As I skipped my way over to the first day of language classes, I realized (with a laugh at myself for even thinking this,) that I've been running since I stepped foot in Tours. At the train station, then Monday morning on my way to school, my first two days here have challenged me to hold to the name. Woops! Should've considered the universe's devious way of making things work out just so. Nonetheless!
So yes, yesterday morning I walked to school for the first time, aided only by the map and oral directions given to me by my host mother.
Quick sidenote: I never talked about her! My host mother here is so nice. She dealt with me not being able to reach her at the airport (I was supposed to call and tell her which of the two prospective trains I'd be riding, but my calling card wouldn't let me call to France...) and has been nothing but kind and welcoming these past two days. Like so many of the people I have encountered in France... any time I needed to ask for guidance people have been extremely helpful, and have not turned their noses at me once for stammering over my vocabulary that has been drained by summer. Strangers have helped us move luggage, and one couple actually approached Lily and I in the train station when they saw us circling the main lobby! Thanks to them I got in contact with my host mother and was able to leave the past hour behind knowing that I am surrounded by wonderful people everywhere I turn.
The walk to school is about twenty-five minutes, and though I started off in the completely wrong direction (something I never inherited from my mother was a good sense of direction,) I found my way to the school on time!
Except.. no, not really! I walked into the courtyard and I guess I had "new student" written all over my face, for a very nice girl walked up to me and directed me to the second floor library to enroll. They took my name, gave me a quick interview/oral exam, and said I was free until class started at 9:45. Making good time, I had about half an hour to kill.
However! I was fortunate enough to walk past Barbara, another study abroad student from my school at home, and was quickly informed that I entered the wrong building! So, I went over to bâtiment (building) A and was properly enrolled in a level 6 class, withdrawn from the 2-week program that bâtiment B apparently thought I was supposed to take.
So, though I made it to school on time... I walked into class late because of my various mistakes. Live and learn! I know exactly how to get to school this morning, and I know where I need to be. Thankfully I have two other HC students in my class (one who was my college roommate Freshman year, actually!) and professors that are both entertaining and easy to understand. This is a school composed solely of international students, and and far as I can tell, the professors are gifted at working at the right pace.
After class, I decided to buy some toiletries I left purposely in the US to keep the luggage "light." Study abroad student mistake #1: find places with the right price!
Yup. Definitely paid too much for shampoo and conditioner at the pharmacie, and found stuff for a couple of euros less at Monoprix down the street (where a worker at the pharmacie directed me for something they didn't have... wish she'd told me the prices there are much better! But why would she do that haha that's not good for her business) Anyway it's fine, I got oatmeal-infused shampoo which will probably keep my skin from exploding anyway... sensitive skin. But I know for the future where to buy the cheaper, less-good-for-my-skin-but-I-can-deal-c'est-normal shampoo!
(I'll be done soon, I promise! Read on if you so choose..)
Lunch in France is a beautiful thing-- two hours long. Thankfully everyone has it at the same time, so yesterday all of us HC students grabbed ridiculously delicious sandwiches (which came with a drink and a croissant or pain au chocolat) together. I'm very lucky to be travelling with such nice girls, and look forward to this month together before we separate to our respective cities!
Lunch reminds me of something... there are some things you should know about France.
1) Breakfast is really just bread and jam/butter, plus coffee, tea, or juice. That's really it. I knew this coming in because I'd been to France once before and encountered this culture shock, but it's always fun to say "it's not just in textbooks!" Besides, I really shouldn't say "just bread and jam/butter"... the bread here is pretty much Godly. Unfortunately, I haven't seen one whole grain yet, and that's basically the only type of bread I eat back home...
2) Lunch is the big meal. Dinner is "late" here (I put late in quotation marks because for me, 7/8 pm dinner is very, VERY normal at home. But for most Americans, I think 5:30/6:30 is the norm.) So I'm a fan of late dinner!
3) Fun story: my first night here, it was time for dinner and I sat down with my host mother to see a baguette and some sliced tomatoes in a bowl between our plates. I mentally panicked for a moment: "Is this all I will be eating for dinner? I don't remember dinner being this small.. I remember dinner lasting a long time when I was here! At least I have trail mix in my backpack..." Then I remembered that yes, French dinner does take a long time. This was course one.
It seems to go like this: bread and some sort of vegetable, then the main course (first night my host mother left me at the table after we ate the bread and tomatoes to come out several minutes later with a delicious pan of chicken with potatoes and vegetables,) and dessert if you so desire (home-made yogurt!) My host mother, like myself, loves to cook, and so does her family! Last night I tried her grandparents' pâté for the first time (and their cidre,) and my host mother had made the yogurt we ate for dessert the night before. Her parents, however, made the confiture (jam) that sat at the bottom of each container!
So, I'm starting out here running a bit and walking the streets of Tours with a colorful map and lots of ambition. I am determined to fully embrace this experience, and so far I've learned that... oh boy, there is a lot to learn. I haven't even talked about my French civilization class yet! But more of that another time... this post is already longer than I promised it would be.
From across the pond,
Alexandra
PS-- I will edit these last two posts with pictures in the soontime! (I know that's not a word, but if you know me, I use it a lot.) Night!
No comments:
Post a Comment