I am writing this just after finishing a hearty "gouter" which is basically an afternoon snack that consists of Nutella and baguette (and sometimes yogurt). I know you're all really jealous right now. I honestly don't know how I will ever eat american baguettes again because seriously, the bread here is indescribably good. (Side note: does eating almost an entire baguette a day make your hair grow longer?)
--Before I even go any further, I am going to make a disclaimer and say that I really don't plan these blog posts so if the ideas are scattered, I really am sorry, please try to follow--
I want to talk a little bit about the quality of certain days. Okay, so I am just going to come out and say that if you are a study abroad student now or a future one, take this into account: everyday is not going to be perfect. Sometimes your day is going to be really not good and you will want to take back everything good you said about studying abroad because right now its "horrible, annoying, not like my home at all" etc, etc. All of these things could be true right in that moment, but you have to think past that. Do something to clear your head. For me, I like to write down all my thoughts in my journal and then go for a run to cool off and sort through my remaining jumbled thoughts. By the time I get back, I feel loads better. Take my week for example. Monday-Wednesday were pretty normal days, I mean as normal as you can possibly get when you are going to school in a foreign country. The only exciting thing about those days was that I found a friend to walk to my pickup area with, his name is Djovanni and he's cool. He likes "The Walking Dead" as well so that's fun to talk about. Thursday was one of my best days in France so far. I don't really know what in particular made it such a good day but it just was. You know when you're just in a good mood and it seems like everyone else is too and so you're happy? That's the best way to describe it. Now Friday is a whole other story. One of those ones with a good start and a not so good middle and an ok-but-not-great ending? Yeah thats the one. It started out with my class having a history test (I didn't have to take it because I wasn't there for 3/4 of the lesson), then I had Italian, which is ok, then I had a math test and this is where the day really started to go downhill. I guess because it was my first real test, I didn't really know how it was going to work and I panicked a bit. Ok a lot. Like I was having trouble even just reading the simple directions in french, which just kind of snowballed. I did the best I could. After that I had a oral comprehension test in Spanish, which was good. Then lunch (always good, haha) and then... Chemistry. I don't know what my Chemistry teacher has against me or maybe he has something against America but he incessantly asks me questions I am almost certain to not understand/not get right and it was really embarrassing! After class, all my classmates went up to me and asked why he was asking me so many hard questions and I honestly didn't know. Then for last period I had SVT, which is biology basically. It wasn't that bad, I was just already in a foul mood so it didn't look all that good either. By the time I finished kissing all my friends goodbye (favorite part of the day, honestly), I got into the car and I started sobbing. The day was just not that good as a whole. I think I worried my host family a little but this morning I'm feeling much better and am going to go walk around Redon to explore a little! Another good thing is that vacation is coming up: one more week and I have a two week break, which is exciting but almost depressing because I really like going to school and I don't know what I'm going to do for 2 weeks! I'll figure it out.
Observations:
~ The French use the terms "au pire" and "trop forte" a lot. They mean "worst case scenario" and "really good at...". I have started to integrate them into my vocabulary and am sounding more and more french everyday! :)
~ I hoped I had escaped overplayed American radio songs but NOOO they play them in France 6 months later!!
~ Okay. I really need to stop blushing when I give "bises" but I can't help it!! It's still a little weird for me!
~ Speaking of cheek kisses, I have a rather long observation about them so bear with me. OK so apparently here, girls give bises to everyone, but guys don't kiss guys, they shake hands. To me, these seem like such polar opposites! Cheek kisses seem, for lack of a better word, intimate. Not in so many ways, but just the act of putting faces close to each other like that. If you compare that to a handshake, they seem really different to me! Maybe thats just my weird American-ness, but that's how it seems to me.
~ I really miss hugs. Hugs are really nice until you can't have them. Its just not the same! I really like bises but I want a hug!! (please proceed to send them in the mail, xx).
Ok that's all for this week, only one more week until break!! Until next weekend!
Bises,
Cecilia
(P.S. Ruby- croissants are cool)
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Here are some pictures of Redon and also the seaside that I visited last Sunday:
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