La Première Semaine

Bonjour!
I'd like to start out by saying that I'm very excited to be posting a new entry...my last post was a whole week ago! Oh là là! 


Unfortunately the internet at my house works very poorly on my computer. I can only stay connected for about 10 minutes if I am able to connect at all (it's strange, I'm currently at the IES building which is 15 minutes away from my house, using the same network as the the one my host family uses, and I have full connectivity).


So, as much as I've wanted to update this blog, I haven't had the time or the ability to do so :(


I switched some classes and this is the schedule I believe I am going to keep for the rest of the semester (but who really knows what I might decide next week, haha):


Monday
11:00-12:00  French Language
1:00-2:00      Gallo-Roman Archeology (at the University/à la fac)


Tuesday
11:15-12:30 France & US in the Middle East
3:15-4:30     France & US in the Middle East
(the professor doesn't live in Nantes so both sessions are held in one day)


Wednesday
10:00-11:15 French 19th and 20th Century Art History
11:30-12:30 Phonetics Theory
12:30-1:30   Phonetics Conversation
1:30-3:30     French Language
5:30-6:30     Phonetics Lab (à la fac)

Thursday
10:00-11:15 French 19th and 20th Century Art History
5:30-6:30     Phonetics Lab (à la fac)

Friday
11:00-12:00 French Language

I've only received homework in the French Language class (the professor teaches grammar and commonly used phrases, we practice speaking, we read articles, etc), but I have to purchase several books for my other classes (typically 1 book per class...there are many less required books than there are at Ithaca or other typical American university).    


Yesterday I bought a bag from a street vender! besides cheapo bags at H&M (the good ones were all sold out), all other stores sold bags for extremely high prices (EVEN though there are huge sales right now!). I got a very good deal on this little number! Plus, I look more European with it, right?

 For many more pictures, stories, and answered questions...



This is a close up!
The little flap buttons down over the big flap!

It's very thin, but it still holds a lot!

You have to unhook the clasp to have access to any of the zippers (so it's very pickpocket UNfriendly)!







I'm gonna answer some questions I've received over the past few days! Thanks for the questions, I do enjoy them!

1. I want to make it very clear to you all that in no way, shape, or form was the French cheesesteak better than American cheesesteaks (I love cheesesteaks and it was decent but I can't wait to get a REAL one when I come home hahaha).

2. French bread really IS the best bread I've ever eaten. Literally the best.

3. I'm not exactly sure what vegetables my mother uses for her veggie soup but I saw some carrots and potatoes and possibly spinach. They like starchy/wheaty things. One kind of soup we ate was entirely made of wheat (I really liked it). They make the simplest of things but I so enjoy them because people in the U.S. rarely think to make them.

4. The children in my host family all go to school, the father works, and the mother is usually home or running errands necessary for keeping their home life so organized! They have such a big family and house that I think it's necessary for the mother to stay home and take care of family/household matters (even though the majority of the children are now adults, as in over 18 years old).

5. The weather here is strange in that it varies greatly day to day. It is mainly the humidity level that drastically changes. For a couple of days it was pretty cold (30s or 40s) and very dry. Other days it didn't seem as cold because it was so sticky. It would initially seem cold but then I'd start to sweat just from walking (it's kind of gross weather). Today, I probably could have just gotten away with wearing a raincoat, no padding necessary.

And it's true that it's always raining here. I've actually rarely been caught in the rain, but it always SEEMS like it's going to rain, it rains in random patches, and it's ALWAYS overcast. I've honestly gotten used to it...

6. My classes have all gone really well. It was really easy to find my classes at the university as one was in one of the biggest lecture halls (as in size and most frequently used) and the other (the language lab for Phonetics) was easy to find after I looked it up on a map.

All of my classes seem very interesting and I'm very excited to start learning material! Actually, in many of the classes we started learning after 5 or 10 minutes, so I guess I HAVE started learning material! Language lab was really fun and in my second session my professor told me I was doing really well!

The class at the university was admittedly very hard to follow. Some notes were on a slide show but it was very hard for me to keep up with the professor when he was talking. Everyone around me took at least 2 or 3 pages of notes. I had about a half page of notes. After I buy the books for the class and get used to it over the next few weeks, I'm sure I'll be fine.

The professors at IES make sure to talk more clearly and slowly and we can stop them and ask questions at any time. My Art History professor, however, actually talks pretty quickly and almost non stop, but everything I understand is extremely interesting and I love the things we discuss about the artwork she shows us (she points out things I never would have realized or thought of).

Unfortunately I have to admit that I'm very embarrassed to try to speak in a French accent around my family but people tell me I should be embarrassed that I'm NOT trying. It's true. Hopefully my Phonetics class will soon give me the courage to start speaking correctly.

7. Last weekend was fun, I checked out a few bars Friday night with 2 friends, but Friday night is not a huge night here. Sure there were lots of people out, but Saturday is the night when everyone goes out to bars and discotèques! Saturday night I didn't go out with my friends because my family invited an Iraqi couple over for dinner. I ate and visited with them until 11pm (that is early for visits in France as get-togethers typically don't start until 8 or 8:30pm, and they never start eating right away).
I've decided that the French system for telling time is much more efficient than ours (24 hour/military system).
The couple moved to France 8 years ago (the man with a little French education and the woman with no prior knowledge of the French language) because of the killing and persecution of Christians in Iraq (my family knows them through their church).

I really like the city of Nantes and I feel safe here. It's the perfect size for me:  there's a lot to do, but there are still safe, private streets where people can live without being disturbed at night; you can walk anywhere if you give yourself enough time, or use the tram/bus system ("tan" is the name of the company) which is affordable, clean, safe, and used by almost everyone. It's beautiful, it's friendly, and it's the perfect place for me!


Ok, story time! (If you will...)

Another (female) student at IES paid 6 Euros for a relatively small container of peanut butter. All of us gave her a hard time for it and by the end she said, "alright I'm not gonna buy it again" haha.

I'm officially obsessed with Nutella and Camembert cheese.

I watched Nanny McPhee with the youngest daughter, Priscille (she's 11 but she's taller than me!), over the last couple of days.

Last Sunday I went to mass with my family in a huge, very old, very beautiful church. One of the older daughters (a twin) helped me by finding the pages of all the readings and songs for me so that I could follow the mass. It was very similar to masses at St. James (and the same length).

After mass and lunch, my family took me to the ocean!! It was about a 45 minute drive. I made an online photo album for you all to look at. It also has a few pictures of the house I'm staying in. I suggest clicking on the slideshow option and then pausing it and clicking "next" when you're ready for the next picture because every picture (there are 81) has a caption of varying length.

Enjoy!
La Mer et La Maison! (The Ocean and the House)

I have more to say but I'll save it for my next blog post.

Merci pour lire ceci!
Monica