28 January 2011

Chocolat Chaud

It is Friday afternoon, I don't have any class today, and I went to a movie last night and then slept in until 10:15.  Life is beautiful.  At the same time, I finally went running this morning, and despite my layers and gloves I was pretty chilled by the end.  Result:  I'm camping out in my room, catching up on travel journals and blogging.  I ventured out for lunch at a chain bakery (shameful, but the only one with tables where you can bring a book and eat slowly), and I'll be picking up my rental cello with my host mother in an hour.  That's right, I found a cello!  It's over 150 years old and the shop owner doesn't usually rent it out, but that's all he's got left.  This is perfect timing because I had an audition for the Rennes community orchestra on Monday night, and I got in!!!  (Despite forgetting to bring any music and playing the instrument for the first time in a month.  Phew.)

In other news, all of the American students have pretty much settled in, which means we're starting to miss things from home.  Peanut butter, I didn't bring you because I thought you weren't important.  I hope I find you here soon.  Also, I'm definitely hoping to eat at a pizzeria soon (they're everywhere).  I bought popcorn kernels on Tuesday and made some on the stove for the first time.  (My host mother thinks I'm a typical American because of the popcorn and the large amounts of bread that I can eat.)   I also found a "café-bar"that has about twenty kinds of chocolat chaud (hot chocolate), as well as chocolate chip cookies.  I'm pretty sure that all the Americans go there, but that doesn't stop me!  Overall, of course, I'm still loving the food!  Bakeries are the best.


Exciting news:  Classes started yesterday!  Apart from the fact that it's nice to finally have my class schedule (for the most part) and not be waiting for more changes, the program is looking really interesting.  Okay, I'm not really talking about the classes, although they do look interesting; I'm talking about the people in the program.

Let me see if I can make this simple.  I'm here in France with CIEE, with other American students from universities around the country.  Our program is the biggest of ten (totally guessing) international programs that all tie together with the program CIREFE at the Univerité Rennes II.  We have the option of taking classes at the university itself, but the majority of classes are taught by CIREFE professors to the hodgepodge of international students who all speak some French.  This is really really interesting.  So far I've met students my age from Brazil, Argentina, Albania, China, and Japan.  That's only with one day of orientation and one day of class, so I'm excited to see who I meet next!


I should probably also mention that during my week-long winter break, I'm going to cities in Spain and Italy with two friends from the program.  Tickets will be bought ASAP, and then I can tell you what cities.

Lastly, a little language update:  It's getting easier.  There are ups and downs, of course, like when I saw my newly-made friend from Argentina in the cafeteria line, and no matter how many times he repeated himself I had NO idea what he was talking about.  But the ups are more frequent, like last night, when I talked to my host mom Beatrice while she cooked dinner and we ate, and I realized that I'm forming phrases more quickly than a few weeks ago.  And then when I went to see a movie (a French film called "La Chance de ma Vie", a mediocre chick flick), and I followed what was going on for the most part.  Even better, things that used to be tiring and frustrating like keeping my Facebook set in French, reading a French translation of an Agatha Christie book I've already read, or leaving French websites that I visit in their actual language...  I don't notice it very much anymore!!!

Prayer requests:  Encouragement and energy to take advantage of my time here
Honestly, God is taking such good care of me.  He's provided friends, family, church, adventures, working internet...  What a loving Savior I serve!

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