Quelle journée! (What a day!) This morning I visited a house to see if it would suit me for my next residence, after my family stay ends in a few weeks. It is a lovely old house, seated right beneath the mountains and walls of the citadelle! The woman who lives there is retired and spends her days caring for an ill friend who lives a few blocks away. I would have my own bedroom and bathroom, and access to the kitchen for preparing my own meals. It is about a 15-20 minute walk to my school from there, in a very nice neighborhood that is easy to navigate. There is a boulangerie (bakery) and Petit Casino (a type of small grocery store) very nearby as well. I think I will really like it there.
After lunch in the R. U. (lasagne this time, much better than the fish), I went to the CLA (my school) to find out the results of the placement exams. I placed into level C1, one level higher than I thought I would (the levels are: B1, B2, C1, C1+). Christine placed into the same level, too! I am very pleased and looking forward to classes starting on Monday. As soon as I figure out what classes I'm taking, I will def. let you know.
This afternoon I went to the Prefecture to make an appt to get my carte de séjour, a government-issued card which allows me to stay in France for up to a year. They were all booked up until the 28th of February! Such a long time to wait- don't let me forget!! I'll have to write it down in a bunch of places.
After that I stopped by the theatre to see if they had any tickets left to see the production of "Le Roi Lear" (King Lear) tonight, but alas they were completely sold out. Oh well, there are literally all sorts of shows here playing non-stop. Lear just happened to be one of the few titles I recognized. Instead, Christine and I are going to see the movie "Sweeney Todd," which I am super excited about as I did not have the chance to see it in the U.S.
Finally, on my way back to the house I grabbed a gauffre sucre au chocolat (waffle with powdered sugar and chocolate sauce), what a treat after a long day! And what a tasty mess :-)
I’m studying abroad in Besançon, France, for the spring semester of 2008. Join me as I share written entries about my experience as well as pictures and videos!
Besancon from Above
Links
About Me
- Amanda
- Besançon, France
6 comments:
Beware of the chocolat in France!!!!One never knows the effect it may have on you!!!!!Do you get the news of what is going on in the US? The election news? etc.? Congrats on you placement exams. I knew you would do well. So happy you have found a friend with such similar likes. God is good! Love, dw
Dear Amanda Panda--
How do you say in French......"you ROCKED those exams!!!" Good job!!
It will be fun to start classes and meet even more people.
The new place to live sounds great!! A little grandma would be a perfect place to feel safe and cozy.
Tillie and I are going to San Antonio in the morning. She is dancing at half-time at the San Antonio Spurs game (that would be pro-baskteball, just in case it's all foreign to you!):-)
Carry on having a great time!!
Love, Rene'
Just wanted you to know that in the interest of trying to absorb more of the French culture, we just watched "Ratatouille". Can't tell you how much it helped us in our quest!!!!!!Must toddle off to bed soon since I am going to work the 7-3 shift tomorrow. At the rate we are going with the snow and cold weather, we will probably have snow on the ground when you return next summer. It is pretty!!!Love, dw
Hey Cousin! It sounds like you're having a great time in France. I admire you so much, I don't think I could study abroad without getting sidetracked or homesick. Life is a compilation of your experiences and you have gained a lot of experience in your young years. Has being in France affected your feelings about American culture (or lack there of)? Do you miss the ever so popular "reality" TV? Have you cought up on all the recent DRAMA between our boy Barack and Hilary (along with Bill)? The end of Januray is getting pretty HOTT...We'll see what happens in S. Carolina tonight! Have a glass of wine and some chocolate for me!
Merci, everyone!
Dw you are too funny with that chocolat comment and the ratatouille one as well :)
Rene' tell Tillie I say Bonne chance (good luck) for the spurs performance- how exciting!! That is a BIG deal!
Emily if you read this I need you to catch me up on what is going down in the political ring these days, it is not easy to follow here with limited internet access and no CNN! There is, however, plenty of dubbed american tv shows and movies and lots of english lang music on the radio.
Sometimes when I zone out in public I forget where I am and what language people are speaking and it feels really weird. Like I'm slightly removed from the action and watching life with new eyes, seeing things that are exactly the same but feel very different.
Post a Comment