beeeehind

Oh no! I am WAY behind! Catch up time will come before I leave for 3 countries in 16 days on Friday... You must hear about Paris and Munich... and see the photos. But now it's back to study time! Histoire de l'art examen demain... :)

Bittersweet

This week has been bittersweet... I have stayed in every night studying, which has been great because I'm pretty sure have done well/will do will on my tests (I have one left in the morning!). However, it's bittersweet because, while I may be retaining the information for the class, I don't feel as confident with my spoken french as I did last couple of weeks when I was hanging out and having conversations in french all night long. So it's kind of been a bummer... but at least next week I'm test free!!! :)

Beau

Il faisait beau tout la semaine. Pour cette raison, la concentration est très dificil... et allant au cours aussi, parce que je veux rester dans le soleil et je veux lire un roman... mais n'est pas possible quand j'ai cours! Mais, c'est aussi dificil d'aller au cours quand il pleut. Donc, je ne suis jamais satisfiasant.

It has been beautiful all week!! For this reason, concentration is very difficult... and going to class also, because I want to rest in the sun and and I want to read a book... but it's not possible when I have class!! But, it's also difficult to go to class when it rains. So, I am never satisfied!

but... it is supposed to get colder next week. bummer.



Sneak peak for Paris photos... my love for this street performer may have something to do with my love for reflections. Check. That. OUT!

Death and Dying

I found out late last night that a friend died in a terrible motorcycle accident on Thursday. What's sad about it, is I received an invite to the memorial services on facebook and I thought it was a joke... it's so surreal to hear someone die at our age: especially when it is sudden.

It just makes me realize - once again - how short life is, and that in an instant it can be taken away. Make sure you tell those you love that you love them and live each and every day to it's fullest!!


http://www.pitmanfuneralhome.com/view.php?id=794

Paris

I love Paris. Not as much as NYC... but still, I love it. My friends there are absolutely fantastic, and it's always great to meet new people!!

However, my point and shoot camera broke :( Bummer man. I'm going to try to get it fixed this week at the camera shop in Angers.

One thing I don't like about Paris, however, is how EVERYONE speaks English! It's great if you don't know any French... but when I want to be practicing my French, it makes things quite difficult. It was kind of funny, though, because I had 4 people this weekend think I am German. At least they didn't think I am an American lol


Ok, time for bed. Photos and stories to come sometime this week... I have 4 tests to study for, so it may be the end of the week.

Take care!!!

Destiny

I got my care package from my dad, consisting of TWO jars of peanut butter and 2 giant bags of reeses pieces. I might as well be in KS! (+ my 501 verb conjugations book!)

But also a card saying this:

"Watch your thoughts, for they become your words. Choose your words, for they become your actions. Understand your actions, for they become habits. Study your habits, for they will become your character. Develop your character, for it will become your destiny."

..."Great words to live by! I think of you every day with a smile and love. Be safe- enjoy- experience. Love, Dad"


He's right. As always.

Tutorat

I had a meeting with my langue (language) teacher today, which we all have to do sometime. She said that I seem to be doing really well with my French, but I really need to work on my written part of it, with which I have to agree. Since last week, I met a lot of new friends friends, which is absolutely FANTASTIC for practicing my oral comprehension and response... but at the same time, I'm not writing what I'm saying, so that's not getting better. However, today was the first day I feel like I am not translating what people are saying in french in to english in my head... it's kind of weird because I think I am repeating what they are saying as they are saying it just to make sure I understand. The good part about that is I am gaining a much larger vocabulary, and I really surprise myself when I come up with a word (or... a NUMBER!!!) that I didn't think I knew. The more I talk in french the more I am feeling comfortable... go figure... but it's pretty great.

Do you feel safe?

These are the police officers outside of the train station... how safe does this make you feel?


3 officers.
6 eyes looking at 2 cellphones.

hm.

Actually, I feel really safe in Angers. So it's kind of a joke. But kind of not.

Besançon

Besançon = incroyable. (Besançon = incredible).

The city is very old and has a lot of history to it! I thought Angers was old, but actually, it got almost completely destroyed in WWII and then rebuilt. So, really, it's not the same. (Alors, vraiment, elle n'est pas le même). But one can just SEE the old within Besançon!! I must back track a little bit... since I did spend a night in Paris first.

I arrived in Paris after little sleep because I went out with friends the night before, then had class at 8am. Smart. I also knew that I was going to get even less sleep - if any- Friday night. But, regardless, I was prepared for fatigueness! So I arrive in Paris wearing these spectacular red heels, which, the first night I wore them, were not a problem. Ha. Paris had a different plan in mind. Thus, by the end of the night, I was like this:

Translation = red and 3 or 4 blisters on each foot.

BUT the night was well worth the blisters, gross disgusting dirty feet, and 2 hours of sleep. Guillaume and Rodrigo took me to a restaurant that had an incredible view of the eiffel tower and then we had dinner, met some new friends and some old (yay Raphaelle!) and went to come bars and a club near the Louvre. It's really crazy how small the world is. Raphaelle, Rodrigo, and Guillaume all knew people from KU (they all went there) but also back in Paris at their jobs. Crazy!!


OH... I forgot to say that I tried escargot. I didn't mind it, but it's not something I would order by myself.







So... I got on the train to go to Besançon at 8:30 in the morning. WOAH. I was unable to sleep for the 2 1/2 ride, which is probably due to the fact that I was SO excited to see Pauline and Julien again! After they picked me up at the gare, we went to their apartment where we sat on the porch for a couple hours (je pense? peut-être?) because the weather was so beautiful (parce que il faisait très beau). Then Pauline made crêpes from scratch for lunch, before her parents arrived with a gâteau made sans flour... just ground nuts! Normally I'm not a fan of nuts, but of course I ate it because I'm in a different country and that's just the respectful thing to do! It was really good. MM the joy of trying new things. So, because the weather was still so gorgeous, we went for a late afternoon/early evening walk around the centre ville (downtown) of Besançon. I still find it so surreal to be looking at a castle and to think that, yes, I am really there and it is NOT a photograph. Also, I am standing on a part of history that is hundreds of years old! I don't think it's something you can understand until you experience... which is something you must do in your lifetime.













Then we returned back to the apartment to eat Raclette, which is sausage, potatoes, and melted cheese (the cheese is called "raclette"). I'm pretty sure it's a good thing I was only with Pau et Ju for 2 days... or else I would have gained about 20 pounds in a week! I was never hungry with them! Due to the fact that I was stuffed beyond belief, I took a 20 minute nap, which was, in reality, 2 hours. When I woke up, at midnight (I think?) it was almost time to go back to bed.

Sunday was really laid back, and the weather was kinda blah. Still pretty warm, but also overcast and spitting rain. Because of that we took it easy and Pau drove me around the outskirts and "countryside" of Besançon. She showed me the school where she works (and where the 12 year olds try to go smoke cigarettes), and then took me to the top of a huge hill where I could see the whole downtown of the city. It was so cool, until this bizarre man came up to us and tried to talk to us. Even when I told him he spoke too fast so I had no idea what he was talking about, he was determined to have a conversation with Pau, but she didn't know what he was talking about either because he was talking photo terms, which she didn't understand. Hm. Interesting. That was our queue to leave!

Sadly, by late afternoon it was time to return home. However, I decided a few things while in Besançon:
1. Older women like to make their hair bright colors. Maybe it's to show that they still have a young heart.


2. I LOVE old cities.
3. It's very difficult to understand people that do not speak proper french.
4. People carry rats on their shoulders.

5. I like reflections on windows. And reflections of windows. And windows.





6. I'm staying in Europe to travel until AUGUST!! There just is not enough time to do everything while I'm taking classes...

YAY!!

La poste

Bien sûr la post est fermer pour déjeuner... quand j'ai une petite pause. Je veux le paquet de mon père!!

(Of course the post office is closed for lunch... when I have a little break. I want the package from my dad!)

Près que toutes les magasins ferment pour déjeuner... par 12h-14h.

(Close to all of the stores close for lunch... from 12-2p)

UGH.

Tired

I'm tired - but alive.

Be ready for a spectacular (and long) update tomorrow--- in English AND French (j'éspere...)


Good night (bonne soirée)

Cate

So tired

I have a laundry list of things to do this weekend (with laundry being one of them)... that I could get started on some of the things tonight, but I'm SO tired that I'm just going to go to bed.

But something to think about... have you ever wondered how many photos you are in that you didn't know about? For instance, do you ever look at a photo you took of friends or whatever and wondered who "that person" is in the background, or what the heck they were doing? I love taking candid photos of people on the streets... (aka street photography)... and usually they have no idea I have that moment of their life forever in a photograph.

I don't know... that's just something I was thinking about on my (what seemed like a forever) walk home tonight after a fantastic steak and... uh-o... cookie dough ice cream dinner/dessert with Emma.

Bed time.

A demain.