happenings

So I'm sitting in the computer lab at the university and outside the window the sun is shining, coffee brewing, and a man playing an accordian in the street - welcome to france!

Matt and I have been pretty busy with classes and family, and sometimes we just don't know where to start on this thing; but Matt is off to his over-achiever class and I'm waiting so we can eat some lunch before we both have our language courses.

Language courses: I have never loved a class as much as I love this course. I think that might be too bold of a statement, but all that to say, I love my class! I'm learning so much and am forced to use my french because the professor asks us questions and we struggle through an answer knowing she'll help us along - it's so freeing! My professor is very interested in current events and will often ask different students from China, Japan, Russia and the US what a certain topic is like in the other countries, I can tell she really loves foreign students and has a gift for working with us. So anyway, Madame Moreels (or Natalie as she asks us to call her) is truly a blessing to my intake of the french lanugage. My listening comprehension is definitely my weak spot but no better way to learn than listening to the asians speak french. It has gotten a little easier, but it's still really tricky. Sometimes I find myself wondering if someone is speaking Chinese or french, I never thought I would think those languages sound similar!

Food: this is Matt's area of expertise and he's been documenting a lot about it, but I just wanted to say that last night's dinner is the reason I don't eat red meat. To say it was still "mooing" is an understatement, because in the states we use that phrase for meat that is more cooked than what I ate last night. BUT, I got seconds. It was somehow really good once you got past the fact that it mightaswellhave just come off of the styrofoam plate. Plus we had some fantastic red wine to top it off, and I almost want to reclaim myself as a red-meat eater...but only time will tell. Um also, Dad, Charles (the 12 year old) made that bananas foster last night for us that you make all the time, and wow, I'll teach you when I get home :) he had only the bananas in the pan and threw the match and liquor in at the same time, oh la la!! c'est fantastique!

Money: So I think this is interesting; Matt and I have been working through budgets for ourselves (now that the "soldes" are over -- big huge governement mandated sales and everything is super cheap) and I came to the conclusion that I was going to be very very broke by the end of this semester. Matt and I have to pay for lunch everyday and all meals on the weekends...this didn't seem like a lot until we sat down and did the math. Most students are like planning to go to Greece, Italy, Germany AND (not OR) Spain (add and subtract several other countries) during their time here, and I'm like "ohh yea, I'll probably be staying right here in aix because i have no money"...sooo we did some thinking and offered our host mom our cleaning services on the weekend in exchange for FOOD! A brilliant idea! So every saturday matt and I will be making the house spotless in exchange for our meals on the weekend. This opens up a plethera of options for us which is wonderful!

Travel: We have our first break coming up this month, the 13th-20th, so Matt and I along with the two other Covenant students here this semester, Elea Geerlings and Will Lutz, have all purchased tickets to LONDON to visit other Covenant students studying at Oxford! After a ton of stress and not working credit cards, we finally found and purchased the most affordable trek to London. Will also has cousins there that have offered to put us up in London - hot dang! So, slowly by slowly everything is coming together here!

Culture: Ok, so I'm a sucker for culture and LOVE watching and finding all the little differences between cultures. For one, people walk everywhere and I love it! That's an easy difference to spot; It's a little ironic too because people smoke like chimneys and hike it everywhere so maybe it evens out on their lungs - I don't know. Also people tend to be a lot quieter and keep to themselves more. This is especially a difference at night in the bar scene. Matt and I have gone bar-hopping a few nights (as a culture experience of course) and the people just don't get quite as rowdy as Americans do when they're drunk. I appreicate sitting in a bar having a beer and minding my own groups' conversation. Of course some people get rowdy - but in general it's less so. Outside of the bar-scene people are just plain quiet. You don't smile at other people on the street, or even make eye-contact. I've had two run-in's where something funny was said or happened in a store and I got to talk to the person behind or in front of me, but there have been hundreds of times where I've wanted to say something and it's just not "the culture".

So those are some thoughts for now...no pictures today because these computers are dumb and don't let me hook up my camera. Considering it's most likely our Mom's reading this, love you, miss you!