So, I guess I will just begin by recapping the weekend, beginning with the dreaded French test on Friday. It was not horrible by any means, and I am pretty sure I passed (that is all I have to do for this semester, 10 or above on a scale of 20, which is proving to not be as easy as I originally thought). I will let you know the results when we get it back, probably tomorrow. Friday evening a group of us went to a house party in Bordeaux. It was really fun, and there were a bunch of international students there, but I was completely exhausted from the week. We headed home early, or early for here at least, at 1 am, and then I was so, so happy because I got to use skype without interuption. The internet connection has been slow here because so many people use it at once, but at 2 am that it usually not the case!
Saturday we slept for so long, and I felt ten times better (8 o'clocks every day of the week are just rough). Another highlight of the day, I watched the Bachelor on my computer that morning! I am so happy it worked, and it will tide me over for a couple of months. We decided to go to lunch to debrief on the night before, the traditional American activity on a Saturday afternoon. We went back to the little restaurant Mary and I found in Talence and sat down to wait for a table. The bar tender came over to us, asked us what we would like, and Mary promtly said to eat. He replied very naturally that they do not serve food on Saturdays. All seven of us looked at each other, slightly embarrassed, and marched right out of the restaurant. As we continued walking down the street, we soon learned that most places in Talence do not serve food on Saturdays, only snacks. Welcome to France you backwards Americans! Honestly, I found it quite funny, and five of us just decided to head into Bordeaux for lunch; they serve food in Bordeaux after 2 or so! This is when the most wonderful thing happened to me... I found an organic, or bio in French, restaurant. I got to create my own salad, get a free vocabulary lesson on the names of vegetables, and eat a delicious meal for only 7.80 euros. The rest of the day was spent wandering Bordeaux on a gorgeous afternoon; I didn't even need a coat. Mary bought three pairs on shoes, Jenna one, and we all bought things at Carrefour. Don't worry just the grocery store; we joke because we have probably been to the grocery at least once a day. That evening we met up with some Irish girls, Megan and Emma, who are in mine and Mary's French class and have been here since last semester. We just hung out for a while in Megan's beautifully decorated DomoFrance apartment (there is hope for our apartment, and the makeover will begin this week), and then we headed to this club on a boat. Apparently Megan and Emma go all the time, but this time they would not let us in! They said we were too young or that they didn't know us. We were all wearing coats and boots, and we didn't even think about the possibility of not getting in. Next time I guess we should nix the jackets and trade the boots for heels... always heels, right La?
Today Mary and I have to work on our French project for class tomorrow, and we all plan to just relax and prepare for another week of school. I can and can't believe I have already been here for a week and a half. It feels like I have been here for so long already just because there has been so much to handle, and we have done so much already, but then again it feels like only yesterday that I arrived. I hope you all enjoy your Sunday.
Bisous
The menu at my new favorite organic restaurant, Natures.
My first actual "French" crepe.