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!