End of the semester

Waaooww it's been a while !!! ... I feel like I've been starting my posts with that too often :( but it's a rainy morning in Bordeaux so I figured what better time to whip out a new post. And my blog-savvy friend Sara told me I need to put more spaces in my blogs, so that my giant paragraphs of storytelling aren't intimidating. Oh and ps, thanks for reading this cause I feel like I'm just posting these to cyber space and no one really cares about what I have to say. SO merci:)

Ok so the weather is actually terrifying. It almost prevented me from sortir-ing hier soir. Almost is the key word there. This is the aftermath of ce mauvais temps:

except I don't look nearly as glamorous as that girl. I look a lot more soaked and haggard and wet-dog-like.

Anyway, besides the torrential storms, la vie bordelaise is amazing as usual. OH my god I can't believe first semester's over. It's insane and scary how fast time is going by. These last 4 months seem to have been compacted into a whirlwind blur... Time really is a TRIP.

One sad thing about this fact is that our friends who chose to spend only 1 semester here are leaving. This is immensely triste because we've made some great friendships , and Bordeaux just won't be the same without them. But I'm lucky to have met them and I know this isn't goodbye forever. We've already planned a road trip when we all get back to California :)

To say au revoir, we went out to a nice lunch at a real French restaurant. This is a rare occasion since we're all poor foreign students, and our lunches usually consist of cheap kebabs or fast-food pasta. But we decided to class it up at a cute restaurant downtown. The food was delicious and it was a great way to have one last get together.

Of course, lunch wasn't our only last hurrah. We had to go to our favorite pub, Houses of Parliament (aka our second home) one last time! There were lots of Californians from our program there, getting in their final Serbian iced teas or Long Islands (both very dangerous!)

A picture's worth a thousand words, right? ; )

So for the holidays, my friends Sara and Marina are lucky filles and get to go back to California. I'm jealous they get to have a taste of home, but what's even better is that my mom is coming to France! I really thought it wasn't gonna happen, but she pulled through at the last minute. I am leaving tomorrow to meet her in Paris, then taking her back to Bordeaux. I am so excited to play tour guide and show her everything I've experienced here. And I really miss my mom! You can't beat spending Christmas in France, and having your mom with you too is just the icing on the cake :)

Mama Menagh is leaving before the new year, so my french friend Ed invited me to spend new years with him and his family in Nantes!

Nantes:

Needless to say, I am very excited. I'm lucky to have nice French friends!


Another little piece of news is that I'm moving! I spent an interesting first semester living with Erika, my host mom, in her home, but it is time to déménager. I will miss living here with my great roomies Laura and Deyuanne. And I'll miss those chickens too I guess. I snapped this pic of a silly poule standing on a cement block:

But I found a great room to rent downtown in a lovely house, right next to my favorite spot- Jardin Public. I'm so excited for all the picnics that will take place there in springtime! And I'm looking forward to a more independent living situation.
(Just for reference, this is a typical French picnic for me and my friends) :

I know we're classy, you don't have to tell me.

Ahhh, it feels like just yesterday I was frantically packing my bags to leave for France. Now one semester is behind us, and a new one is waiting. So many crazy things have happened already, I can't imagine what another 6 months has in store. But I really can't wait to find out !

Ohhh.. just realized that I have mentioned school approximately 0 times in this post. I assure you, I actually am studying here!!! Finals were interesting... all I have to say is the French university system is a piece of work. I made it out alive though! Over all, my classes were interesting and I learned a thing or two. I really enjoyed my littérature class. The professor was a little wacky, but those are the best kind! He was very interesting and kind to us foreign students. My Linguistics class sucked, besides getting a good laugh out of the hilariously grumpy and frazzled professor. Phonetics class was definitely helpful with pronunciation, although I don't know if it actually made a difference since my accent is still notoriously Californian. Oh and I can't forget Dragons, aka Middle Ages class! I don't really have a comment for that one, actually. It was.... interesting. All in all, this semester was a good introduction to the French university way of life. I can't wait to get back to taking Psych though, which I'll be doing next semester.

Ohh, lala lala lala, guess it's time to wrap things up. Im not sure if anyone actually cares about the ongoings of my life that I post here, so if you made it through til the end, merci :) As always, I'm thinking about my homies back at home and missing everyone dearly! I'll be back in June - c'est booon ca! ; )

love all y'all, bisouuss!

London, Paris, We live in Bordeaux!

Bonjour y'ally y'all! wow I have been seriously lackin on this blog. but now I have new and exciting things to regale to you! I just got back from a weekend in London. I went with my 4 friends from California and it was so amazing!!! It's such a beautiful city with tons of cool things to see and do. We got really lucky with the weather- it was cold as balls, but clear skies and no rain! unfortunately, we didn't have much time, and we are all broke students, so it was kind of limited. But, nonetheless, we made it an excursion jam-packed with fun and craziness! Ok so first, we arrived on Friday at like 6pm. and i thought we were gonna die between the janky plane/bus ride. And then when the bus dropped us off, we asked how long it would take to walk to our hostel. we were told one hour, but since we are young wild and free, (and poor) we said why not!!! and walked, and walked and walked..... and then finally arrived. Throughout the weekend, we walked an insane amount. We actually didn't take public transportation or a cab once. My butt and legs are well-toned.
        So first thing we did: stop for a little break and eat some fish and chips! They were definitely not top-of-the-line, but I still got the experience. After we refueled, we settled in to our hostel. Our auberge de jeunesse was really cool!  and in a super-posh neighborhood. Ferraris, Bentleys and Rolls Royces rolled by us on the regular. I mean, obviously very fitting for us. That's a joke, because if you saw us 5 trudging down the street with our stuffed back packs, hunched over with  exhausted facial expressions, you might think we were homeless. Once we arrived, we chilled and got ready to go out. We planned to go to the club G-A-Y, which if you couldn't gather, is a famous gay club in London. So not long after claiming our bunk beds in our hostel, we set out again on a 2+ mile walk (I told you we walked freakin everywhere!) Eventually we got there (after taking a few breaks) and it was definitely worth the hike. It lived it up to its crazy, flamboyant reputation! We danced up a storm and saw some interesting sights/people. Since the next day, Saturday, was our only full day to see the city, we headed home fairly early...well, early on our terms. We got home around 3 AM after walking the marathon back. Needless to say, I passed out and was semi-well rested for our adventure the next day!
        Saturday morning, the absolute MOST important thing on our list was to eat a traditional English breakfast (something that we sorely miss in France). We stumbled upon a charming restaurant called Henry's that boasted literally 'a traditional English breakfast', complete with toast, ham, beans and hash browns. We were sold. It turned out to be the most delicious thing EVER! And for broke college students who don't get to eat out much, it was worth the splurge. Here is a picture to prove how delicious our breakfast was :

Yumm!!! Call us pathetic, but we considered that one of the top highlights of our trip. ok i'll move on. So for the rest of the day, we decided the best way to use our time was to take a tour bus that stopped at all the famous sights and locations in London. It was definitely a good idea, because otherwise there was no way we could have gotten everything in. We took a traditional double-decker bus and had a great view of all the beautiful monuments- even if my face was almost torn off by the bitter cold and wind. Our tour guide was a gregarious, interesting man who knew a lot about the city. He also used to work on cruise ships going down the Californian coast, so he was glad to have some natives on his tour! We saw everything from Big Ben to Buckingham Palace to the Tower Bridge to Westminister Abbey. Here are some highlights of the tour:

 Sara and I on the bus

 Trafalgar Square

 Westminster Abbey

 Big Ben

 Houses of Parliament

 The River Thames

Buckingham Palace (the queen wasn't home)

By the afternoon, we were all pretty cold and tired. But we had to stop by a traditional English pub and have a pint. So we found a famous pub called the Albert, which had a charming and cozy feel inside. I tried mulled wine, which is like warm red wine cider. So yummy!!!!! after a few drinks, we braced the cold and started our walk back to the hostel. On the way home though, we HAD to visit the world-famous Harrods. Since we couldn't afford to even look at anything, we grabbed some dinner at the food court there. It was surprisingly cheap! So I still felt classy that I could at least eat at this amazingly beautiful mecca of shopping. Look how beautiful it is at night:

Amazing, right? Oh oh, and after we ate we went to STARBUCKS!!!!!!!! which i have been desperately missing. I got my usual mocha and it was the best one I've ever had. That expression 'absence makes the heart grow fonder' really applied to this situation. Is it sad that the best parts of our trip involved the food we ate? Well whatever, it was really really good. We were all pretty wiped out after all these adventures, so we made it back pretty early since we had to get up at the ass crack of dawn Sunday morning to walk to the bus, take the bus to the airport and head back to Bordeaux.

        Though it was a very quick trip, I really had a great time. Traveling (even on a tight budget) is so much fun and such an interesting experience. I wish I could do it all the time! But I'd definitely like to go back to London and see more things. It was great company and an awesome weekend : )

Alright, so besides this weekend, the French life has been chuggin along. I have almost hit the half way mark of my time here!! it is insane how quickly the time has passed. I'll be spending Christmas here, and hopefully my mommy will be able to visit me and have christmas in Bordeaux! I'm in the process of looking for an apartment for the second semester. it's not as easy as one may think. School is getting a little easier too. I feel like I'm getting the hang of France's crazy university system, slowly but surely. And I really think my French has improved- French people have confirmed that, but who knows, they may just be being polite. It was a trip being in England where everyone was speaking English! I could actually understand conversations! It made me a little homesick- i guess the reminder of my native language got me thinkin about everyone I miss at home. But before I left for the weekend, I received a HUGEEEE care package from my darling and sweet mother! it was filled with layer upon layer of necessities like warm clothes and candy. I was so grateful to have a treasure box of things from home! Oh, and last week, my two friends from high school came to visit Bordeaux. They are actually currently both living in Europe- Anthony's in Ireland and Elliot's in Lyon, France. I got to play tour guide and it was really fun! they were impressed with Bordeaux, and I felt proud to call this my home.  So I got my fill of California! Hmm quoi d'autre... oh it was Sara's birthday right before we left so we properly celebrated that of course :) It's so crazy that my friends here who are only staying 1 semester are leaving in 1 month. I cannot imagine going back home at this point! I'm really gonna miss them : ( but never forget them!

      Okay I know this post is a doozy so I'll call it quits. I really do miss and love everyone and anyone who might be reading this. and thanks for being interested in ma vie francaise :) now it's time to do what I actually came here to do- study!!!! à bientôt mes amis!

c'est booonnn ça

bonjour tous. we are nearing the end of our vacation : ( it went by too quickly. i slept and ate and drank a lot....oh wait that's every day. but it was really relaxing and nice to have nothing to do.

first of all, things i really really miss: (not in any order)

hash browns
grilled cheese
real chinese food
cereal and milk (even though it's available here i just dont eat it..)
in n out
big sizes of coffee
buddy
my bed
Davis 

 some recent happenings:

Todd, Ed, Max and I went to see Modeselektor last weekend! they're an techno group from Berlin.(is it nerdy to say techno? i dunno what to call them..) it was a lot of fun. The venue was cool, not too crowded- we got right up front with no problem! that would never happen back home. There were several funny occurrences that I can't really post on the blog. but we had a great time : ) and didn't get home til 5 30 AM, wooo party animaux! ; )
 During the week, i was une fille parreseuse (like I said).the weather has been rainy so I didn't have much motivation to go out. Oh one productive thing: I opened a French bank account! it was quite the process. we ended up making friends with the banker who helped us (or I should say he made friends with us...) and he even invited us to see his band play at a bar! So last night we went to see him. we were only there for about 15 minutes cause it was kind of lame. and i don't know if it's an idée genial to be partying with your banker. But afterwards, we went to a house party full of french people! I haven't been to a house party in a while. but it was lots of fun. there were actually a lot of British people there so it was kind of an anglo-francais fete. we learned a new drinking game that im totally bringing back home but it's too hard to explain right now.

Right now I'm the only one home- Deyuanne is in Italy and Laura has been in Spain. lucky filles! i miss them, it's lonely being the only colocatrice here. I pondered what noun to use for a while just now, because I dont really know what we are. renters? guests? californians? i guess a mix of all three, but 'colocatrice' en francais seems to sum it up.

I have to get my fesse in gear and start working on a paper for my French litterature class. i would really rather have hot needles poked in my eyeballs than do this but that's what Im here to do so lezzzdoooeeeet! this is my way of self-motivation. i dunno if its working.


Oh oh happy almost halloween!!! halloween doesn't really exist here, although supposedly it's becoming more popular. but we are going to try to make it happen in Bordeaux, costumes and all. my lovely mom sent me a little halloween care package, with socks and a pencil and eraser (she's a true teacher). and a cute card :) it made me so happy! merci mom if you're reading this!

Missing CA but loving France :) gros bisous mes amis!

I just wanted to post these cute pictures.

So cute!!!!!!

as the weather gets colder, the french people get hotter

Bonjour mes amis. i can't believe how fast time is flying. it's actually insane. my last blog was on the 7th and it is now almost the end of October. quoi??!!
        So, it is officially Les Vacances! we get a week off of school (i'm not really sure why but i'm not questioning it). Most of my friends are off traveling to exotic places, but yours truly is staying put in Bordeaux grâce à poor planning and financial woes. But i aint complaining! It's nice to have a break from school, sleep in and just do nothing. Plus, I am going to tear up the town with or without my comrades.
     This past week I had my first exams in French school. they were pretty terrifying. I am kind of expecting my professors to say, 'you might as well go back to California'. But I think (hope) they understand our lack of comprehension when it comes to their university system, and maybe they will cut us some slack. However, this past week did motivate me to start trying harder and get my butt back in etudier mode.

Brrrrr!!!!!

     It's starting to get freezing cold!!!!! Bordeaux weather is a funny thing...when we first arrived, it switched between hot and muggy to random torrential rain storms. Now, it is just really really cold. I know I'm a spoiled California girl when it comes to weather, but my bones are chilled. I asked my mom to send some California sunshine along with my winter clothes she is preparing to send me. The worst thing is, my French friends say this is nothing. Just wait until January, they told us. I'm scared. i'm expecting to be waddling around like the kid from A Christmas Story, who is bundled up like a little marshmallow. Oh but of course the french pull off their winter style like fashion models, as per usual. Leave it to them to be able to battle 0 degree (ok,celsius) weather while looking like they stepped off a Vogue photo shoot. sigh.

Recent Adventures

    Oh so last weekend, Erika took us on a  lovely trip to her nephew's home in the countryside! He is a rich doctor who I want to marry. his house is amazing. it's on acres of grassy fields where cows graze and flowers grow (wow I am so poetic!) And the Dordogne river is just on the other side. it was one of the last days of warm, sunny weather, and we enjoyed a delicious lunch outside on his patio, listening to Elvis of course. it's my new goal to live there. see for yourself:

It was a great way to say good bye to the warm days of summer and welcome the chilly autumn and winter.

         My friends and I also checked out la Fête Foraine the other night. It's the carnival in Bordeaux! it was pretty cheesy like most fairs, but worth the experience. It was interesting to see how Americanized everything was. all the rides, attractions and food were printed in English with American-type pictures all over the place. i think it's something Americans don't realize until they have traveled outside the states, how wide-spread our culture is. Not only at the fair, but my french friends know everything there is to know about our music, tv shows, movies...everything. it's quite surprising.... interesting fact. But anyway, the fair was over priced and fun. we rode the ferris wheel (la grande roue) 

Oh my god, then I made a horrible mistake and went on a roller coaster that seemed harmless, but in reality was terrifying. THis thing spun around in circles for 10 minutes!!!!!!! super fast, with smoke blowing in your face, and the seat things spun wildly around. max and i almost died. there is a reason i don't do roller coasters....

ps, it was called sexy dance. ya i dont know. It was a fun experience all around though!

         Well, hot chocolate and movies in bed is calling. I am too scared to go outside and brace the cold so I'm spending the day safe inside my covers. Tonight, though, Todd and I are storming the city. watch out Bordeaux ; )

A bientot! love to all :)

   

Que sera, sera

I think it's time for an update! i've been neglecting my blog. so bonjour! Lots has been happening here in bordeaux-land. I am slowly starting to feel like I really live here. Before, I felt like a tourist, thinking that this amazing vacation must end soon, and I'd have to go back to reality. it's a trip knowing I have many more months ahead of me :)

The Opera
So we went to see an opera! At the Grand Théâtre! It was awe-inspiring being at such a magnificent and historical opera house. We saw Madame Butterfly, which turned out to be a very depressing story. And, we had not-the-best seats (and that's putting it nicely). basically we were in nose bleed land. i actually couldn't really see anything. But, it was really fun getting dressed up and being classy at the opera :)

(merci Sara pour les photos :) )

St. Emilion
Erika took Laura and I on a little day-trip to a town just outside Bordeaux, called St. Emilion. it was so cute! it reminded me of Carmel back in California, very quaint and charming, expensive. It's best known for its wineries and wine. we walked around and went into the cute little shops and wished we could afford anything. however we did splurge on delicious macarons, which actually originated in St. Emilion! i tried Nutella and Laura tried caramel. both amazing. afterward, we déjeunéd at one of Erika's favorite restaurants. then we went on a surprise tour of a chateau/ winery! i wasn't expecting it but it was quite exquisite. we also got to have a degustation (wine tasting) of some very fine wines. it was funny because laura and I downed our glasses, while the rest of the group delicately tasted, smelled and enjoyed the flavors of each wine. but then they spit it out into an urn-type thing! hey, I can appreciate wine, but if I'm tasting it I'm gonna swallow that! anyway, it was quite a long but adventurous day.

Erasmus Parties/ Partying in General
Oh mon dieu. we do a lot of partying here. the french know how to do it well! Erasmus, which is study abroad in Europe, organizes a lot of parties for all the foreigners here to get together and mix all of our different languages together into one drunken slur. Just kidding, but not really. they are always shit shows. On tuesday (yes like the middle of the week), there was one that we attended. as my friend Sara said, NEVER AGAIN! wednesday was living hell, I'll let you imagine why. we learned a valuable lesson:keep the partying to JVS. On a better note, our French friends invited us to their apartments for a real frenchy party. it was so fun! all their friends are so nice and friendly. it reminds me of our little kickbacks at Davis...but...everyone is speaking French.

School (La Fac)
So we're in our third or fourth week of school now. I still feel a little lost. like this :

And, it doesnt help that i have a horrible sense of direction, and half the time don't know where I am going. it's definitely one of the hardest things I've had to adjust to. It's like when I felt overwhelmed in my French classes at Davis, except every class I'm taking is like that. but, it's coming along. it definitely expands my comprehension and vocabulary. and we made a friend in our classes who is also very sweet and clues us in on what is going on. This semester I'm only taking litterature courses, so it gets a little monotonous. Hopefully by next semester I'll be able to take psych. i miss it! One of our professors loves California and is really excited there are Californians in his class. he always makes references to us/CA/ the states, and I think the other french students are getting a little tired of it. but it's nice to get a little reminder of home :)

Speaking of home, I do miss it. I'm not homesick necessarily, but from time to time things pop in my head and I'm like, awwwww if only I were back in CA.

Like Buddy:

And my mommy:

And Sol Food:

And my bed...and my friends...and other things. But, i am living in France so I really can't complain!

Well mes amis, i think that just about summarizes my last few weeks in francey france. i can't describe how much i love it. but i dont want to bore you :) so there you go! love to all.

Fairing les vendanges, l'université et autres choses!

Bonjour yall, wowowow I have beaucoup to say! Where to begin... I am still falling more in love with Bordeaux chaque jour. I'm currently sitting in my host house's lovely jardin, watching the chickens scurry around and soaking up the sunshine, before the cold weather begins. I've had some pretty crazy adventures lately, so I'll start from last weekend.

Vendanges!
So i had the amazing opportunity to "faire les vendanges", which means harvesting and cutting the grapes in a vineyard, to make wine. Erika, my french mom, has friends who own a chateau and winery... and every year, when the time comes to cut the grapes, she takes her foreigners to help out. There were about 40 people total, out in the fields cutting the grapes! it was an all day ordeal, and very tiring physical labor, but totally worth it. And they fed us a fabulous home cooked French meal at lunch time. im drooling just thinking about it! It lasted about 2 hours, and we ate and drank a ridiculous amount of delicious food and wine. Some of the bottles were over 20 years old, and cost 200 Euro! i didn't feel worthy of dining in this amazing chateau, but im so thankful i got to experience it. Here are some photos:

The wine cellar!

The gorgeous table setting for lunch

Amazing chateau

more tables

clippin the grapes!

this is taken from google, but this is basically what i was doing.

So basically it was the best thing ever. Afterwards, I was so tired after but we still went out of course :)

Going Out 

So partying here is a lot different than at home. people are very classy when they drink (for the most part). we usually go out to bars, and have discovered a few really cool ones... Our favorites are Houses of Parliament and Charles Dickens. Also, last night I went to a party for Erasmus students , which is the european equivalent of study abroad. i met lots of cool frenchies who hopefully want to be my friend. my goal is to have more real french friends though...its easier said than done, but hopefully with school it will be accomplished. which  leads me to:

Classes at Université de Bordeaux

Classes have officially started at Bordeaux 3. Im taking freshman level courses because that's the level I can handle,and I'm still kind of struggling haha. but they're pretty interesting and it's cool being among all French students! I'm taking a french literature class, phonetics, something called langue&stylistique and a Middle Ages history class. they're pretty interesting. 

On a somewhat unrelated note, all French people are gorgeous. It's like a law or something. When i walk around campus (or anywhere), I feel like an ugly American duckling!! Its a pretty big blow to my self confidence... But seriously,I feel like i go to a modeling school. everyone is always impeccably dressed, and there are just no unattractive people. i find myself staring at guys and girls and wondering how its possible for such beautiful people to be located in one place. just another amazing thing about la France.

Anyway, it's time to manger. Even though its Jeudi (the official start of the weekend), im keepin it low key tonight. more energy to go hard vendredi/samedi :)

Bisous!