Une petite visite de mon copain :)

So much has happened since my last entry! First, the main reason I'm here: school. I aced my first round of exams. This was a real confidence booster. Thus far, I think I've been underestimating how much my French has improved. Yes, I know I can function on a day to day basis in French. But keep up with real french students? I didn't think so. It's clear proof that I'm not only comprehensible but fairly articulate in French! It's hard to evaluate how much I've improved while I'm still here, immersed in the learning process. It's good to hit a milestone like this.

In other news, Stephen came for a week-long visit! University College London gives students a week-long break around midterms to he jumped a chunnel and came to visit me. We had an amazing time. We enjoyed the Art Nouveau exhibit at the Musée d'Orsay, I dragged him to the Orangerie and Musée de Rodin, we toured the Palais Garnier and got lost in the Musée des Beaux Arts, we picnicked in Jardin du Luxembourg, we ate at L'As du Falafel, overdosed on sugar with Ladurée macarons and both chocolat chaud and a Mont Blanc at Angelina's, and we got to see Andrew Bird (my favorite musician) in concert! All in all it was a fabulous week.

I can't believe it's the middle of November! The semester has really flown past. The weather isn't even acting like it's almost winter! Today it was sunny and 57 degrees so after class, I took advantage of the weather and read a book in the Jardin du Luxembourg. It was absolutely beautiful. Looking towards the end of the semester I have a lot to check off my "To-do in Paris" list. I still haven't explored more than the Richelieu wing of the Louvre (the wing where my class is held), or seen the Musée de Cluny (the medieval arts museum), climbed to the top of the Arc du Triomphe, seen the Archaeological Crypts beneath Notre Dame... the list goes on and on. I also have some traveling to do! I'm planning a weekend in Marseille with a friend from my program. The plan is, two days there, they make our way back to Paris via Lyon for the Fête des Lumieres. It should be a lot of fun. Stephen and I also managed to plan our Christmas break trip: Edinburgh. We had originally talked about doing Venice or Prague, but plane tickets turned out to be very expensive at that time of year, so, we're taking an overnight coach bus to Scotland! It will certainly be an experience :)

Je suis paraseuse ce weekend.

I am happy to report that I am finally feeling better. Unfortunately, that means it's time to get down to work. My blog has made it very apparent that I'm not doing much "studying" while abroad. The truth of the matter is, the French system is very different from the American system. In theory, French students spend many more hours in class every week (they take more classes and each class meets more often and for longer), but do less work outside of class. The problem is, we American students still only take 15 hours of class a week because that's what our universities will give us credit for. Plus, the light course load gives us time to travel and take advantage of all the city has to offer. Problem: this system is terrible for my study skills. For me, the less I have to do, the harder it is to get anything done. If I'm constantly running around, busy busy busy, everything seems to get done...and on time. Here, it's a different story. Because there's less to do, fewer commitments, and a less rigid daily schedule, it's hard to find a routine. That is why I am currently sitting in bed, blogging although I am still 3 acts away from the end of Le Misanthrope, dreading the in-class essay I have on Tuesday, and wishing I could be in Oxford right now where Stephen and my future roommate Shayna are visiting my friend and future-roommate Phoebe.

On the brightside, Stephen comes to visit on Monday, giving me a strict deadline by which to finish my reading: I must have my studying done by Monday. I'm getting really excited for his visit. It will give me a good excuse to jump back on the Parisian-sightseeing-bandwagon. I still have a long list of things I want to see before the end of the semester and of late, I've been traveling, sick, or attempting to study rather than venturing out into the city too much. And the scary thing is, the semester is reaching the end! I have less than a month and a half of courses left. It's so strange... I don't feel like I've been here two and a half months, the time has really flown by. Then again there are clear signs that I've been in France for quite a while: I can't remember the last time someone has responded to me in English when I speak French to them, I have been asked for directions by French people more than 5 times, I can navigate the metro like a pro (even when my usual route closes due to bomb threats) and I know which way is north, south, east and west better than I do in any American city. Plus, I eat pastries everyday and have actually lost weight without trying... I must be becoming French.

Le Bon et La Grippe

Hello everyone! Sorry it's been such a long time since my last post. Life has really gotten crazy in both good and not so good ways. Let's start with the good:

My mom, Cheryl and Nancy just finished up their visit! It was so nice to see them and we had a really fabulous time. The weekend before last I met them in Tuscany. My mom had found a little villa in Lajatico through an agrotourism website so we were lucky enough to stay on a real Tuscan farm that produces its own olive oil, wine, grappa, and eggs. We kept busy visiting Volterra, San Gimingano, Lucca, Florence and Pisa, and even took a cooking class! I am proud to say that I can now make my own pasta from scratch! All in all, the weekend was amazing.

On Sunday evening, mom and the aunts followed me back to Paris. They had fun sightseeing while I was in class, and I managed to meet up with them as much as possible. Some highlights: tour of the Palais Garnier (which I had never done before), St. Chapelle (as beautiful as always), the Musée D'Orsay (still my favorite museum in the world, espicially with the current "Art Nouveau Revisited" exhibit), and L'As du Falafel (the famous falafel restaurant in the Marais). By far the best part of the trip however, was dinner with my host family. My host mom was so excited to meet my family and she invited them all to dinner. It was amazing! The boys were all dressed up in little plaid pants and sweaters and they tried to speak English. Amaury (11) was especially adorable because he's normally very shy, but this time was the first to show off his English. For dinner we had radishes (the french way: dipped in salt and eaten with buttered baguette), an amazing veal dish (slow-cooked in white wine for 36 hours...not exaggerating), cheese and cake. It was probably the best meal of my life. I have never tasted anything as amazing as that veal. To top it off, my host mom Sondra was completely adorable. She spoke in English with her French accent and entertained everyone. It was a perfect evening.

Friday morning we hopped a chunnel to London! This was the first weekend I've really done the touristy thing in London. Yes, I've seen a few sights visiting Stephen, but I was saving all of the big things to do with the Family. We started off strong Friday afternoon with a double-decker bus tour that gave us a chance to see all the sights and orient ourselves in the city. That night we met up with Stephen for Indian food. Yum. Saturday we met up at Portobella Market in the morning and browsed the antiques before heading off to Harrods in the afternoon. That night we saw Thriller the musical (which was a lot of fun from our fourth row seats!) and afterwards, Stephen and I went to a Halloween party at his dorm. Sunday we took in the National Portrait Gallery, Trafalgar Square and the British Museum (which was insanely crowded because they were holding special events for Dia de los Muertos) before heading back to Harrods.

Now I'm back in Paris, sans family and with the grippe. That's right, I think I have the flu. One of the downsides to living in a family with four young boys is that you are exposed to every germ imaginable. And, considering that every time something goes around I inevitably catch it, now that they have the flu, so do I. The timing wasn't so great either: today was my first Latin exam. It's shocking, I know, I actually have to study abroad. Needless to say, considering the time I spent with the family instead of studying, and my sick, foggy-headedness, I was not in top form for the exam. But on the bright side, according to the French system, this one isn't actually required. The only grade that is actually required is your final exam. All others are considered "optional," they can only help your grade. The plan is to do better the next time around.

The exam lasted the first hour of class and I skipped out on the second half and came home to sleep. I didn't wake up until my host dad knocked on my door 4.5 hours later to tell me dinner was ready. I think I needed that nap. Now, I've been awake for about 2 hours and I'm just about ready to go to bed again. I'll try to be more prompt with the next post!