hey kids




Week one of actually going to class is over, and I survived the last hour of it today, friday, with the aid of a cup of coffee from a Nescafé vending machine. It cost me 50 euro cents. Not the best cup I've ever had, but it got the job done. Anyways....

So tomorrow morning I'm going to visit a French tourist hot spot: Mont Saint-Michel

I'm stoked.

I'm also tired. In fact, I could use a nap...and a shower, and some food, and a clean pair of socks. Fortunately, those are all easy to take and to find.

Well, this week, all the French students have been on vacation, while us foreigners have been working hard, so the school has been all ours. That will all change on Monday, but that's a good thing in my opinion because that marks the return of the French language as well, which I haven't seen much of in these last few days...not gonna lie. I've been speaking too much English, and with all the actual citizens of this country returning, so will all my many chances of making small talk with random strangers...small, slow, and unimpressive, to be exact. But my French skills ARE improving. I just feel like I backtracked since I got here, and talk much worse, when in reality, my perception of how good at French I really was took 3 giants steps back. I'm actually a lot better... I'm just realizing now how far I have to go. It's actually a little frustrating because I'm still much better at Spanish, and just wish I could use French as easily. It's only the end of my 3rd week here, so I've got plenty of time left...plenty. And I will improve.

Dad, you'd be interested to know that since I started work at the local white flag factory, my French vocabulary has really began to skyrocket. Granted, I'm learning real useless phrases, like, "I surrender," "Uncle," and my personal favorite "What's a gun?" but it's French nonetheless. (Joking...all of it...a joke, just in case someone reading didn't know)

Ok, I'm done after that. this laptop is actually making my thighs sweat. That just another good reason to go find that shower. Laters!

School Tomorrow

Alright.

I have school tomorrow. Realistically, I haven't had much in the way of school...or what anyone would consider school back home. Last week was the trial week. I went to one or two classes that will be obligatory, but I was given the option to sample a few classes to see which ones I REALLY wanted. Essentially I didn't go to school all last week, 'cause I already decided what I wanted, so the trial based period ended up being "Let's explore Angers somemore" free time. But tomorrow I have to start going to all of them.

Also, I think I'll join the choir here. I'm not sure what it will be like, seeing as how I've never been in a choir, let alone a French "chorale," but I'm excited to meet people. Also, since I brought my guitar, I'm going to show up this Friday for the guitar work shop...and see what happens from there. I imaging that a couple French guys and myself might just end up forming what will soon become the world's greatest rock band...and by that I mean we'll sing pretty little songs in cafés filled with stylish little French kids smoking dainty little cigarettes. And then we'll eat cheese and drink wine. It'll be rock in its purest form.

Well, I'll leave you all with that. I'll be at school a lot...so I'll update periodically this week. But just know, I will actually be playing the role of student tomorrow...at long last.

A long time coming...

Well, here it is... the first post of my second study abroad trip. This time, I find myself in the windy little city of Angers, France. And I've already been here for a week. For those of you who've been rather frustrated by the lack of info so far, I'll do my best to paint a mental picture for you, then go ahead and just add some actual photos to make things easier.

Angers...more importantly...France. Wow, this is definitely not Spain, where I spent my last adventures. I do like it here. The people are great, with their tight puckered lips spouting out words that sound more liquidy than anything. I love my host family. Philo, the dad, loves to talk with me about everything. I've found myself making him laugh on accident on several occasions but he loves it. My host mom, Mick, is pretty stylish. She wears a trendy pair of glasses and isn't very tall. She's always up for a good laugh when Philo starts the ball rolling. My host brother, Antoine, is actually a super chill guy. He's 24 and speaks a bit of English. He's the only one practically.

I live in a house about a mile from the school...it's an ACTUAL house...not the atypical European apartment complex that rises 8 or 9 stories. I'm spoiled with a large bed that has a couple pillow I don't understand very well. One is shaped like a giant bit of ravioli, and the other is a long tube that stretches across the width of the bed, which is by far wider than I've had in years. But the house is decorated in a really cool way, with lots of color. I'll put some video up of all this later.

The town is nice...everything things a bit small, the streets, the cars, the space between buildings. There's a nice student population around the campus (which I will also get pitures of soon). I take the bus to school everyday. It's around a 5 minute ride by bus, but about 20 by foot. It's convenient. School's probably not going to kick my butt. Rather, I might be the one doing all the butt kicking if this learning French thing goes as well as it has been for this first week. I find that I can easily communicate with everyone in my host family. There are moments when it takes more effort, but so far so good. No cross-cultural miscues or anything thus far.

I will say that I miss some of you already, but that happened all the time back home when you would go away for a weekend or so and leave in Corvallis for a few days. It's just going to be a bit longer this time, and I'm the one whose gone. Well. This isn't too detailed I know, but hey...it's the first of many, and I actually was trying to upload a few videos while I was at it. This one:

Host Family's house (the downstairs anyway...upstairs can be act II)

Mmm...you guys might like that taste.
I'm going to have to create some online photo albums now...that's my next task. That, and go home and each cheese and sip on a glass of Bordeaux. They are truly into cheese here. K, that's all for now.

If you have questions, comment these and ask them freely. I'll do my best to answer in a timely manner...unlike the long time it took me to finally post. Um...I'm in France, and that's still crazy to me. Catch you all later! I love you my family! Be patient Holly, you'll be here soon!