Munich

I just got done visiting Munich, which was really an incredible city. I drank lots of good beer and met a few cool people in my hostel, so that was a lot of fun!

The first afternoon, I went to Dachau Concentration Camp, which was one of the most difficult, as well as one of  the most worthwhile experiences of my life. The Holocaust is one point in history that I find very interesting and I love studying about it and reading about it. Getting to see a real concentration camp was something I have always wanted to do, and I feel so lucky to finally have gotten that opportunity! I got a chance to see the horrific sleeping, eating and bathing quarters, as well as a museum which described the daily lives of prisoners in the concentration camp. I will never get over just how horrific the lives of holocaust victims were, and I will never stop being shocked by all the events.

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dachau_concentration_camp

The second day, I got a late start, and went to the Haufbrauhaus, a beer hall that seats about  a million people. The atmosphere was fantastic, and I got a beer the size of my face. There were people from all around the world in the space, and some spent hours upon hours there. I got a traditional German meal of a potato dumpling, roasted pork and gravy. While eating, drinking and taking it all in, I met a guy from Canada, who I ended up talking to and spending the rest of the day with. We went to the English Garden, the Christmas market, and just walked around downtown. It was a really lovely day!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hofbr%C3%A4uhaus

Interlaken

I'm officially on Christmas break, and started out my Eurotrip in Interlaken, Switzerland. Let me just tell you that this city literally makes a person feel like they have stepped into a postcard or a snow globe. You are literally surrounded by 360 degrees of Swiss Alps and it's absolutely amazing. This is the first time I've seen snow since I've been in Europe, and there was a ton of it! It was snowing at some point each day I was there for at least a few hours, and it was just beautiful.

The first morning, I met a girl at breakfast who invited me to go with her and some of her friends to a few ski towns. I took her up on the offer and had an amazing day hiking around and exploring the villages of Murren, Switzerland and Gimmelwald (Links of which are posted below).
-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%BCrren

-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gimmelwald

Both places were just quaint, gorgeous villages with the most amazing views of the Swiss Alps you could ever imagine. Everything was so unspoiled and untouched, and when we were there, there was hardly anybody around, and we didn't run into any other tourists. It was just perfect! The second village were were in, Gimmelwald, was even smaller than Murren, and we were the only people walking around outside.

While in Gimmelwald, we saw a house that had a sign on the door which read "Ring Bell For Service", so we did, and a woman answered the door and let us into her little shop in her house. After about 20 minutes of talking to her, she invited us up into her home for tea and traditional Swiss coffee cake. It was really cool, and something none of us could have planned! We ended up talking to her for about 2 hours, and learned all about her life and job, and even found out she runs a bed and breakfast in her home. Later, she invited us to watch a Christmas pageant that was being put on by kids from the school she works at, so we got to see the Nativity story in German! It was a really excellent and completely unexpected day.

Later the first night, I met a bunch of people in the t.v. room of the hostel, and we just sat by the fire and exchanged travel adventures.
The next day, I explored the actual town of Interlaken, as well as walked on a trail along the lake. It was snowing all day, so I couldn't see the mountains at all, but it was a nice hike nonetheless. That night, I hung out with the same people from the night before.

Interlaken was a really beautiful town, and I would absolutely recommend going there if you get a chance.

12.21.2011

The semester is officially over, and I finally finished my first 8-page French paper. Besides that, my last week was not particularly academic. I went out to coffee almost every day, a bar almost every night, and got fondue with a few friends one night! :)

I cannot fathom how quickly these first 4 months have gone by, and that they are now done. I'm sad to see this semester come to an end because within the last week,  I've had to say goodbye to some of the best people I've ever met in my life. Luckily, most of them live in Minneapolis and I guess I'll have to take a roadtrip to see the others.

I feel incredibly lucky to have gotten this experience, and cannot wait to live in Montpellier for another semester. It would be far too early to leave right now. I've come so far and I've learned so much, and I want to continue improving my French and expanding my horizons as much as possible.

12.11.2011

Well, it's finally hitting me that the semester is coming to an end. I cannot believe how fast the time has gone. I've truly had some of the most amazing experiences of my life here in Montpellier. I've been lucky enough to meet some of the best people I've ever known here as well, and I feel lucky that I have gotten to share these experiences with them. I've learned so much throughout the semester, and I don't mean in school. The experiences I've had so far in France will never be able to be replicated, and my ability to understand and speak this beautiful language has improved so much. I am so grateful that I am staying here one more semester, because leaving right now would be an extremely difficult and sad thing to do. I don't have to face the reality of leaving quite yet. Unfortunately, a lot of good friends I've made here are facing that reality during this upcoming week, and I will be sad to see them go.

During this past week, I took three finals, all of which I think went fine, and I couldn't be more thrilled to be done with most of my classes. The only thing I have left is an 8-page essay, and then I will be free of schoolwork until next semester! I cannot wait to travel to Switzerland, Germany and Paris on my own! I think it's going to be a fantastic experience to travel alone for a few days. I am most excited to see my amazing boyfriend Sam in Dublin and London, and cannot wait to spend 10 days with him in Europe! It should be really amazing :) :).

I've been spending the entire week with friends, and enjoying every minute of it. We've walked around this amazing city, going to cafes, watching movies, going out to bars, and just spending time enjoying each others company. This includes making and eating cheese fondue on Tuesday, going to the Vert Anglais for the French-English conversation exchange on Wednesday, going to a cocktail/ appetizer party with my host parents and other host families and students in the program on Thursday night, going to my friend Bastien's apartment to watch a Celine Dion concert and dance to Glee music on Friday, and going on a beautiful excursion to Avignon on Saturday.

Avignon was simply amazing. It's one of the most beautiful and charming towns I've ever been to, and included a Christmas market, street performers performing jazz-style Christmas music, artists, and of course beautiful architecture. We visited the Palais de Papes (palace of popes), where we took a guided tour, and it was really breathtaking. The palace is absolutely huge, and has a rich and interesting history.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avignon

Today I plan to do a little writing for this paper, and to skype with my parents and Sam. Hopefully I'm productive enough this afternoon, so I can watch a Christmas movie tonight. One week from today, Christmas vacation will have just started for me, and I will be on my way to Interlaken, Switzerland!

12.04.2011

Well, I took my final for my integrated class on Monday, and I think it went okay. It was a 4-hour essay final, and we had 3 prompts to choose from. I chose to read a short text and analyze it, as opposed to trying to remember everything I had learned throughout the semester. At least that class is over, as it was by far the most stressful. I have 3 finals left, 2 of which should be easy, and the other of which I will have to study quite a bit for. Luckily I have all week to study for it. I also have an 8-page paper for my Medieval Literature class due for Wednesday, December 14th, and after that, this semester will officially be over! I can't believe how fast this semester has gone! I'm sad to see it come to an end. Not the classes, but I will be sad to see some of my friends I've made over the course of the semester leave.
On Wednesday night, I went to the French-English conversation exchange as usual, and I met a couple new French students, so that was a lot of fun! On Thursday, some friends and I went out early in the evening to try out a Karaoke place. We rented a private room for an hour, and it was a lot of fun! Of course, most of the songs were French, but there was plenty of American music too. Unfortunately, they didn't have the classics such as Summer Lovin' from Grease, or Ain't No Mountain High Enough. We had to resort to songs like "Stacy's mom" and "Beautiful Soul", but it was a blast anyway. Later, some friends and I went bar hopping, where we discovered some pretty delicious Mojitos.
Friday night was the first official night of the Christmas festival in Montpellier. All the streets were lit up, and there were tons of marching bands playing Christmas music. The market is adorable, and there are a lot of artisan gifts, original art, and handmade food and drinks. I tried some hot spiced wine, which did not disappoint, and some orange-spiced bread. After that, I went to my friend Bastien's new apartment, where we just hung out, and of course celebrated Britney Spears' 30th birthday by watching her newest concert DVD.
On Saturday, I went out to coffee with Michael, one of the French students I met on Wednesdsay night. We had a really great conversation, and spoke in English for half the time, and French for the other half. (He's an English major, so we both like to practice our other languages). That night, I went to "Intouchables" again with some friends who had not yet seen it. After, we went to Fitzpatricks, an authentic Irish Bar for some Bailey's and Guinness. The bartenders were all Irish, and there was an Irish band playing traditional music in the background.
Today, I finally finished booking everything for my trips for Christmas break, and feel very relieved. Tonight, a friend is cooking a bunch of us an Indian meal, so that should be a lot of fun! :)

11.27.2011

I can't believe this semester is almost over. I have a final exam for my integrated class tomorrow, and then I will be done with it for the rest of the year! I can't say I'm not relieved, as it is my least favorite class. This week has been really excellent. I managed to actually speak a fair amount of French at the conversation exchange that I go to every Wednesday. On Thursday, the Minnesota program arranged for us to have a traditional Thanksgiving dinner at a  restaurant, which was a lot of fun! It definitely didn't beat eating my family's home cooked food and spending the day with my family, but it was the best way to spend Thanksgiving abroad. I was lucky enough to be able to skype with my family for a few minutes when I got home as well. :)
On Friday, some friends and I went to a wine-tasting festival, where we tasted 3 glasses of wine for 2 euros. After, we went to dinner where I got "Moules-Frites" (mussels and fries), and after we headed over to our friend's apartment where there were a lot of French students as well as Americans. On Saturday, my host mom and I went to a local market that goes on every Saturday, where she showed  and explained to me a lot of local food and craft-type things. I got a chance to skype with Sam for a couple hours after, and then I had to go buy a new purse, since the zipper on my old one broke. My friends and I went to the wine-tasting festival again, and then we made pesto for dinner while blasting Christmas music. After, a group of us got together to watch movies and just relax.

11.20.2011

This has been a really great week! I took 2 tests, both of which seemed to go well, and the rest of my courses went smoothly. Wednesday night was another fun night at the French-English conversation exchange, and I also found out that the Christmas market in Montpellier should be up and running soon! Thursday afternoon, Eliza and I walked around the city in search of inspiration for gifts to send to our families. We discovered that the mall is nicely decorated, and most importantly, there are copious amounts of Christmas chocolate, all of which I want to try. On Friday, Courtney and I went to a movie called "Intouchables" (or "Untouchable" in English), and it was the best film I've seen in a long time. If you get a chance, it is definitely worth watching. Here's a link for the movie trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otpJgjrJ0ig
After, we saw another cinematic masterpiece, the 4th installment of Twilight. That night we enjoyed some kebabs and fries, wine, and sex and the city.
On Saturday I spent a good chunk of my day planning my trip for Christmas break, while talking through everything with my parents on Skype. They are the best! I now have my train tickets to Interlaken, Switzerland, and have my hostels for Interlaken, Munich and Paris booked. It's a huge relief to have most of the planning out of the way :). That night, I went to Casey's apartment where he Darren and I watched 2 horror movies on Netflix-- "The Craft" and "Case 39".
Today I slept in, ate lunch with my host mom for the first time in 5 days, as she's been sick, and did some grammar homework while watching more Sex and the City. I was supposed to go for a hike, but it was canceled due to rain. All in all, it's been a really great week! I can't believe how quickly this semester is coming to an end, seriously. I am very glad I decided to stay here for the entire school year. :)

11.13.2011

I know I didn't update this last Sunday, but there was really nothing much new happening, so I decided to wait. This week was a normal week, going to classes, not having a ton of homework, and hanging out with friends. Some friends and I decorated the program office for Thanksgiving, so that was a lot of fun!
Jerome (German exchange student who lives with me) and his friend came  to the Vert Anglais on Wednesday for the conversation group that meets every week. They seemed to really enjoy themselves and met people right away.
On Thursday night, some girls and I tried out a couple new bars, one of which was Pirate-themed, specializes in rum,  and plays really great music. The next one we went to was a Spanish bar, where the people working there spoke Spanish instead of French, so that was a surprise.
Friday consisted of going to IKEA and checking out all the display rooms, and then going out dancing that night. On Saturday, some friends and I decided to take a train to a town called Bezier, which is quite close to Montpellier. It was not very interesting at all, and we ended up mostly hanging out in their mall. Day trips are always a good way to pass an afternoon. That night was relaxing, as we watched "Superbad" and "Juno". Today, I think I'll finish up a little bit of homework and Skype call Sam and my parents, and probably lounge around doing nothing. :)

11.01.2011

We had a short week this week, and fall break started on Thursday.
On Friday, I went to Barcelona with Darren, Casey, Kristina and Eliza, and it was a blast!! We got to the city around 6:30 p.m. and the trip started out well when we couldn't find our way out of the parking lot for about 15 minutes. We eventually made our way to the hostel after some wrong turns along the way. It was a bit confusing because our hostel wasn't actually correctly labeled. I stayed in a room with 11 other people, so no one got much sleep. We did meet a few French girls in our room, so that was a lot of fun! The first night, we found a nice restaurant with relatively cheap sangria, so that was a plus. We then explored the downtown area, in search of a haunted/ fairy-themed bar and then a Sherlock Holmes-themed bar. We  eventually managed to find both after a significant amount of time not knowing where we were at all. Our group was clearly full of great navigators.
On Saturday we got up early, went to Starbucks (which we did every morning-- it's very Spanish, I'm sure), and did a ton of walking and touring around the city. The first stop was an erotic museum, which was very funny, and probably cultural or something. Then we walked around and headed to the Picasso Museum, but didn't end up going in since the line was about 3 hours long. For lunch we found a restaurant where I tried Paella. After, we continued to explore the city, going into parks, and walking downtown. I don't think I've ever walked so much in my life as I did in Barcelona. After, we made our way to the Sagrada Familia, a huge cathedral in Barcelona. It was absolutely gorgeous! Again, we didn't go in, since the line was so long.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sagrada_Fam%C3%ADlia
That night, we cooked pasta in our hostel and then headed out to some bars again.
On Sunday, we slept in, went to Starbucks, and headed to the waterfront where we walked around the beach, and just soaked in the beautiful atmosphere. We stopped for churros and hot chocolate in the afternoon, which was absolutely delicious. After that, we saw "Paranormal Activity 3" in Spanish of course, which was a nice break from walking. That night we went out with the French girls from our hostel, but came back quite early since everyone was exhausted.
We checked out of our hostel on Monday, got Starbucks, and searched for a tattoo parlor, where we were all going to get compass tattoos, but gave up after 2 hours of not being able to find any. The plan is to get the tattoo on Wednesday! :). We grabbed some lunch and then headed home on our 6 hour bus ride.
It was a really fantastic weekend, full of laughter, fantastic friends, getting lost, and exploring the beautiful city of Barcelona!

10.23.2011

It's been another fantastic week in Montpellier, except for this cold I have. I found out I got an A in the pre-session I was in before real classes started. On Tuesday, some friends and I decorated the Minnesota Program office for Halloween, and watched horror movies. Wednesday night I went to the same conversation group, which was a lot of fun as usual.
On Wednesday afternoon, the students staying for the whole year had to go to a visa appointment, where we got medical exams and had a short meeting where we basically had to turn in a bunch of documents. We had to all wait for about 3 hours, but the actual appointment was 25 minutes.
On Saturday, some friends and I went to a small town called Narbonne, where we walked around, and got to see some underground ancient Roman ruins, an archaeology museum, and a Cathedral.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narbonne

Nothing too exciting has been happening this week, but we have a break coming up, so school is only Monday- Wednesday this week! On Friday, some friends and I are going to Barcelona, so I am very excited for that!

10.17.2011

This school week was pretty normal, nothing too new or exciting has been happening. I went to the conversation group for a second time on Wednesday, which was still a lot of fun. :). I also got to spend my first extended amount of time doing research for a paper on Voltaire and his supposed antisemitic views for my history class. That wasn't exactly fun, but at least it's over now.

I went to London do visit Kelly this weekend, and it was so much fun! I got to see where she goes to school, and got to see major London sites, such as Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey and Parliament.  Unfortunately, no Harry Potter themed activities happened, so I'll have to do that when Sam and I visit in December. We also managed to see two Broadway musicals, one of which was "Million Dollar Quartet", and the other was "Blood Brothers". Both were really excellent, and we got student rush tickets, so it was really inexpensive!

Sunday was a little more relaxed, with a trip to the mall and walking down by a canal near Kelly's school. It was really perfect outside, and I got to experience autumn for an afternoon, so that was exciting!

A pigeon pooped on my hair on my way to the train station in London this morning. It was really unfortunate. But Saturday, Kelly had told me that if that happens, it's good luck. I can now say from firsthand experience that this is absolutely true! My history lecture got out an hour early this evening, and on top of that, we have no homework, which would normally consume 8 hours of my week. 

It's been a very tiring, but amazing weekend. :) Also, everyone needs to watch this video of Jerry Lee Lewis. I am absolutely amazed by his piano-playing ability.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IjgZGhHrYY&feature=related

10.09.2011

      On Wednesday, I went to an informal conversation group at a bar in Montpellier, where I met a few French students and got to speak French in a non-academic setting for a few hours. It was so much fun, and the people were friendly, so I will definitely be going back as many Wednesdays as I can.
    On Friday I went on an excursion for my Medieval Literature class, along with a bunch of other people in the program. It was one of the best days I've had since I've been here. The 2-hour bus ride ended up being 3 hours with a half hour bathroom break after an hour of driving, as well as our bus driver getting lost. We went to two Medieval castles (or ruins of castles), both of which we had to hike around 2.5 miles to get to. One was called Peyrepertuse:
http://www.chateau-peyrepertuse.com/french/peyrepertuse-citadelle-du-vertige,46,53,section,modules,contenu-mc.html And the other was called Queribus:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queribus
After that, I went out to Chinese with some friends and my professor for the Literature class, and then watched "Amelie".
    On Saturday, I went on yet another excursion to a bamboo forest near Anduze, as well as a cave near the city. The bamboo forest was beautiful, and the cave was very cool as well.The city of Anduze itself wasn't all that interesting, but I got some really good hot chocolate, so it was probably worth it. :)
http://en.sunfrance.com/organize_your_stay/visitor_attractions/parks_and_gardens/la_bambouseraie
http://www.vaucluse-visites-virtuelles.com/glvirtualbluepopouts/grotte-trabuc-english.html
    Today I got up to go to choir rehearsal in the morning, and spent the afternoon writing a history paper. I'm going to try to catch up on sleep this week before going to London on Friday!


 

10. 02. 2011

After being here for about six weeks, I finally feel like I have a routine and I love it. I had my first test on Friday for France Au Feminin. It was an essay test that seemed quite easy, so hopefully it went well. I also auditioned for a choir at the college and got in! I am so excited to be involved in something on campus and hope to sing lots of French music as well as meet French students.

There was a teachers strike on Tuesday in Montpellier over planned job cuts,  which affected elementary schools and some high schools, but not the university at all. I couldn't find much news, even in French,  about it but I did find this clip, and below there's a tiny description of what happened:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zTUTn01pdU

I've had a typical week consisting of reading a little Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (in French of course), putting off homework, and spending time drinking wine and watching movies with friends (both French and American), as well as enjoying the company of my host family. :)


One more thing: It is so hot here. Seriously. It's October 2nd, and it's about 80 degrees. People are still going to the beach and it's ridiculous. I am so excited to be able to wear jeans and a sweater without melting away.

9.25.2011

This week has been one of the best weeks I've had since I've been in Montpellier. I feel my French getting  better little by little, especially my comprehension. My speaking has become more natural and I have to translate a lot of the time, but less and less, so that's comforting. I find that the most difficult time I have speaking and understanding the language is over the phone. :P
My classes are all going really well, and my favorite is definitely France au Feminin. The only complaint I have is that for my integrated class, for which there are two parts, one of the parts (the discussion aspect) of the class is a pain. I have a different professor for this portion of the class, and he is much harder to understand, and on top of that, he smells really bad and it's very distracting. But hopefully it'll work out, I am going to try to switch discussion sections tomorrow so I have the professor I like.
On Tuesday, I made crepes with several people from the group at the office. After that, we went to salsa lessons and dancing, where I got to talk to a few French people, which was a lot of fun!
The rest of the week was pretty normal, and my host mom showed Jerome and I their DVD collection. Majority of the movies were American films dubbed in French. She had a collection of several Woody Allen movies, and then a lot of newer blockbuster- type movies.
Friday was the nicest day,  weather-wise, since I've been here.  I spent a couple hours reading for my classes and people watching at a park that is a couple blocks from my house, and that night I spent the night playing Taboo and  hanging out with some friends from the program.
Saturday, a group of us got up early and headed over to Setes, a little fishing town that's about 20 minutes away from Montpellier.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C3%A8te It was so much fun to explore a new city for the day.  While there, I ate out with a couple other girls, and we had a delicious meal. I ordered Tielle (like a seafood pot pie) for the first course, Mussels with a Roquefort cream sauce (kind of like Gorgonzola sauce) and fries, and chocolate mousse for dessert. The meal also included a free glass of wine :). After getting back, I hung out with my best friends from the program the rest of the night, and spent the night talking and taking a late-night walk around the city.
Today will pretty much be doing a little homework and just relaxing!

9.18.2011

So last week was my first official full week of classes. My schedule is almost ideal, minus the fact that I have one class on Fridays. But at least it should be a good class! Monday is when I have my integrated class-- history of religions (class with French students), and that starts at 5:15, so I have my whole day free before that, which should be nice for any traveling I might be doing. The class will be talking about Christianity, Judaism and Islam. Tuesdays I have the discussion element to that class in the morning, and am done by 11:15. Wednesdays are my busiest, with two classes (Grammar and Medieval Literature). I only have one class on Thursday  (Phonetics), as well as Friday (History of the role of women in France throughout History). So far, my professors seem really great and very helpful, and I am feeling more at ease with having all my classes in French. 
       I don't have much to update about, this week pretty much consisted of classes. I did have my most interesting meal I've had so far on Thursday! My family had veal, including the bones to eat the marrow out of. It was so delicious! I was a little hesitant about eating bone marrow, but it was very tasty. On Thursday night, I went to my first foam party, which was more fun than I thought it would be. The only bad part was getting 3 hours of sleep before my class Friday, but I had to go since it was the last one! :P
      Saturday, I got to spend the day on the Mediterranean beach again, and it was perfect. I even wore enough sunscreen this time, so I'm not completely fried today! That night, I watched some movies with some friends from the program, and on my way home, ran into a couple other people from the program who were with French students, and so I got to spend the rest of my night interacting with young French people, which was so fun!
    It's raining today, which is a big deal, since it's always so sunny here. I don't think clouds exist  UNLESS it's raining. I think I'm playing dominoes with my host parents later today, and after that I get to skype with my parents for the first time since I've been here! :) :)

9.10.2011

Well, we finally got done with the pre-session class, which is definitely a relief. The final exam was difficult, but the oral exam went well I think. Anyway, the classes I will for sure be taking are: Phonetics, Grammar, France Au Feminin: History of the roles of women throughout French history, Medieval French literature, all of which are program classes-- meaning they are geared toward people whose first language is not French. As far as my integrated class (the class where I will be with French students), I will be deciding between history of religions in France or a sociology class. We can go to multiple classes and then decide among them for the integrated portion. So far I've had Phonetics and France Au Feminin.  Phonetics was okay, but so far it seems a little dull, but the professor is extremely nice. France Au Feminin seems like it will really interesting, again, with a very good professor.

I just got back from our last group excursion for a while. We went to the city of Aigues Mortes and toured its ramparts. 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aigues_Mortes
After, we headed to the port city of Grau du Roi, and took a catamaran trip  on the Mediterranean, followed by some time on the beach. I got my first French sunburn today!

I love it in Montpellier so far, and feel lucky to have such a fantastic host family and a solid group of friends here! :)

9.4.2011

The first few days with my host family has been really excellent, and I couldn't have asked for anyone better. They cook delicious meals, help me with my French, and they only have one rule: to be home for dinner. Classes are okay, I have a paper due on Tuesday and a test and oral exam on Wednesday, and then on Thursday real classes start. It's a little overwhelming, but manageable. On Friday I got to see a couple apartments of some friends, and they were pretty nice but I am definitely happy I chose to live with a host family. On Saturday, the group took an excursion to Carcassonne, a medieval city about 2 hours from Montpellier. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carcassonne

 Now I'm getting into a routine which is nice, so I've basically been hanging out at my host family's house or my friends' apartments. I can walk everywhere, and will only have to ride the tram to the University, so that's really nice. The German exchange student, Jerome, moved in today and will be here for three months. So far, he seems very friendly.

9.1.11

I just moved in with my host family today, and so far, it is much less intimidating than I had anticipated!! I live with a couple and their dog and son (who apparently only sleeps here sometimes), and have a really nice room on the second floor. The bed is lofted, just like in a dorm, and I have plenty of room for all my clothes, personal items, etc. Both the host mother (Veronique) and host father (Amaury) are quite easy to understand, which is a relief. Their house is 20 minutes from downtown on foot, so that is absolutely perfect! The location is just perfect. The parents are so friendly, and willing to help me with everything. Tonight at dinner, we ate homemade bread, ratatouille, couscous, and chicken, easily the best meal I've had since I've been in France. We talked a ton, and they were very open about their lives, and interested in mine. I found out that they have been hosting students each semester for 10 years, so they really do know what they are doing! The most exciting thing I've found out so far is that there is ANOTHER exchange student moving in on Sunday from Germany! My host mother told me she loves hosting students during the school year because it's like getting to travel all over the world without leaving home. They've hosted students from England, Germany, Japan, Sweden, the U.S., Italy, Spain, Brazil, Switzerland, Austria, South Korea, and several other countries.
They are not at all strict, the only time i need to be home by is 7:30 for dinner, which definitely will not be a problem. My host mom is so fun to talk to. We both read the book "The Help" this last summer, and loved it, and she told me she loves facebook mostly because she is addicted to the game FarmVille. Both parents have made me feel so at home already, telling me I can eat anything I want from the kitchen, having me help with the dishes, and telling me that they do all the laundry, so I just have to put it in the basket :). I cannot wait to see how this semester unfolds!

8.31.11

Sunday was very relaxing, and consisted of walking around Montpellier, exploring the city. Then I went out to eat for the first time that night, at an Indian restaurant! It was delicious. Monday was really fun! After class, our afternoon was free, so I went with my roommates and another girl to celebrate her birthday. We got some French ice cream (I got pistachio), and then we walked around the mall downtown. I found out that clothes here are really expensive, and also really cute! Hopefully a sale comes around soon. That night we went out to the Australian again. On Tuesday, 8-30, all the students in the program watched a French film called "Je vous trouve très beau", a cute romantic comedy! Then I spent my night studying for our first test, which was today. I'm not really sure how it went, but I'm hoping for the best! Later, we had a school-sponsored wine and cheese tasting! It was so much fun, and I learned more about wine than I ever thought I would, so that's exciting! For some reason it tasted better than the 1-2 euro wine that I've been buying for myself. Tonight, I'm just doing some packing, and going out one last time with a group, since it is our last night in the hotel! I move in with my host family tomorrow! I AM SO EXCITED!!!!

The rest of my first week in Montpellier

         On Wednesday, August 24th after class, everyone in the group headed over to a beach on the Mediterranean called "Le Petit Travers". It was so amazing! It was perfect weather, soft sand, so of course the conditions were perfect for me to get a little sleep and get a sunburn. The sea was perfect for swimming, so a group of us ended up out in the water for about 2 hours. That has been the most relaxing day by far on this trip.
          The pre-session class hasn't been too difficult so far. Right at the beginning of orientation, we all had to take a placement test and were placed into the classes based on our score. I tested into the most advanced class which I'm happy about, the level is not too difficult, and I understand most of what is being said. We've had a little grammar homework each night and so far just two very short and informal papers to turn in for grades.
          On Thursday night, my roommates and I along with other people from our program went to the "Australian", which is a bar/ disco tech right by our hotel. It was so much fun! The music was awesome for dancing to, and the French men were not nearly as touchy as guys in the U.S. clubs that I've been to. Here's a link to my favorite song of the night, which happened to be by Mika :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4FYZqOJryA
         Friday was super low key, I just went to class, then we had to do a bunch of administrative procedures like filling out forms for the University Paul- Valery in Montpellier. That night, a bunch of us watched the famous French film, "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" in a friend's room.
         Saturday, August 27th was probably my favorite day I've had so far! We got up early and took a bus to Pont du Gard for a tour of the aqueduct there, and it was absolutely beautiful there. Pictures will be up soon (hopefully).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pont_du_gard
After that, we went over to the city of Nimes, where we had two hours of free time for lunch and exploring. A couple of us decided to find some Crepes. During our tour, we saw the Roman Ampitheater, the "Maison Caree" (square house) and  "Jardin du Fontaines" (garden of fountains). Also, I thought it was cool that denim (the fabric) comes from Nimes! Denim= de Nimes. Anyway, after we got back, I went out to an actual restaurant for the first time. But instead of a French restaurant, we went out to a really delicious Indian restaurant by our hotel! I got to try some various "beignets", so basically deep fried onions, cheese, and squash on a bed of greens, with various types of homemade sauce. Then some girls and I went out to the Australian club again that night.
       I think today (Sun, August 28), some people and I are going to head over to the beach and just relax there all day. 

Montpellier orientation (first couple days)

So far, I absolutely love being in Montpellier!! I am staying a hotel/ apartment thing (has continental breakfast and room service, but also a kitchen and dishwasher). I am staying with two really nice girls, and the people in my orientation group are from all over the United States. Each day has been filled with learning important information, regarding safety or basic knowledge such as how to get around the city, etc. Then the afternoons have consisted of touring Montpellier as a group. Our evenings are completely free, and during that time I have been hanging out with a bunch of new people who I've met, and gone out to bars, or just walked around Montpellier. I am so happy with everyone I have met, and now that i have a local phone I hope to keep in contact with them when I move in with my host family. I will give you more details about Orientation as it actually happens, but mostly, the days are set up so that from 9 a.m.- 12:30, we have intensive French class (FOR A GRADE. I was not ready to be in an actual class. But it's pretty fun). And then during the afternoons, we will often be taking excursions just outside the city! I am so excited for that! Tomorrow we will be going to the beach!!!

The one downfall of France: No free public bathrooms. Oh well, c'est la vie! These upcoming 2.5 weeks will be extremely busy, but after I am settled at the host family's home on Sept. 1st, I should have more downtime to update this blog in more detail.

Travelling to France.

I am now in Montpellier, France! Hooray! Travel was boring. The flight from Minneapolis to Paris was 8 hours. Luckily, there were movies and TV shows to choose from, as well as SOLITAIRE! The eventful part of the day so far was getting to the Montpellier and my luggage not showing up at the baggage claim. 3 other people and I from the program are in the same boat. It's apparently supposed to show up later tonight. Well, I don't have much more to talk about right now. We start orientation tomorrow (Monday, August 22nd). So until then, I am gonna go explore this city a little bit with some other students in the program!