Vous Me Manquez

I miss you. I really do miss all of you.

But it's ok because I have PJ with me to cheer me up!

But honestly, it's sometimes really hard to wrap my brain around the fact that I'm going to be here for another 3.5 months...it's such a long time. But I know it will pass quickly and that I can't afford to waste time being sad when I've been given such a unique opportunity as this.

 Just know that thoughts of you all help me get through the harder times...

I look at pictures!! (Remember this one?! From Christmas!)

I wear Jim's pajamas he gave to me!! :)

OH! ANECDOTE:

If you can't see the pattern on the pj's, here's a close up...

Jim loves penguins and so do I! (And so does this girl Caroline that I met at IES)

(and yes that's my butt...it's going to be a very nice shape after all the walking and stair climbing I do)

One morning when we were on our orientation trips to Tours, my roommate and I woke up later than we planned (something happened with the alarm...) and we thought that breakfast was going to stop being served just a few minutes later. I quickly brushed my teeth and threw on a shirt and shoes and figured it would be better to eat than get completely dressed and miss breakfast.

Well, not only did it turn out that breakfast didn't close for a long time (at least an hour after I went down), but no one else in the restaurant was wearing pj's (like what is very common in US hotels). People looked at me and I stuck out like a sore thumb, but hey, who doesn't like penguins?! I hope people weren't offended, but rather that their days were made more cheery by my cute little pants!

Ok so back to other things....

I've begun to think in French and everything I say in English I repeat in my head en français. I kind of like it. I've also started to make many more typos and mistakes when I write in English. I find this strange but fascinating...it's like my brain rejects the idea of two languages; sometimes I can't think of words in English.


Today we visited the University of Nantes (it's HUGE! And 33,000 students!) where I will take at least 1 class.

I can take trams and buses from all over town to the University (I prefer trams because there are only 3 lines (and one smaller line) and therefore navigation is much more simple than the bus system). I'll post more pictures of the University when I start my classes.


I also received class schedules for this semester (courses at IES) and we're registering for courses with the help of an adviser on Friday. I'm very excited to know my schedule and fall into a routine.


Also, after I know my schedule, I can set up Skype "dates" with anyone who wants to videochat with me! My schedule now is such that I never return home when I expect to. But once classes start, I will will be able to set definite times!


Tonight I had a very entertaining dinner with the 3 children (1 child and 2 young adults) who live here! My host parents had dinner guests (they're still here now, actually), so the children and I ate in the kitchen together. They are hilarious people and now that I can understand more French, I understand their jokes more (before I would laugh at their quarreling and hilarious facial expressions even though I didn't really know what exactly was being said).


Last night I had nearly an hour long conversation with Clémence, one of the older children (she is 20 years old), who is one of the nicest, most pleasant, and hilarious people I have ever met. I like to think of her as the French version of me (hahaha). We get along very well. Tonight she helped me by reminding the other kids to talk a little more slowly (all the IES students who are in host families with children comment about the rapid speed at which the children talk).

I'm starting to feel more and more comfortable...I truly wish I could understand more and talk more because I have so many things I want to say but that I can't communicate. This is very frustrating.


If have a few more pages of reading and I have to memorize/study several more vocab words. The students in my orientation classes are all very pleasant and nice...we all get along well and I truly enjoy their company.


Bonne nuit tout le monde!
Love,
Monica