What I'm Really Doing Here...

I suppose it's time that I share what I'm actually doing here, no? My full time job is of course being a student at the University, I take 21 credit hours a week. Everyday I wake up between 7 and 8am and am at school for at least 3 to 6 hours- always with a 2 hour "sieste" (which is the time where the whole country is put on pause and goes to sleep/ eats in the comfort of their own home or elsewhere).

I take 9 hours a week of "general language"- in this class we cover everything between grammar and conjugations, translating poems, to practicing our "expression orale" in debates, or sharing our opinions with endless subjects (politics, French food, French culture, the environment, homosexual rights, smoking, China, 'taboos' in France and elsewhere, traveling, fashion, wine, weather, our homework, film and music, and one of the most common topics of "why is French grammar so strange? How is conjugating this verb right? Why are there so many irregular verbs that I have to memorize?!" Overall- it's a very fun class. At the moment our class is writing a small newspaper, my group is covering "Où sortir? Vivre ta Vie à Angers": where to go in Angers to eat like a local, and where to have fun or just relax in the city. I get the amazing job of researching restaurants, cafes, bars, cinema, bowling alleys, the multiple parks and fountains, cheap places to eat, historical sites, etc and am getting credit for it ^_^ Bon Chance, non?

I also take 3 hours a week of "oral expression" where it's one big conversation between the international students. 3 hours of "writing competency" where we are lectured on endless vocabulary, 3 hours of grammar where we do endless exercises and practice our grammar (obviously), and finally 3 hours of "oral comprehension" where we listen to clips of TV programs, or radio excerpts, or staged discussion on CD's and do our best to understand them, and then we'll continue to listen to the same track for the rest of the class until it's crystal clear. These classes are kind of tedious, but I truly believe that I've already dramatically improved my French skills and I can carry on conversation with my homestay or professors or shop vendors entirely in French- THAT is an amazing feeling.

Another fantastic thing about this program is that there are students from all over the world here being bonded by French language and culture. For example, Sam and I have made some pretty good friends whom we visit a lot in our free time- our nationalities span from Italy, Greece, New Zealand, USA, France, Korea, Japan, China, England (Liverpool), Irish, etc. It's natural for us to switch between English and French in our conversations. I'm learning about other cultures as we share stories from our homeland.

On another note, I had lunch with my "famille l'accueil" or literally "the welcome family" or more familiarly my homestay and her brother, wife and children for a very large lunch.
Here's a general idea of what a traditional family dinner/ lunch is in France... It begins with the whole family sitting around the same table with wine and bread laid out on the table (literally ON the table- your bread never goes on your plate). The host after a long period will put of "l'entrée" or "hors d'œuvres" or appetizers which can range from sausage and crab bites, or vegetables chopped with other vegetables in a vinaigrette- but there's always several things to taste on the table. Next after some more wine the host will bring out the main dish, or "plat du principal" which usually has meat, potatoes, and vegetables- or other times a pasta dish. Next, you have a salad and a cheese platter is placed in the middle of the table with several different types of cheeses from different regions of France- Chevre (goat), Camembert, Swiss, Brie and many versions of it, and there's always a cheese that I have no idea what it is but always surprises me with a new taste!