Lyon and Annecy Trip
We left on Friday (October 10th) afternoon after lunch. The train ride took about 4 hours. Unlike the other trains we have taken this one was really warm! So I was pretty much miserable, hot with a headache and almost nauseous. Yep. Trains are not my favorite mode of transportation. Needless to say I was very excited when we finally got off the stuffy train. In a matter of 15 minutes I was feeling SO much better and ready to take on Lyon. We had to take Lyon’s version of the metro to get from the train station to a stop near our hostel. There were two bad things about our hostel : 1) at the top of a big hill!!! 2) no towels…our director stayed here earlier this summer and they gave her a towel then so she told all of us we didn’t need to bring a towel, the solution= an extra bed sheet became our towel. Other than that it was great. We had a shower in our room (but the water was COLD!), nice bunk beds and a really nice view of the town of Lyon. 
We got settled in and then walked down the hill and a few blocks to a restaurant as a group. Their specialties were pig products. We got the three course meal where we could choose an appetizer, main course and dessert. I got an onion tart for the appetizer and it was really good! I chose the chicken and rice in a mushroom sauce for the entrée (I know, it wasn’t pig). It was ok but nothing amazing. I guess I should have gone for pig in a pot complete with feet, ears and tail….it would have been an adventure for sure! For dessert I had fondant au chocolate. It was like a fudgy piece of cake and it was delicious! After eating our fill, we walked around the old part of town near our hostel for a few minutes and then decided to go back to the hotel for a relaxing evening. Some people played cards but I chose to read a book.
On Saturday (October 11th) morning we got a tour of the old part of Lyon, the area that we were staying in. It was our group and the tour guide which was nice. But the lady spoke in English which actually upset me quite a bit. Why would she give us the tour in English when we are all here to learn French?!?! It just didn’t make sense to me. Oh well, it was interesting. We say lots of old buildings, some of the 200ish small statues on the corners on buildings, the different window styles through the ages, the Trabouls, the St. Jean cathedral and more. It was a good way to 
start out the day. Trabouls are a network of hidden alleys that take you from one street to the next. There are doors that look like they would go to a house or shop but you open it and normally it would go into a little courtyard area and then turn into a hallway/alley. When the Nazis occupied Lyon during WWII, the people of Lyon used the trabouls to escape the Gestapo often. They say that the trabouls saved a ton of their lives so they are pretty important! Inside the St. Jean cathedral is an amazingly cool solar clock that has been working since way back in the day. I can’t remember when it was made but it was a long time ago. Also, the face on the clock is oval, not circular so that mean that the hands are telescoping, even more complicated than normal! Then we took the funicular (a lift up the hill) and went to a different church. There were some AMAZING mosaics inside this church! All the ways were covered in mosaics or other ornate decorations! It was so amazing and beautiful! From there we went to some Roman ruins that were just discovered 60 years ago. There was a museum but we didn’t go in, we just 
looked around the ruins and were set free to go shopping or to a museum of choice. I decided to go to the Holocaust museum with a bunch of people. It was quite a ways away but we decided to walk anyway. Along the way we stumbled upon this circus type thing going on in a town square area. There were tigers (in cages), a person on stilts, people doing crazy routines, etc. After watching for a bit we headed on. On the way we saw a cool fountain and one of the two rivers that run through Lyon. When we finally got there, we learned that it didn’t open until 3. Luckily it was 2:30 so we didn’t have too long to wait. Two other girls and I decided to see if there were any cool shops to check out in the mean time but we found nothing except for some huge potted pine trees. The museum was pretty cool but it was more general information about Nazis/concentration camps during WWII instead of specifics about what happened in Lyon like we were expecting. None the less, I’m still glad I went. After the museum we headed back towards our hostel. We stopped along the river and watched some swans swim by and fed 
them some crackers that I had in my bag. We stopped at a bookstore and I bought a French dictionary...somethinge that I had been meaning to buy for awhile. We split up into 3 groups for dinner, our director had made reservations at 3 restaurants run by a famous French chef whose name I don't remember. 
I went to L'Ouest. We were each given 30 euros to spend and we would just pay our director back if we went over. I went over, I couldn't decided what I wanted so I got more than I needed. I started out with a ceasar s
alad. We don't have many dressing options at the college and it sounded really good, and it was so I'm glad I got it. Then for the main dish I had risotto and lamb which was good as well. The dessert was amazing though. It was called foundant au chocolat like the night before but this was the real deal. A tall warm brownie looking thing covered in powdered sugar and English cream that when you took a spoon to it oozed chocolate!!! Yum! I left absolutely stuffed! Some people were very adventurous in their food choices but I didn't really try anything strange.
Sunday morning was free time. I went up to the Roman ruins with Laura and Michelle after breakfast and read for a little while. Then I headed down near the river to see if there were any shops open. There weren't many open but I managed to find a Tabac that was open and bought a postcard. Then I walked through the food market on one side of the river and then through the art sale on the other side before grabbing a Kebab and hiking up the hill to grab my bag and meet the group to get on the train for Annecy. Oh, I also went to church at St. Jean cathedral. It was much 
easier to follow along and 
understand this priest than the priest at the church at the college. I really liked this mass, there was actually music, the space was beautiful and it wasn't all old people (seriously Michelle and I are the only people under the age of at least 60 who go to church at the church on the college campus). There was a whole cub scout pack at mass and the alter boys were from the pack.
Annecy (October 12-13)
We got to Annecy on Sunday afternoon. Our hostel was about a half hour walk from the train station and no jock, most of it was uphill but the last hill was the worst! It was so steep! What’s with hostels on the top of a hill?!?! Once we got settled in, we had 2ish hours until dinner. Michelle, Neva, Jeff and I went down to the lake which was right down the hill from our hostel. It was really pretty and we saw a bunch of swans.
The water in the lake in Annecy is some of the clearest and purest in all of Europe! It was really clear! Annecy is only 1 hour by bus from Geneva. It was GORGEOUS and I wish we had spent more time here! We wander along the water’s edge and around a park and decided it was time to head back. After a filling dinner I read a bit and then went out with some people. It was really quiet; there was hardly anyone out at all! But it was a Sunday night in a smaller town so I guess it wasn’t really surprising. There was only one bar open that we saw but we decided not to go to it and just walked around the old part of town enjoying the night time view. On our way back we 
stopped a grocery store, cherry coke and a candy bar for me. Then we played cards and were all in bed before midnight. Before we went to bed, a couple other girls agreed to get up and go to breakfast earlier so we could get an earlier start to the day since we had to be at the train station by 2. However, it was only me and one of the guys from our group who actually ended up getting up early. When everyone was FINALLY ready (I am constantly amazed by how long it takes some people to get ready in the morning) I headed out to go hiking and try to find a few points of interest. We went hiking for about an hour. It was really pretty! It reminded me of the 
woods at St. John’s on the way to the chapel. It actually looked like fall here unlike in Cannes and it made me really happy because I love the fall colors at home! Even though we were liking the hiking we decided to try to find out way to an old chateau we had heard about. We didn’t really know where we were but just took a road that seemed to be in the right direction. It took us to this cool church that we had seen sitting at the top of a hill the day before…we actually wanted to find it if possible so we were pleasantly surprised when we saw it! After taking a few pictures we walked down the road and tried to look for the chateau on a map on the side of the road but 
couldn’t see it. I just suggested that we keep walking. At the next intersection there was a sign pointing us to the chateau, talk about perfect! The chateau was cool but nothing super cool. There was an aquarium part, a bunch of art and a nice view so I’m glad we stopped. We headed back to the hostel, picked up our bags and then walked into town. We did a little shopping, took daytime pictures and sat down for lunch. It was a pizza restaurant and I decided to try a Kebab pizza. Kebab stands are EVERYWHERE in France but I had never seen Kebab pizza before. It was tasty but I should have split it with someone, I couldn’t finish it…oh well. It was time to head towards the train station. We stopped at Monoprix and picked up food for the train and another store or two on the way. We made it to the train station on time which is always a plus! So I had basically given up being able to do anything productive on trains but decided to try reading anyway. To my great surprise, I was actually able to read and I read for most of the train ride back! Thankfully I was able to read or else I would have gotten a lot less sleep during the week! I 
really don’t understand how I was able to read this time and not the other times?!? Because there really was no chance before, I felt horrible and this time I was totally fine! So weird! We got back at like 10 pm and walked back to the college. I was exhausted from all the walking up the hills we had done during the weekend! 
This week (October 13-17):
We missed class on Monday due to our weekend trip. Tuesday and Friday I had phonetics again and I am still enjoying this class. On Thursday I had a test in French civilization and I think it went really well. We had 3 questions that we had to answer but there were multiple choices, like for the first questions we had to describe what 2 out of the 5 acronyms listed mean. It was nice having options and there were no surprises which is always nice! Class schedules came out and it was a HUGE struggle for me to figure out what classes to take. I finally figured out what to take thanks to many people’s advice and help! I took a test in grammar class on Friday as it was the last day of the session however the prof didn’t collect it! What was the point of that?!?! We corrected it together and then just kept it. Huh? Didn’t make sense to me! Also, I’m frustrated because our class is staying together, no one is changing classes. The other Laura and I asked our prof if we could change classes and she said no, we are in the right level but some of the other students in the class should be in a lower level. If my speaking improves, she said maybe in a week or so I can change because my grammar is really good but speaking is 50% to them. I feel like my grammar class isn’t pushing me enough. The other Laura and I talked with our director and she is going to see what she can to do to get us moved to a different class. Also, if we want the class to count when we go back to CSB, we need to be in a higher level by the time we leave but the way things are going, that might be hard! However, Jean, our director said that she would make sure we get credit no matter what happens with the classes here. Not that the class has been a breeze, there have certainly been some challenging parts, but I want to be moving faster and to be in a class with people who are motivated as well.
6 Quirks
I was tagged by my cousin Erin so now I’m supposed to tell you all 6 quirks I have.
1) Before going to bed, the socks come off, and I put lotion on my hands and feet. Also, chapstick is a must! Even if my hands don’t feel dry during the day, as I’m going to bed I have a sudden urge to put lotion on my hands and feet….weird, I know.
2) I have to take notes in pen! No pencil! And I prefer to write in colors and alternate the colors I use so that two class periods in a row are not written in the same color. That way it is easy to tell where one day starts and stops and my notes are much more interesting to look at than if I had written in just black or blue!!
3) I don’t ever ever ever hit the snooze button! I set my alarm for the latest possible time and actually get up when it goes off. I don’t understand the snoozing concept at all! It just makes your last hour or half hour of sleep interrupted with the periodic beeping instead of being restful like it is supposed to be.
4) I’m a night owl. Most people like to go to bed around or before midnight…my midnight is 2 am. If I could, I would stay up till about 1:30 or 2:00 most nights but due to classes in the morning I go to bed earlier. But seriously, midnight no longer seems like the time to wrap things up for the day.
5) Chocolate is not a sometimes food, it is a daily food. A day without chocolate is not a good day. At school, there is always some dessert available that has chocolate in it and here in France I’ve been able to find some cheap but tasty chocolate bars or cookies to have in my room in case the dessert is yogurt or fruit.
6) Orange juice gives me a stomach ache so my juice of choice is grape.
So I meant to put this up LAST week but I didn’t and now another week has passed. What happened this week….I’ll start with last weekend (October 18-19).
A group of people from the CSB/SJU group went to Marseille on Saturday but I decided to stay in Cannes and have a more relaxing weekend. I had a bunch of homework to do and didn’t want to have to rush through it. I took the opportunity to sleep in later than normal on Saturday and didn’t go to brunch until almost noon! On Sunday night I watch “Les Bronzés Font Du Ski” with my roommate and another girl. It is a French comedy that I got from Emeline (my pen pal) for my birthday. There were no subtitles so at times it was we didn’t understand what they said but we could still tell what was going on because of the actions. It was REALLY funny! We were laughing the whole time!
On Monday (October 20th) our director sat in on the class that is 2 levels ahead of the class I’m in (there isn’t one one level ahead). Afterwards she told me and the other Laura that she thinks our prof is much better and that we could possibly learn just as much in the class we are in and basically said we shouldn’t move classes but would ask our teacher to movie some of the students down. So on Tuesday after class a couple of the students in our class were told that they needed to move to a lower level. They were shocked and unhappy but I talked to one of the girls the next day and she actually liked the new class better, I’m glad! I think it has made some difference without them in our class, we can move a little faster. Also, on Monday I started theater class. It started awhile ago for a bunch of people but I didn’t get a role until Monday. I had rehearsal on Monday and Tuesday evening. It is going to be really challenging because I’m not a loud person but it has been fun too! The gist of the play is that there is a doctor and he has group sessions (like AAA) for people with OCD type behaviors. My character is in love with the doctor so she keeps “getting” a new OCD behavior and has to come back and back. I had a 1500 word paper due on Thursday for French Civilization. I started it on Sunday and so I just had to proofread and print it on Wednesday night. Printing is always interesting. First they didn’t have any more paper so I had to go find a friend who had extra (you have to buy the paper in 10 page increments from the library but for some reason they are often out). Then the printer wouldn’t print. Not all the computers were turned on and for some reason or another the computer to the right of the printer has to be turned on in order for the printer to work. The girl working in the library didn’t know what was wrong but luckily another girl who works in the library happened to walk in 5 minutes later and helped us figure it out! Thursday night we had a really heated discussion about the movie we had to watch for class, “Death and the Maiden”. The movie was about the torture and disappearing that happened in Chile during Pinochet’s leadership. The movie took place like 10/15 years after these occurrences and focuses on a women who was taken hostage and tortured and then he torturer comes to her house one day. He has no idea it is her house, it just drove her husband home because he got a flat tire but due to his voice and sayings, she knew it was him. What she does after is what we discussed and we had to write a response saying whether what she did to him was ethic or not and why. As I said, the discussion got pretty intense but I would say it was probably one of the better discussions of the semester.
Yesterday (October 24th): I had another test in grammar. It went ok but not as good as the tests I’ve taken. I’ll find out the score on Monday. I had phonetic again this afternoon and then I took an hour and a half nap…it was WONDERFUL!!! After the much needed nap I walked to the post office to buy some stamps, use the ATM and pick up few snacks at the grocery store. All these three places are at the same intersection so it is perfect! I was interested to see if the grocery store had any Halloween candy or decorations since it is such a big deal in the United States. However, there was only one small display with generic gold foil wrapped chocolates that had pumpkins on some of the wrappers. What I saw next almost made my jaw drop! Just around the corner, a huge display of giant chocolate SANTAS!!! And SNOWMEN!!! And a wide assortment of Christmas/holiday chocolate boxes! I knew Christmas stuff comes out really early in the US but I didn’t know it came out SO soon in France! For those of you in the US, has Christmas stuff started appearing in stores?
I went on an excursion today but I think I’ve already written enough so I’ll write about that in a few days.
We left on Friday (October 10th) afternoon after lunch. The train ride took about 4 hours. Unlike the other trains we have taken this one was really warm! So I was pretty much miserable, hot with a headache and almost nauseous. Yep. Trains are not my favorite mode of transportation. Needless to say I was very excited when we finally got off the stuffy train. In a matter of 15 minutes I was feeling SO much better and ready to take on Lyon. We had to take Lyon’s version of the metro to get from the train station to a stop near our hostel. There were two bad things about our hostel : 1) at the top of a big hill!!! 2) no towels…our director stayed here earlier this summer and they gave her a towel then so she told all of us we didn’t need to bring a towel, the solution= an extra bed sheet became our towel. Other than that it was great. We had a shower in our room (but the water was COLD!), nice bunk beds and a really nice view of the town of Lyon. 
We got settled in and then walked down the hill and a few blocks to a restaurant as a group. Their specialties were pig products. We got the three course meal where we could choose an appetizer, main course and dessert. I got an onion tart for the appetizer and it was really good! I chose the chicken and rice in a mushroom sauce for the entrée (I know, it wasn’t pig). It was ok but nothing amazing. I guess I should have gone for pig in a pot complete with feet, ears and tail….it would have been an adventure for sure! For dessert I had fondant au chocolate. It was like a fudgy piece of cake and it was delicious! After eating our fill, we walked around the old part of town near our hostel for a few minutes and then decided to go back to the hotel for a relaxing evening. Some people played cards but I chose to read a book. 
On Saturday (October 11th) morning we got a tour of the old part of Lyon, the area that we were staying in. It was our group and the tour guide which was nice. But the lady spoke in English which actually upset me quite a bit. Why would she give us the tour in English when we are all here to learn French?!?! It just didn’t make sense to me. Oh well, it was interesting. We say lots of old buildings, some of the 200ish small statues on the corners on buildings, the different window styles through the ages, the Trabouls, the St. Jean cathedral and more. It was a good way to 
start out the day. Trabouls are a network of hidden alleys that take you from one street to the next. There are doors that look like they would go to a house or shop but you open it and normally it would go into a little courtyard area and then turn into a hallway/alley. When the Nazis occupied Lyon during WWII, the people of Lyon used the trabouls to escape the Gestapo often. They say that the trabouls saved a ton of their lives so they are pretty important! Inside the St. Jean cathedral is an amazingly cool solar clock that has been working since way back in the day. I can’t remember when it was made but it was a long time ago. Also, the face on the clock is oval, not circular so that mean that the hands are telescoping, even more complicated than normal! Then we took the funicular (a lift up the hill) and went to a different church. There were some AMAZING mosaics inside this church! All the ways were covered in mosaics or other ornate decorations! It was so amazing and beautiful! From there we went to some Roman ruins that were just discovered 60 years ago. There was a museum but we didn’t go in, we just 
looked around the ruins and were set free to go shopping or to a museum of choice. I decided to go to the Holocaust museum with a bunch of people. It was quite a ways away but we decided to walk anyway. Along the way we stumbled upon this circus type thing going on in a town square area. There were tigers (in cages), a person on stilts, people doing crazy routines, etc. After watching for a bit we headed on. On the way we saw a cool fountain and one of the two rivers that run through Lyon. When we finally got there, we learned that it didn’t open until 3. Luckily it was 2:30 so we didn’t have too long to wait. Two other girls and I decided to see if there were any cool shops to check out in the mean time but we found nothing except for some huge potted pine trees. The museum was pretty cool but it was more general information about Nazis/concentration camps during WWII instead of specifics about what happened in Lyon like we were expecting. None the less, I’m still glad I went. After the museum we headed back towards our hostel. We stopped along the river and watched some swans swim by and fed 
them some crackers that I had in my bag. We stopped at a bookstore and I bought a French dictionary...somethinge that I had been meaning to buy for awhile. We split up into 3 groups for dinner, our director had made reservations at 3 restaurants run by a famous French chef whose name I don't remember. 
I went to L'Ouest. We were each given 30 euros to spend and we would just pay our director back if we went over. I went over, I couldn't decided what I wanted so I got more than I needed. I started out with a ceasar s
alad. We don't have many dressing options at the college and it sounded really good, and it was so I'm glad I got it. Then for the main dish I had risotto and lamb which was good as well. The dessert was amazing though. It was called foundant au chocolat like the night before but this was the real deal. A tall warm brownie looking thing covered in powdered sugar and English cream that when you took a spoon to it oozed chocolate!!! Yum! I left absolutely stuffed! Some people were very adventurous in their food choices but I didn't really try anything strange.
Sunday morning was free time. I went up to the Roman ruins with Laura and Michelle after breakfast and read for a little while. Then I headed down near the river to see if there were any shops open. There weren't many open but I managed to find a Tabac that was open and bought a postcard. Then I walked through the food market on one side of the river and then through the art sale on the other side before grabbing a Kebab and hiking up the hill to grab my bag and meet the group to get on the train for Annecy. Oh, I also went to church at St. Jean cathedral. It was much 
easier to follow along and 
understand this priest than the priest at the church at the college. I really liked this mass, there was actually music, the space was beautiful and it wasn't all old people (seriously Michelle and I are the only people under the age of at least 60 who go to church at the church on the college campus). There was a whole cub scout pack at mass and the alter boys were from the pack.
Annecy (October 12-13)We got to Annecy on Sunday afternoon. Our hostel was about a half hour walk from the train station and no jock, most of it was uphill but the last hill was the worst! It was so steep! What’s with hostels on the top of a hill?!?! Once we got settled in, we had 2ish hours until dinner. Michelle, Neva, Jeff and I went down to the lake which was right down the hill from our hostel. It was really pretty and we saw a bunch of swans.
The water in the lake in Annecy is some of the clearest and purest in all of Europe! It was really clear! Annecy is only 1 hour by bus from Geneva. It was GORGEOUS and I wish we had spent more time here! We wander along the water’s edge and around a park and decided it was time to head back. After a filling dinner I read a bit and then went out with some people. It was really quiet; there was hardly anyone out at all! But it was a Sunday night in a smaller town so I guess it wasn’t really surprising. There was only one bar open that we saw but we decided not to go to it and just walked around the old part of town enjoying the night time view. On our way back we 
stopped a grocery store, cherry coke and a candy bar for me. Then we played cards and were all in bed before midnight. Before we went to bed, a couple other girls agreed to get up and go to breakfast earlier so we could get an earlier start to the day since we had to be at the train station by 2. However, it was only me and one of the guys from our group who actually ended up getting up early. When everyone was FINALLY ready (I am constantly amazed by how long it takes some people to get ready in the morning) I headed out to go hiking and try to find a few points of interest. We went hiking for about an hour. It was really pretty! It reminded me of the 
woods at St. John’s on the way to the chapel. It actually looked like fall here unlike in Cannes and it made me really happy because I love the fall colors at home! Even though we were liking the hiking we decided to try to find out way to an old chateau we had heard about. We didn’t really know where we were but just took a road that seemed to be in the right direction. It took us to this cool church that we had seen sitting at the top of a hill the day before…we actually wanted to find it if possible so we were pleasantly surprised when we saw it! After taking a few pictures we walked down the road and tried to look for the chateau on a map on the side of the road but 
couldn’t see it. I just suggested that we keep walking. At the next intersection there was a sign pointing us to the chateau, talk about perfect! The chateau was cool but nothing super cool. There was an aquarium part, a bunch of art and a nice view so I’m glad we stopped. We headed back to the hostel, picked up our bags and then walked into town. We did a little shopping, took daytime pictures and sat down for lunch. It was a pizza restaurant and I decided to try a Kebab pizza. Kebab stands are EVERYWHERE in France but I had never seen Kebab pizza before. It was tasty but I should have split it with someone, I couldn’t finish it…oh well. It was time to head towards the train station. We stopped at Monoprix and picked up food for the train and another store or two on the way. We made it to the train station on time which is always a plus! So I had basically given up being able to do anything productive on trains but decided to try reading anyway. To my great surprise, I was actually able to read and I read for most of the train ride back! Thankfully I was able to read or else I would have gotten a lot less sleep during the week! I 
really don’t understand how I was able to read this time and not the other times?!? Because there really was no chance before, I felt horrible and this time I was totally fine! So weird! We got back at like 10 pm and walked back to the college. I was exhausted from all the walking up the hills we had done during the weekend! 
This week (October 13-17):
We missed class on Monday due to our weekend trip. Tuesday and Friday I had phonetics again and I am still enjoying this class. On Thursday I had a test in French civilization and I think it went really well. We had 3 questions that we had to answer but there were multiple choices, like for the first questions we had to describe what 2 out of the 5 acronyms listed mean. It was nice having options and there were no surprises which is always nice! Class schedules came out and it was a HUGE struggle for me to figure out what classes to take. I finally figured out what to take thanks to many people’s advice and help! I took a test in grammar class on Friday as it was the last day of the session however the prof didn’t collect it! What was the point of that?!?! We corrected it together and then just kept it. Huh? Didn’t make sense to me! Also, I’m frustrated because our class is staying together, no one is changing classes. The other Laura and I asked our prof if we could change classes and she said no, we are in the right level but some of the other students in the class should be in a lower level. If my speaking improves, she said maybe in a week or so I can change because my grammar is really good but speaking is 50% to them. I feel like my grammar class isn’t pushing me enough. The other Laura and I talked with our director and she is going to see what she can to do to get us moved to a different class. Also, if we want the class to count when we go back to CSB, we need to be in a higher level by the time we leave but the way things are going, that might be hard! However, Jean, our director said that she would make sure we get credit no matter what happens with the classes here. Not that the class has been a breeze, there have certainly been some challenging parts, but I want to be moving faster and to be in a class with people who are motivated as well.
6 Quirks
I was tagged by my cousin Erin so now I’m supposed to tell you all 6 quirks I have.
1) Before going to bed, the socks come off, and I put lotion on my hands and feet. Also, chapstick is a must! Even if my hands don’t feel dry during the day, as I’m going to bed I have a sudden urge to put lotion on my hands and feet….weird, I know.
2) I have to take notes in pen! No pencil! And I prefer to write in colors and alternate the colors I use so that two class periods in a row are not written in the same color. That way it is easy to tell where one day starts and stops and my notes are much more interesting to look at than if I had written in just black or blue!!
3) I don’t ever ever ever hit the snooze button! I set my alarm for the latest possible time and actually get up when it goes off. I don’t understand the snoozing concept at all! It just makes your last hour or half hour of sleep interrupted with the periodic beeping instead of being restful like it is supposed to be.
4) I’m a night owl. Most people like to go to bed around or before midnight…my midnight is 2 am. If I could, I would stay up till about 1:30 or 2:00 most nights but due to classes in the morning I go to bed earlier. But seriously, midnight no longer seems like the time to wrap things up for the day.
5) Chocolate is not a sometimes food, it is a daily food. A day without chocolate is not a good day. At school, there is always some dessert available that has chocolate in it and here in France I’ve been able to find some cheap but tasty chocolate bars or cookies to have in my room in case the dessert is yogurt or fruit.
6) Orange juice gives me a stomach ache so my juice of choice is grape.
So I meant to put this up LAST week but I didn’t and now another week has passed. What happened this week….I’ll start with last weekend (October 18-19).
A group of people from the CSB/SJU group went to Marseille on Saturday but I decided to stay in Cannes and have a more relaxing weekend. I had a bunch of homework to do and didn’t want to have to rush through it. I took the opportunity to sleep in later than normal on Saturday and didn’t go to brunch until almost noon! On Sunday night I watch “Les Bronzés Font Du Ski” with my roommate and another girl. It is a French comedy that I got from Emeline (my pen pal) for my birthday. There were no subtitles so at times it was we didn’t understand what they said but we could still tell what was going on because of the actions. It was REALLY funny! We were laughing the whole time!
On Monday (October 20th) our director sat in on the class that is 2 levels ahead of the class I’m in (there isn’t one one level ahead). Afterwards she told me and the other Laura that she thinks our prof is much better and that we could possibly learn just as much in the class we are in and basically said we shouldn’t move classes but would ask our teacher to movie some of the students down. So on Tuesday after class a couple of the students in our class were told that they needed to move to a lower level. They were shocked and unhappy but I talked to one of the girls the next day and she actually liked the new class better, I’m glad! I think it has made some difference without them in our class, we can move a little faster. Also, on Monday I started theater class. It started awhile ago for a bunch of people but I didn’t get a role until Monday. I had rehearsal on Monday and Tuesday evening. It is going to be really challenging because I’m not a loud person but it has been fun too! The gist of the play is that there is a doctor and he has group sessions (like AAA) for people with OCD type behaviors. My character is in love with the doctor so she keeps “getting” a new OCD behavior and has to come back and back. I had a 1500 word paper due on Thursday for French Civilization. I started it on Sunday and so I just had to proofread and print it on Wednesday night. Printing is always interesting. First they didn’t have any more paper so I had to go find a friend who had extra (you have to buy the paper in 10 page increments from the library but for some reason they are often out). Then the printer wouldn’t print. Not all the computers were turned on and for some reason or another the computer to the right of the printer has to be turned on in order for the printer to work. The girl working in the library didn’t know what was wrong but luckily another girl who works in the library happened to walk in 5 minutes later and helped us figure it out! Thursday night we had a really heated discussion about the movie we had to watch for class, “Death and the Maiden”. The movie was about the torture and disappearing that happened in Chile during Pinochet’s leadership. The movie took place like 10/15 years after these occurrences and focuses on a women who was taken hostage and tortured and then he torturer comes to her house one day. He has no idea it is her house, it just drove her husband home because he got a flat tire but due to his voice and sayings, she knew it was him. What she does after is what we discussed and we had to write a response saying whether what she did to him was ethic or not and why. As I said, the discussion got pretty intense but I would say it was probably one of the better discussions of the semester.
Yesterday (October 24th): I had another test in grammar. It went ok but not as good as the tests I’ve taken. I’ll find out the score on Monday. I had phonetic again this afternoon and then I took an hour and a half nap…it was WONDERFUL!!! After the much needed nap I walked to the post office to buy some stamps, use the ATM and pick up few snacks at the grocery store. All these three places are at the same intersection so it is perfect! I was interested to see if the grocery store had any Halloween candy or decorations since it is such a big deal in the United States. However, there was only one small display with generic gold foil wrapped chocolates that had pumpkins on some of the wrappers. What I saw next almost made my jaw drop! Just around the corner, a huge display of giant chocolate SANTAS!!! And SNOWMEN!!! And a wide assortment of Christmas/holiday chocolate boxes! I knew Christmas stuff comes out really early in the US but I didn’t know it came out SO soon in France! For those of you in the US, has Christmas stuff started appearing in stores?
I went on an excursion today but I think I’ve already written enough so I’ll write about that in a few days.
