A Month of Fresh Starts

For me and many of my friends, January was a time of huge adjustments, overwhelming problems, and was just all around rough for everyone at one point or another if not all the time. Now that we are in February, I am trying to view this month as an opportunity to really take full advantage and have full appreciation of my time here. It's not that any of us didn't make the best of everything before, but I think now that we are settled and comfortable that February will be an easier month for all of us to navigate. After just over a month, I feel like I have just learned so much-- about life, culture, language, friendship, and that I have the ability to  overcome anything. Friends who had gone abroad before me had said that I would learn so much about myself as well, and even after my short time here, I can say that is absolutely true. Not having the things I know and recognize and am comfortable around really made me stop and reflect on many things. Being here, has truly has just been one of the most wonderful learning experiences I think I will ever have. I have only completed one month, but at the same time, that's a fifth of the time I have in France and five to six months just doesn't seem like enough time! I'm already searching for ways to come back over here and stay another few months-- there has to be a school where I can teach English when I graduate!

Classes are well underway and I am currently starting to study for my first tests that begin next week and continue after my 2 week break-- mid terms are already here! School really goes so much faster when you only have each class once a week. This last week had been rough in parts so I have kept it pretty low key and yes, lazy, but I still managed to have some wonderful experiences along the way.


I was able to participate in a national tradition last week! February 2nd is known as La Chandeleur, aka National Crepe Day. A quick wiki search revealed that it started as a Christian tradition, but like many other days in France, the religious importance has drifted away and it is just another day to enjoy some incredible food and spend time with friends and family! Some of you may not already know this, but crepes are not just for dessert-- they can also be for dinner (yum!). This year for La Chandeleur Maeva, a french student assistant through our exchange program, offered to get our ISEP exchange group together to go eat crepes. It was amazing to be able to eat a crepe for dinner and dessert and there are so many options. The restaurant she took us to is definitely one that I would like to find and try again-- they had 18 pages of menu!

Jade with sausage bits!

Our delish desserts!

Last night, I had been invited to a dinner with Jade and Janna and four other girls, two from Germany and two from Switzerland. We went to this tiny restaurant downtown that served Tapas-like meals and we defrosted with some wine-- this 20 degree weather has been brutal. As we sat down, we were overtaken by loud singing from a table of about 12, right behind us. We were trying to figure out what language it was, and we later found out that it was actually L'Occitan(e), aka Langue d'oc, which is a dialect of French that can be found in Southern France. We all ordered 3 different options: I chose the Sable au Parmesan (like Parmesan shortbread) to begin, followed by Yakitori (caramelized chicken, really good), and ended with Mini Burger du Chef (a burger with this incredible sauce and a little bacon, woo!). We spent a wonderful evening just talking about so many different things, and I think we all learned a little something about each of the different countries represented at the table. We followed the meal by ordering dessert, I had Moelleux Chocolat-Cafe, which was a little chocolate cake with a melted center and a bit of a coffee flavor. Delicious! The owner, I assume, also came back later and gave us a free bottle of wine-- which we initially turned down, because we thought he was trying to sell us another (lost in translation, huh?). We were also lucky enough to be serenaded by two men and a woman in Langue d'Oc-- it was quite the experience, and the one man helped translate bits as he went. Definitely a great evening, and we ended the night by going to a Pub down the street and getting some girly cider :) The walk back was not as fun though-- isn't Southern France supposed to be warm?

Now, I just have to get through a Civilization test on Tuesday, and a little homework here and there,  then I'm off to Barcelona and Alicante next Saturday! Time is going so quickly, it is really hard to believe!

More things I have noticed:

• My teachers just love having us present things-- it's a daily classroom occurrence.
• Mentioned it before, but it's still true: Movie theaters are SO nice here. I saw Girl with the Dragon Tattoo yesterday, and it was a tiny theater, with big comfy seats, and a huge high quality screen. AND you can bring in your own food!
•  Steak Hache a Cheval does not mean it's horse meat-- only that the burger/steak has an egg on top of it, like riding horseback. Since horse meat is eaten here, that's definitely good to know!
• People who are from Southern France are not accustomed to the snow. It snowed for only a little, and nothing even stuck on the ground, but I saw two girls gathered around some leaves that had snow accumulate on them. All I know is that it was way warmer in Chicago and unusually cold in Montpellier.
• When teachers cancel class they actually reschedule! This process can be pretty confusing because they often want the ENTIRE class to come, even if that means having class at 7pm.