Well damn if it isn't the last Friday in France, and last day of class. I can't convey how depressing that is to think about.
Had class: two tests then a grammar class. After class and a very unceremonious "Thanks, bye" exchange between us and the prof at the Institut, we headed out like a newborn. Braunrot set up a lunch for us at 1pm, so we shopped a little bit then headed to 38bis for lunch. 3 courses, 2 glasses of red, and half a bottle of champagne...I was toast. Shalomie, Ben and I all came home and slept. I got up sooner than they did and finished watching my pirated copy of "The Reader" on my computer. FYI: don't watch it-depressing. Also do not watch "He's just not that into you" if you're single because they all end up happily with someone, or newly divorced. Either way, not fun for a single person to watch.
Anyway, dinner was earlier tonight because Mme. Antier made us a souffle, which is apparently a mix of flour, eggs, milk, and butter. It was good, but tres heavy. Then the standard salad, and some weird vegetable mix that ranks as probably my least favorite food served to us here. Then, joy of all joy!! Dessert was chocolate pudding! By the time the souffle had been eaten, my French turned off. I think Mme. Antier even mentioned something about how quickly my American accent came back. Eh, I was half zonked out and still asleep. Etiher way, we watched Plus Belle La Vie for the last time wiht her tonight; totally sad. I mean, wretchedly sad that tonight was the last episode. Charlotte is moving to Japan because she thinks Guillome and Luna are back together. And, AND! Someone killed a female bum, and Melany suspects the mean bum livin gin the courtyard. And I have NO CLUE where Nicholas is!!! I'm gonna need to subscribe to French tv.
After dinner, we went ot Place Plume to drink tabletop kegs of Desperado beer. This is a delicious blend of beer, limes and tequila. After 3, I wasn't feelin anything, so either they're weak or I'm getting pretty fantastic at drinking. We all met up at the ganguitte bar at the river; Miriam and I braved the ladder and sat on the beach wiht the drummers...til she had to potty. I went off to find the other half of our group, and they were all gone, so now I'm at home, listening to itunes and updating this here blog.
Have a good night!
Friday, June 19, 2009
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Oh why even try to remember the days anymore
So here's the lowdown:
(Tuesday)Shalomie skipped school, but we had a full day of boring classes. I was not thrilled to be there without my buddy. Our prof decided to give us bunches of tests the rest of this week since we're leaving on Friday. Boo. FYI: we saw "Antichrist" in teh theater tonight. Don't do it. Ever. Ever, ever. I mean, the plot was pretty good, but the brutal sexual violence...not cool at all. BUT, on a good note, there's an amazing opera song in it ("Lascia ch'io pianga" by Handel) that I downloaded and TOTALLY love. Ben and Mary Grace love it too. MG Sang it for some audition and rocked like a genius. I just listen to it. Ben, too.
(Wednesday) Test #1 down: Shalomie and I made pretty high marks, we'll just have to wait for the official grades on them. It was oral comprehension, so that's good that we're getting better at understanding warp-speed French. It must be Plus Belle La Vie.
(Thursday) My turn! I skipped school today. Just was tired, hot, gross, and didn't wanna go. So I slept late, ate lunch, went to the St Gatien cathedral, walked along the Loire, explroed parts of the town I'd never seen, then read and did some school work by the river. I poked my head in some shops, but found no clothes that beckoned me, so I bought two French dictionaries at FNAC instead. Anyone say nerd? Nerd. But I got the French etyological dictionary and a populaire expression dictionary; tell me that's not a nifty and useful purchase!?!? Anyway, tonight we're going to the river to watch tango dance night. I will be drinking, and not dancing. Shalomie is a ballroom dancer, so she's gonna shake her groove thang and show up everyone there. Yesss!
Random thoughts:
-I really don't want to go to Paris next week. I'd be much happier staying here and enjoying the small town.
-I LOVE my house mom, she's so adorable. My house dad is a cutie patootie, too, but he's way too smart. I can never follwo his train of thought.
-We're going to Blois tomorrow after our farewell lunch with Braunrot, then Saturday to a classical music concert in a barn that's supposed to be fantastic for acoustics. Saturday during hte day is our trip to Loches...another hour long car ride. yay. can't wait for that...have I mentioned I get wicked carsick?
-I might be becoming a fan of jazz and classical music. I mean, one can only take so much Reba.
New pics are posted in the France, 2 album on Facebook
(Tuesday)Shalomie skipped school, but we had a full day of boring classes. I was not thrilled to be there without my buddy. Our prof decided to give us bunches of tests the rest of this week since we're leaving on Friday. Boo. FYI: we saw "Antichrist" in teh theater tonight. Don't do it. Ever. Ever, ever. I mean, the plot was pretty good, but the brutal sexual violence...not cool at all. BUT, on a good note, there's an amazing opera song in it ("Lascia ch'io pianga" by Handel) that I downloaded and TOTALLY love. Ben and Mary Grace love it too. MG Sang it for some audition and rocked like a genius. I just listen to it. Ben, too.
(Wednesday) Test #1 down: Shalomie and I made pretty high marks, we'll just have to wait for the official grades on them. It was oral comprehension, so that's good that we're getting better at understanding warp-speed French. It must be Plus Belle La Vie.
(Thursday) My turn! I skipped school today. Just was tired, hot, gross, and didn't wanna go. So I slept late, ate lunch, went to the St Gatien cathedral, walked along the Loire, explroed parts of the town I'd never seen, then read and did some school work by the river. I poked my head in some shops, but found no clothes that beckoned me, so I bought two French dictionaries at FNAC instead. Anyone say nerd? Nerd. But I got the French etyological dictionary and a populaire expression dictionary; tell me that's not a nifty and useful purchase!?!? Anyway, tonight we're going to the river to watch tango dance night. I will be drinking, and not dancing. Shalomie is a ballroom dancer, so she's gonna shake her groove thang and show up everyone there. Yesss!
Random thoughts:
-I really don't want to go to Paris next week. I'd be much happier staying here and enjoying the small town.
-I LOVE my house mom, she's so adorable. My house dad is a cutie patootie, too, but he's way too smart. I can never follwo his train of thought.
-We're going to Blois tomorrow after our farewell lunch with Braunrot, then Saturday to a classical music concert in a barn that's supposed to be fantastic for acoustics. Saturday during hte day is our trip to Loches...another hour long car ride. yay. can't wait for that...have I mentioned I get wicked carsick?
-I might be becoming a fan of jazz and classical music. I mean, one can only take so much Reba.
New pics are posted in the France, 2 album on Facebook
Monday, June 15, 2009
Day: this one
Today was loooooong and boring. I sorta lost my abilities to speak/comprehend/acknowledge the French language around 11:00am. It was no so good.
We got a new chica in the house today: Viviana, who is Puerto Rican but goes to Georgetown. She is going to be a doctor, too.
Today at lunch, we went out as a group (well, some of us) andd had pizza. Amanda and Iris shared a pizza escargots. Yup. Ben had one last week and raved about it. I stuck to 4 cheese.
Dinner was as usual tonight (delcious cucumber salad again, then a potato omlette and fruits for dessert), follow by our nightly soap. (Plus Belle La Vie. Nicholas and Thomas are apparently still in love with each other. Nicholas's dad is conniving, and the blond chick succeeded in negotiating her way into buying an apartment building next to where Luna lives. Dramz!)
Ben and I are meeting Sara and Amanda at the river tonight, feeling the need to be goofy!
Ben and I had McDo's today. Don't hate us. We were discreet. Now I'm finishing my (disgusting)Cherry Coke in a purple can, and leaving for the river. Pretty sure pictures will follow
We got a new chica in the house today: Viviana, who is Puerto Rican but goes to Georgetown. She is going to be a doctor, too.
Today at lunch, we went out as a group (well, some of us) andd had pizza. Amanda and Iris shared a pizza escargots. Yup. Ben had one last week and raved about it. I stuck to 4 cheese.
Dinner was as usual tonight (delcious cucumber salad again, then a potato omlette and fruits for dessert), follow by our nightly soap. (Plus Belle La Vie. Nicholas and Thomas are apparently still in love with each other. Nicholas's dad is conniving, and the blond chick succeeded in negotiating her way into buying an apartment building next to where Luna lives. Dramz!)
Ben and I are meeting Sara and Amanda at the river tonight, feeling the need to be goofy!
Ben and I had McDo's today. Don't hate us. We were discreet. Now I'm finishing my (disgusting)Cherry Coke in a purple can, and leaving for the river. Pretty sure pictures will follow
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Day ??: catchup
Yep, it's been a while, and I've been lazy, so here's a summary:
Day 7 (Monday): school
Day 8 (Tuesday): school and Amanda got arrested for suspected marijuana cigarettes (when she was simply rolling her own tobacco cigarettes). Ben and Sarah almost shat themselves because they watchted it go down. Dr. Braunrot had to go to the police station at 2am to retrieve her, but he was sweet about it and she promised to stop smoking. An hour later, aroun 3am, the garbage can in front of our house caught on fire, and there were fire fighters and police, etc here....only we were all asleep except for Ben, whose room got flooded with smoke.
Day 9 (Wednesday): school
Day 10 (Thursday): school and a very drunken night for roommate Ben, who puked all over his room and our bathroom. Also had a mid afternoon ice cream treat as a group with Dr. B.
Day 11 (Friday): school, 3 hour test, rest.
Day 12 (Saturday): sleep, laziness, hair cut, and reading.
Day 13 (Sunday): sleep, bus to Azay-le-Rideau (subsequent carsickness), afternoon at the chateau, 1mile walk to train station, train home, meet new girl (Georgetown student from Puerto Rico), dinner with the Antiers, who have just returned from a weekend with their new grandchild in Rouen (Normandy).
I decided it's way easier to post pics in facebook, and then make it public, so here's the link to my pictures: (copy and paste into your browser)
(1) http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2210164&id=22600699&l=d0f5476434
(2) "http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2210460&id=22600699&l=25fb05b073
Day 7 (Monday): school
Day 8 (Tuesday): school and Amanda got arrested for suspected marijuana cigarettes (when she was simply rolling her own tobacco cigarettes). Ben and Sarah almost shat themselves because they watchted it go down. Dr. Braunrot had to go to the police station at 2am to retrieve her, but he was sweet about it and she promised to stop smoking. An hour later, aroun 3am, the garbage can in front of our house caught on fire, and there were fire fighters and police, etc here....only we were all asleep except for Ben, whose room got flooded with smoke.
Day 9 (Wednesday): school
Day 10 (Thursday): school and a very drunken night for roommate Ben, who puked all over his room and our bathroom. Also had a mid afternoon ice cream treat as a group with Dr. B.
Day 11 (Friday): school, 3 hour test, rest.
Day 12 (Saturday): sleep, laziness, hair cut, and reading.
Day 13 (Sunday): sleep, bus to Azay-le-Rideau (subsequent carsickness), afternoon at the chateau, 1mile walk to train station, train home, meet new girl (Georgetown student from Puerto Rico), dinner with the Antiers, who have just returned from a weekend with their new grandchild in Rouen (Normandy).
I decided it's way easier to post pics in facebook, and then make it public, so here's the link to my pictures: (copy and paste into your browser)
(1) http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2210164&id=22600699&l=d0f5476434
(2) "http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2210460&id=22600699&l=25fb05b073
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Day 6: Mont St Michel
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(Saturday) Ok, so I've been to M-S-M before, but I barely remember, as it was almost 8 years ago to the day that I was there. I was excited about seeing it again, but not about the wickedly early alarm call. We had to be at the busses down the street at 6:45, leaving at 7am. All of us slept most of the way there, thankfully.
So basically, we walked around this old monastery for a few hours. What else is there to do? Some of us put our feet in the water, and you could also see where the freshwater from the river met the salt water from the ocean. After the monastery, we went to an old fortified city (St. Malo) but as soon as we got there, it started raining, so no pictures. :( Otherwise, here you go:
--(Saturday) Ok, so I've been to M-S-M before, but I barely remember, as it was almost 8 years ago to the day that I was there. I was excited about seeing it again, but not about the wickedly early alarm call. We had to be at the busses down the street at 6:45, leaving at 7am. All of us slept most of the way there, thankfully.
So basically, we walked around this old monastery for a few hours. What else is there to do? Some of us put our feet in the water, and you could also see where the freshwater from the river met the salt water from the ocean. After the monastery, we went to an old fortified city (St. Malo) but as soon as we got there, it started raining, so no pictures. :( Otherwise, here you go:
Day 5: it's school, 's cool.
(Friday) Today was a morning of school, school, and more school. It's all good though, because we're addressing weird parts of grammar that I never thought of (and subsequently always get wrong). In the morning, we went to the Institut for 3 hours of classes, then in the afternoon, we had class with Braunrot. In between clases, Shalomie and I went ot eh store, got some stuff for tomorrow'sbig adventure to Mont St Michel, and lunch supplies, so we came home and ate lunch, read, and I might have taken a tiny nap before class with Braunrot. Maybe.
Dinner was fun tonight: we ate, then watched the end of the French open (Yay, Federer) while waiting for the soap "Plus Belle La Vie" to come on. The French Open caused a delay in its start time, and Mme. Antier kept wanting the match ot be over so we could watch the soap (agreed!). After the show, we watched a few minutes of the French answer to CSI, but all of our attentions were fading, so we came upstairs to prepare for tomorrow's 6:45am meeting of the busses. Ugh. G'Night!
Dinner was fun tonight: we ate, then watched the end of the French open (Yay, Federer) while waiting for the soap "Plus Belle La Vie" to come on. The French Open caused a delay in its start time, and Mme. Antier kept wanting the match ot be over so we could watch the soap (agreed!). After the show, we watched a few minutes of the French answer to CSI, but all of our attentions were fading, so we came upstairs to prepare for tomorrow's 6:45am meeting of the busses. Ugh. G'Night!
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Day 4: found school, lost professor
Poor Dr. Braunrot is having a hard time figuring out when to have us meet him for the litterature classes. I think, though, that he has it all figured out. We're all literally going to school for 8 hours a day, plus homework. But it's good fun and I'm having a blast! I know I'm not going to want to leave.
The Antiers are the funnest people ever! Shalomie and I came home for lunch and needed plates and silverware, so we knockedon the kitchen door to ask Mme. Antier for some silverware. She was in her little night dress still and just poked her head out of hte door and pointed. LOL! LIke we care about seeing her in a nightie. Then, as we were leaving, we asked M. Antier if we could join Mme. Antier for her nightly soap opera after dinner. He chuckled and said sure, if that would interest us. ha!
So tonight, we had course #1 (potato salad- yum!), and then all moved into the living room to watch the soap. it was so funny seeing Mme. Antier's reaction to the different scenes. Such a cutie; and M. Antier was making fun of her when she did.
We returned to dinner and talked about just about everything, ending up on Normandy, Jews, WWII, Algiers (where Mme. Antier was born, while her father served there in the war), and the village where M. Antier grew up (his mother turned a building into a makeshift hosptial and saved hundreds of English and American soldiers whose train was bombed by the English en route to Auchwitz). I mean, the stories some people have! M. Antier and I started talking about Normandy, my grandfather's participation in the invasion, all that stuff. Actually, just a minute ago, M. Antier brought me a 50th anniversary map of the D-Day invasion to look over. It's really inspiring me to go back to Nornamdy, but I can't figure out if there will be time enough to go. (We are going to Mnt St Michel Saturday from 7am to midnight. Ugh, in a bus).
So anyway, school is good, life is good, diet is bad. Whatever, I'm enjoying France, and now there's more of me for France to enjoy.
The Antiers are the funnest people ever! Shalomie and I came home for lunch and needed plates and silverware, so we knockedon the kitchen door to ask Mme. Antier for some silverware. She was in her little night dress still and just poked her head out of hte door and pointed. LOL! LIke we care about seeing her in a nightie. Then, as we were leaving, we asked M. Antier if we could join Mme. Antier for her nightly soap opera after dinner. He chuckled and said sure, if that would interest us. ha!
So tonight, we had course #1 (potato salad- yum!), and then all moved into the living room to watch the soap. it was so funny seeing Mme. Antier's reaction to the different scenes. Such a cutie; and M. Antier was making fun of her when she did.
We returned to dinner and talked about just about everything, ending up on Normandy, Jews, WWII, Algiers (where Mme. Antier was born, while her father served there in the war), and the village where M. Antier grew up (his mother turned a building into a makeshift hosptial and saved hundreds of English and American soldiers whose train was bombed by the English en route to Auchwitz). I mean, the stories some people have! M. Antier and I started talking about Normandy, my grandfather's participation in the invasion, all that stuff. Actually, just a minute ago, M. Antier brought me a 50th anniversary map of the D-Day invasion to look over. It's really inspiring me to go back to Nornamdy, but I can't figure out if there will be time enough to go. (We are going to Mnt St Michel Saturday from 7am to midnight. Ugh, in a bus).
So anyway, school is good, life is good, diet is bad. Whatever, I'm enjoying France, and now there's more of me for France to enjoy.
Day 3: oops!
Yeah, totally didn't post yesterday... it was a long day. We all got placed in our levels; I'm intermediate, level 5 (of 7). I have the option to cgo to a different level, but I like my profs and I'm learning in this class, so I'm staying. Plus, Shalomie is in there with me so I have a house buddy who can keep me on track for doing my homework! (But, by the way, mine is done for tonight and she hasn't started! Rare occurance I'm sure)
Alex and I went to the yarn shop Tuesday (forgot to tell you since I was drunk-mad about being called an old lady). I'm workin gon a scarf, sorta thin but it will be good for summer evenings. Only now, I'm inundated with school and homework, so maybe I won't be able to touchit for a while.
Victoria, Ben, and I went to see a movie last night; we chose an authentic French movie...and didn't understand ne'ery a word. I got some of it, and the visual and contextual clues helped, but some of the speaking was just so fast and the main character mumbled. Ugh! I sat there thinking "I wish I knew Frenhc, because I think I'd really like this one." Oh well, it'll get better after a month here.
Alex and I went to the yarn shop Tuesday (forgot to tell you since I was drunk-mad about being called an old lady). I'm workin gon a scarf, sorta thin but it will be good for summer evenings. Only now, I'm inundated with school and homework, so maybe I won't be able to touchit for a while.
Victoria, Ben, and I went to see a movie last night; we chose an authentic French movie...and didn't understand ne'ery a word. I got some of it, and the visual and contextual clues helped, but some of the speaking was just so fast and the main character mumbled. Ugh! I sat there thinking "I wish I knew Frenhc, because I think I'd really like this one." Oh well, it'll get better after a month here.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Day 4: wtf?
Yeah, so tonight, I went out with the group, drank some booze, and was FINALLY enjoying myself around people my age...when some French punk SOB came up and started talking to us. He pointed at me and asked why they had an aduly chaperone. WTF?. That's all I have tonight. I'm effing 25 years old, hardly ancient by any standards. Ugh.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Day 3: Lost and even more lost
Today's successes started early: Shalomie, Ben and I went off for a run this morning and successfully ran a short distance. Hey, gotta start somewhere.
After arriving home and showering, we all headed to meet M. Braunrot at the corner of the rue nationale and the Loire River. He brought lunch for us today: sandwiches. We devoured the sandwiches and then set off on our journey to the priory of Pierre Ronsard, the famous Tourraine poet. We, however, ran into several snags along the way. M. braunrot pulle dus off the path running parallel to the Loire a bit too soon, and we ended up in subrurbia, asking random people the way to the priory. After several attempts, and a few cranky students, we made it to the priory. It's beautiful right now, an dthere are roses, roses, roses everywhere. I took some pictures on the way there, then realized that I had left my SD card in my computer last night...but Lacey (the so-called "Madame CVS" because of her purses of endless treasures) had a spare one. I was relieved and set off on my photographic adventure, only to be halted by an "exhausted battery" as explained by my camera. :: Merde:: So, sadly, today you do not get very many pictures.
We returned (via the most direct route), cleaned up, rested for a while, and ran some errands. Today is a holiday in France, so very few stores are open. But hte Monoprix (French version of Walmart basically) was open. We stopped in several times today for water, wine, a corkscrew, cheese, bread, shampoo (for me!), soap (also for me!), and notebooks. A little while before dinner, M. Antier came to our room to warn us against messing with the blinds in the bathroom, as they are currently out of commission. He's a cute little guy, and I like practicing le francais with him. The dinner bell rang a little later (yes, we actually have a dinner bell) and we all descended upon the table. A brief back story: since about 10am, the most delicieux smell has been radiatign from the kitchen, causing instant salivation to all who encounter it...we were all excited to see what was in store. We were not disappointed: fresh cucumbers with onions and vinegar, cooked-then-chilled-then-beautifully-arranged peppers, salad, and a delicious leek quiche. To top it off? Fresh strawberries (les fraises) A meal like tonight's could turn me into a vegetarian. Happily.
So tomorrow starts classes. Tomorrow at 8:30 is our placement test. I'm super nervous, but whatevs. I might have a breakfast of wine to kill the nerves and inhibition. I bought a bottle of red wine today (I know right?! Shannon with alcohol!? Totally out of character, buthey, when in Rome...) and I've almost consume half the bottle. Pooks- are you proud yet?!?!? :) Anyway, I need to sleep and force myself to adjust to the time...no more up til 2 or 3am.
A demain!
After arriving home and showering, we all headed to meet M. Braunrot at the corner of the rue nationale and the Loire River. He brought lunch for us today: sandwiches. We devoured the sandwiches and then set off on our journey to the priory of Pierre Ronsard, the famous Tourraine poet. We, however, ran into several snags along the way. M. braunrot pulle dus off the path running parallel to the Loire a bit too soon, and we ended up in subrurbia, asking random people the way to the priory. After several attempts, and a few cranky students, we made it to the priory. It's beautiful right now, an dthere are roses, roses, roses everywhere. I took some pictures on the way there, then realized that I had left my SD card in my computer last night...but Lacey (the so-called "Madame CVS" because of her purses of endless treasures) had a spare one. I was relieved and set off on my photographic adventure, only to be halted by an "exhausted battery" as explained by my camera. :: Merde:: So, sadly, today you do not get very many pictures.
We returned (via the most direct route), cleaned up, rested for a while, and ran some errands. Today is a holiday in France, so very few stores are open. But hte Monoprix (French version of Walmart basically) was open. We stopped in several times today for water, wine, a corkscrew, cheese, bread, shampoo (for me!), soap (also for me!), and notebooks. A little while before dinner, M. Antier came to our room to warn us against messing with the blinds in the bathroom, as they are currently out of commission. He's a cute little guy, and I like practicing le francais with him. The dinner bell rang a little later (yes, we actually have a dinner bell) and we all descended upon the table. A brief back story: since about 10am, the most delicieux smell has been radiatign from the kitchen, causing instant salivation to all who encounter it...we were all excited to see what was in store. We were not disappointed: fresh cucumbers with onions and vinegar, cooked-then-chilled-then-beautifully-arranged peppers, salad, and a delicious leek quiche. To top it off? Fresh strawberries (les fraises) A meal like tonight's could turn me into a vegetarian. Happily.
So tomorrow starts classes. Tomorrow at 8:30 is our placement test. I'm super nervous, but whatevs. I might have a breakfast of wine to kill the nerves and inhibition. I bought a bottle of red wine today (I know right?! Shannon with alcohol!? Totally out of character, buthey, when in Rome...) and I've almost consume half the bottle. Pooks- are you proud yet?!?!? :) Anyway, I need to sleep and force myself to adjust to the time...no more up til 2 or 3am.
A demain!
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Day 2: Chenonceau
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Just wanted to let you know that this is what I see from my window at night, jutting above the rooftops...
Shalomie and I vowed to wake up and go for a run this morning around 7 or 8...too bad we woke up at 10. Oops. Instead, we took showers, cleaned our rooms, and prepared for our excursion to the castle Chenonceau. We also sat down for our first breakfast together; toast, butter, jam, yogurt, OJ and milk. I put the toast in the toaster for my roommates, and sorta didnt realize the knob was turned to "burnt" ...here's the result of our first attempt at toast-making.
At noon, we assembled as an entire group (minus Iris and Jennifer, who still haven't arrived) at the Gare. Dr. Braunrot purchased our tickets and we were off on our adventure to the castle of the 3 dames (Diane de Poiters, Marie de Medicis, and the final one, who was significantly less historically important, but she was loaded, and put her money into the expansion and protection of the castle).
As you can see, the castle was built over the Loire River, one of the main waterways disserting France.
As soon as we arrived, we found a shady spot of the bank of the river, and ate the lunches our families packed us (yummy sandwiches). I was a hungry hippo and didn't share with the ducks, but several others did... 
Here are some pictures of the castle and the gardens:
We got home around 7:00pm and cleaned up in time to have dinner at 8pm. The Antiers are so wonderful a couple, and dinner conversation is fun because we really get the chance to flex our speaking skills.
After dinner, Shalomie and Ben went to meet the rest of the group for drinks at the Place Plumereu; I however, stayed here and worked on my finals for my history and ed psych courses. The history final is completed and emailed, and my ed psych stuff still has a loooooong way to go, tahnkfully I have a reprieve until I get back. Tonight I have to start reading the plays for our literature class and write my daily French journal, which is yet another requirement for this study abroad.
Bon soir et a demain!
Just wanted to let you know that this is what I see from my window at night, jutting above the rooftops...Shalomie and I vowed to wake up and go for a run this morning around 7 or 8...too bad we woke up at 10. Oops. Instead, we took showers, cleaned our rooms, and prepared for our excursion to the castle Chenonceau. We also sat down for our first breakfast together; toast, butter, jam, yogurt, OJ and milk. I put the toast in the toaster for my roommates, and sorta didnt realize the knob was turned to "burnt" ...here's the result of our first attempt at toast-making.
At noon, we assembled as an entire group (minus Iris and Jennifer, who still haven't arrived) at the Gare. Dr. Braunrot purchased our tickets and we were off on our adventure to the castle of the 3 dames (Diane de Poiters, Marie de Medicis, and the final one, who was significantly less historically important, but she was loaded, and put her money into the expansion and protection of the castle).
As you can see, the castle was built over the Loire River, one of the main waterways disserting France. 
As soon as we arrived, we found a shady spot of the bank of the river, and ate the lunches our families packed us (yummy sandwiches). I was a hungry hippo and didn't share with the ducks, but several others did... 
Here are some pictures of the castle and the gardens:
We got home around 7:00pm and cleaned up in time to have dinner at 8pm. The Antiers are so wonderful a couple, and dinner conversation is fun because we really get the chance to flex our speaking skills.
After dinner, Shalomie and Ben went to meet the rest of the group for drinks at the Place Plumereu; I however, stayed here and worked on my finals for my history and ed psych courses. The history final is completed and emailed, and my ed psych stuff still has a loooooong way to go, tahnkfully I have a reprieve until I get back. Tonight I have to start reading the plays for our literature class and write my daily French journal, which is yet another requirement for this study abroad.
Bon soir et a demain!
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Study Abroad Day 1: 16 hours and 10 minutes...
...That's how long it took me to get from Atlanta to Tours. Just like everything else, I didn't take the easiest way to get here!
Yesterday was a long day: I went to bed somewhere around 2am, then got up at 6am to get the last minute things taken care of. In honor of a month sans bagels, I went on a field trip to Einsten Brothers for a chocolate chip bagel. Butler got permission to come, too, so he and I had a morning outing together. Einstein's has doggie bagels, so I indulged him, too. (Pics of his big ol' head out the back window are posted in Facebook). April graciously dropped me and my bazillion pound luggage at the Capitol before she went to work. Rita had offered to let me stash my stuff in her office until it was time for me to leave, so I took her up on the offer. We sat around and chatted for a couple hours, then I marched off to school for the last day of Maymester. After fidgeting in my chair for all of class, it was finally 3:00pm and I headed to the airport.
Do you know what the weight limit is on a single piece of luggage? 50 pounds. Do you know how much mine weighed? 50 pounds. No wonder I was winded from toting it all over downtown Atlanta. I ended up having to bring my computer with me to finish some final papers for my Maymester history course, so that plus all its accoutrements added to my poundage. Needless to say, I overpacked. Once I unpack and arrange my clothes, I'll probably fill up the entire wardrobe in my room.... :: typical girl:: (photo is trying to show my blisters)
From Brussels I had to take a train to Paris, to Gare du Nord. From there, I had to take the metro to Gare Austerlitz to catch my train to Tours (not complicated at all, is it?) Despite all the train hopping, the day went quite smoothly: I neither missed a train nor took the wrong train. I baffles me that I can travel so well across thousands of miles, yet can't figure out Sidney Marcus Boulevard.
Dr. Braunrot and M. Antier met me at the Tours Gare, and we waited for two other students, who eventually got here on another train. M. & Mme. Antier live not too far from the Gare, so we walked over here. Poor M. Antier insisted upon toting my suitcase. He did, however, leave it at the first floor for me to take up later. The three of us seated ourselves at the dining room table and chatted for a few minutes, then Shalomie- a fellow student- and Mme. Antier joined us. The Antiers are just the most fun people! I was very well-placed.
Shalomie and I decided to go for a stroll, first to FNAC to purchase some of my books, then for a brisk walk along the Loire river. We returned later to the house and Benjamin, the third and final GSU student to reside here at 4, rue Balzac had arrived. There is also another student here, not from our program, Valerie. The Antiers had dinner for us a few minutes later: M. Antier traditionally cooks spaghetti on Saturday nights, so that was dinner. Our dessert was a wonderful caramel creme for dessert (a WAY better version of flan). Conversation was good; we are all a little shy about using our French, but it went well.
We're all sitting in our own version of internet cafe in our little breakfast nook.
Now it's off to work on my papers and final exams for Maymester...and unpack!!
Yesterday was a long day: I went to bed somewhere around 2am, then got up at 6am to get the last minute things taken care of. In honor of a month sans bagels, I went on a field trip to Einsten Brothers for a chocolate chip bagel. Butler got permission to come, too, so he and I had a morning outing together. Einstein's has doggie bagels, so I indulged him, too. (Pics of his big ol' head out the back window are posted in Facebook). April graciously dropped me and my bazillion pound luggage at the Capitol before she went to work. Rita had offered to let me stash my stuff in her office until it was time for me to leave, so I took her up on the offer. We sat around and chatted for a couple hours, then I marched off to school for the last day of Maymester. After fidgeting in my chair for all of class, it was finally 3:00pm and I headed to the airport.
Do you know what the weight limit is on a single piece of luggage? 50 pounds. Do you know how much mine weighed? 50 pounds. No wonder I was winded from toting it all over downtown Atlanta. I ended up having to bring my computer with me to finish some final papers for my Maymester history course, so that plus all its accoutrements added to my poundage. Needless to say, I overpacked. Once I unpack and arrange my clothes, I'll probably fill up the entire wardrobe in my room.... :: typical girl:: (photo is trying to show my blisters)From Brussels I had to take a train to Paris, to Gare du Nord. From there, I had to take the metro to Gare Austerlitz to catch my train to Tours (not complicated at all, is it?) Despite all the train hopping, the day went quite smoothly: I neither missed a train nor took the wrong train. I baffles me that I can travel so well across thousands of miles, yet can't figure out Sidney Marcus Boulevard.
Dr. Braunrot and M. Antier met me at the Tours Gare, and we waited for two other students, who eventually got here on another train. M. & Mme. Antier live not too far from the Gare, so we walked over here. Poor M. Antier insisted upon toting my suitcase. He did, however, leave it at the first floor for me to take up later. The three of us seated ourselves at the dining room table and chatted for a few minutes, then Shalomie- a fellow student- and Mme. Antier joined us. The Antiers are just the most fun people! I was very well-placed.
Shalomie and I decided to go for a stroll, first to FNAC to purchase some of my books, then for a brisk walk along the Loire river. We returned later to the house and Benjamin, the third and final GSU student to reside here at 4, rue Balzac had arrived. There is also another student here, not from our program, Valerie. The Antiers had dinner for us a few minutes later: M. Antier traditionally cooks spaghetti on Saturday nights, so that was dinner. Our dessert was a wonderful caramel creme for dessert (a WAY better version of flan). Conversation was good; we are all a little shy about using our French, but it went well.
We're all sitting in our own version of internet cafe in our little breakfast nook. Now it's off to work on my papers and final exams for Maymester...and unpack!!
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