It has been a while, so I think I am just going to hit the high points of the week and weekend to make for the most interesting blog post!
School has been a struggle for me, and I had a bit if a hard time this week after getting my grade back on my test and taking another one that did not go so well. I passed the first test with a 12, which is all I really need to do, but I was just getting frustrated with my lack of competency despite putting in a lot of effort. To top things off, I took another test on Thursday which I felt very prepared for, and was disappointed to find that a large part of the exam covered the only topic I did not study! Typical story of my life, but it was still frustrating none the less. I was getting upset about it and feeling stressed, so I decided to go for a run by the river with my friend Sarah to put things in perspective. Somehow putting your feet to the pavement with nothing but yourself and an ipod in tow can be extremely eye openening. I was running by the beautiful city on a clear, brisk night, Little Lion Man blasting in my ears as I passed my favorite building in Bordeaux, and, as cliche as it sounds, it made me realize what this trip and this life are truly about. I need to let go of the things I cannot control and enjoy myself and this gorgeous place. I work hard, that is all I can do, and that has to be enough. Okay, enough of my life epiphanies, on to the interesting... wine
I went to a wine tasting with the wine association at BEM on Thursday. We drove about 45 minutes outside of Bordeaux into wine country, and we visited a gorgeous Chateau Suduiraut that is famous for its sweet wines. The wines get so sweet because of a small type of mushroom that grows on the grapes and dilutes them of most of their water-leaving mostly sugar. I really liked the first wine we tasted, but the second was a little too sweet even for me. It was a dessert wine that was quite thick, almost a syrupy consistency. The first couple of sips were overpowering, but the after taste was surprisingly great. Hopefully we will get the opportunity to go on many more of the trips and learn much more about wine.
Saturday night Mary and I were invited to dinner at the apartment of a french boy, Victor, we met at the wine tasting. He is travelling to the U.S. in a week, and he wanted to talk a little about that, and we wanted to improve our french. We went over around 8:15, ate dinner, drank wine and beer, and then three of his close friends, also french, joined us, and we chatted unitl 1:00. Mary and I spoke french most of the night, and we learned so many new words that I can't even remember all of them. They were all so kind to us, and we did not have an awkward moment the whole time. I am so appreciative of their kindness, and I have been overwhelmed by everyone's hospitality and friendship. I know people say that the french are not overly kind and usually stereotype them as rude, but I have not encountered any of that here. I was so happy to have the opportunity to speak french all night in the presence of great company.
Bisous to all-