tuesday (6/7/11): school was ok, except my phonetics lab. we did "r"s. and so ya know, the french are rather ticky about rolling rrrrrs. and i failed. whoops. tuesday night, i had the joy of skipping dinner with madame and was blessed with a treat---mcdonalds. ptl. it was delightful. i even got ice cream (with kit kat, does it get more american?). and i had coca cola light WITH ICE. geez, i'm a glutton. but i've been craving meat for 3 weeks. after stuffing my stomach with goodness, i attended the ballet with maddie, brittney, and keila. it was free (gratuit, my new favorite word) because we went with the institute. i suppose i'm not "cultured" or i don't "appreciate art", but i'm satisfied with the jackson nutcracker ballet. it was a "spectacle of danse", and it was in three sections. the first was tolerable, just girls doing interpretive movement. the second, the most bizarre 20 minutes of my life. let me set it up: the music was a metronome (high school band memories) and the dancing consisted of people rolling around on the floor. it was completely strange. the last section was more traditional, it was an actual ballet with tutus. so it ended on a good note.
wednesday: only had to go to school for a half day because i got to go on the excursion (!). we went to chenonceau and a cave (hold on for explanation). so we piled on the bus and drove a few minutes to this beautiful place. i don't really understand all of the story (because it was told in french), but it was (i believe) a gift (un cadeau) to Diane de Poitier. that's really all i got. but it is so lovely. i wish we could've had more time though. zach and i ran from room to room while the guide was lecturing. so we got to see most of the chateau. my favorite room was the "noir chambre"- a pitch black (black walls, curtains, ceilings, etc). it made me quite sleepy though.
after we toured the chateau, we piled back on the bus and went to the cave. now, it's not like a "branson talking rocks/light show" cave, sadly. it is a wine cellar/production place. so we walked through the whole process, but i was confused (because yes, it was in french). it was really interesting, but i was just lost.
Thursday (today): it's been ok. class was ok. i leave for lunch early on thursdays. and it is just so enjoyable. i got to eat by myself and walk around. i cherish the times i get to be alone and decompress a bit. it's so necessary. everyday, i go to this one food stand for lunch, the grignotene. i always get the same thing--panini poulet (chicken panini). it consists of chicken and cheese, just what i like. but today, i was a little crazy and got the panini pizza poulet (so chicken and cheese + marinara). i like simple food.
for dinner tonight, we had cabbage soup. i stomached it. but for dinner, we had a "surprise". yeah, right. i can be a somewhat picky eater, but since i've been here, i really have tried to eat everything they've given me. the main two things i don't eat are fish and nuts. i had a nut cake the other night, i finished it. but fish, nope. so madame refuses to tell us what it is (i didn't ask, because i could clearly smell it). i swallow and tell myself it's chicken. then she goes into a long spill about how it was fish (ha, you got me!), and i really can eat it, that it won't kill me. thanks, madame. you're too kind.
and she told me that, like molly (my roommate) and her boyfriend alex (who was a french major), i should only speak in french with my boyfriend. i politely told her my boyfriend doesn't speak french, and she said "how bizarre". she would undergo major culture shock in america. considering only 25% of americans can hold a conversation in a language other than english. i'm in the other 75% i've learned.
i need nutella ice cream, my new favorite. it doesn't get better.
tomorrow, i intend to relax, pack for brussels (!), and take a walk.
4 days until my birthday! ah.
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