list :) ) And I finally can retire the gigantic parka I had been sporting around and break out the summer clothes! Like a true Californian, I was really missing the sun, and I'm very glad to have it back.
 
pique nique in the jardin

Beach Day!!!

This weekend, my friends and I voyaged to Arcachon, a beach town about an hour outside of Bordeaux for a day of fun in the sun. It was basically the best day ever! I finally arrived after having missed the first 2 trains I was supposed to take (yes, some things never change). We had great friends (Americans, English and Frenchies!), tons of food, drinks, and various sports balls to play with. I took a quick little dip in the Atlantic, which surprisingly was not that cold. I guess I'm just used to frigid waters that you cannot really swim in unless you are properly equipped with a full-body wet suit. Nevertheless, it was great to be reunited with the ocean! And it was nice to get out of Bordeaux and enjoy some other attractions that the south-west of France has to offer. The beach also gave me a little teaser of the west coast, which I've missed so much. Our beach day inspired us to plan a trip to Biarritz in the near future- another beach town in the Basque country. Such travelers, I know.






Visitors
So I am a very lucky fille and get to have lots of people visiting me. First let's backtrack. Mon petit copain de paris Victor came down to Bordeaux pour me rendre une visite! It was awesome having him here. And speaking of Arcachon, we took a little day trip there as well! It wasn't quite as nice weather as Beach Day, but it was still lovely. He got me to try several French foods that I've always been wary of, like steak tartar, and mussels. It's cool having a true frenchy around to make you experience these kinds of things.
 
arcachon!

Next order of business: my mom and her friend are coming to visit, for the second time, during spring break! I'm super excited to see her again (I can't believe I get to have family visit me twice during my year here!) And, her friend is hilarious and crazy, so I can't wait for the shenanigans the 3 of us will get into. I'm meeting them in Paris, then coming back to Bordeaux. We're going to fit in a couple of trips to Toulouse and perhaps San Sebastian to taste a little bit more of France. I love playing tour guide!

And, at the end of May, my two best friends Brian and Aidan are coming!!! I know I know, I'm too spoiled. So far, we have Spain and Portugal planned, and Amsterdam is definitely in the stars too. And maybe some other adventures. I'm stoked cause I haven't been able to travel very much, but I get to do so with my two boys :)

Mandatory note on school just to prove I actually do attend university (sort of) :
It's almost over!
I already finished two of my classes, and the third one will be over in a couple weeks. As for my  psych course,  it's a mystery. No one knows when the final is. I am going with the flow and not stressing because after 7 months here, I've learned to laugh at the ridiculous inefficiency and disorganization of France. I've even learned to embrace it :)

annnnd this leads me to the fact that I'm going home in like 2 months !!!!!!! I have extremely mixed emotions about this. seriously, sometimes when the thought of leaving France pops in my head, I want to start crying. But on the other hand I miss having a routine back home and being familiar with my culture. I also know that I have to make this last part of my journey really count, so that's what I'm gonna do! Yeah I know, I mentioned this whole dilemma before. But it really is something I think all of us go through when you are put into this situation. Adjusting to a new life, and then having to re-learn how to behave in your own. It's a bizarre paradox. Anyway, I keep reminding myself to focus on the moment and enjoy every last second. Go hard or go home right?

So that's all for now folks. I'm gonna try to get better at chronicling my remaining time here, but to be quite honest it's the same shit that goes on day to day- I just make it sound all fancy and interesting in this blog :) (at least that's what I'm aiming for)

I'll leave you with this:
 lol.


bisous a tous!

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