Bearing the Cold

School

It has been extra hard getting up these mornings due to the unbearable cold. I force myself out of my warm cocoon to face the freezing mornings. Getting to class is actually nice after my cold little commute.

As for my classes, they are going quite well. I am taking two courses that are a continuation of last semester's Linguistics and 19th Century French Lit. Then I am taking two courses at the foreigner center which consist of French Economics and 18th Century French Art. So far, I find the economics course quite interesting. Linguistics is as hard as ever, but if I put in extra effort, I'm sure it'll all work out.

I only have class Tuesday - Thursday. It is a college student's dream.

Thus - Thursday Night 

It has been a challenge maneuvering the streets of Bordeaux. All the snow has solidified creating some dangerous black ice. Running late in the morning for class has been specifically hard. My usual run has turned into somewhat of a quick waddle. It's really attractive.

So, Thursday night in the dimly lit street I had to be extra cautious to avoid the ice.

When I finally arrived at the Cock n Bull, an english bar I had never visited before, the welcoming warm air burned my ice cold face. However, with a 4 euro cocktail student night, we all warmed up real quick.

Tonight: Tacos at Marina's :) Happy Weekend everyone!

Snowing in Bordeaux

I woke up this morning to Ynel's (my little host brother) screaming. Okay, maybe not screaming, but talking a wired, giddy voice. I checked my watch and it was 9 a.m. I lay in bed wondering what possessed a 12-year-old to wake up so early on a Sunday with such energy. I finally rolled out of bed and opened my shutters. I stood in shock at the sight. Our garden was completely covered in snow.

Joana and Ynel convinced me to head over to see the Jardin Public. I threw on some clothes and my warm coat and opened the front door. I don't know what I was expecting to see, but obviously I am not accustomed to snow because I was surprised, yet again, at the sight of our street in a blanket of snow.

I was selective about photos since my fingers had limited functioning time in the cold. I snapped some shots of my walk to the Jardin. The Palais Gallien was absolutely astonishing.

I turned the corner into the Jardin Public which was filled with laughter, kids running around, dogs pouncing in the snow piles, grown adults throwing snow balls. I honestly never knew French people had this kind of fun in them. I joke -- kinda.

On my walk home I was wondering what humans find so magical about snow. But actually, it is one element that we just cannot duplicate quite like nature. We are masters of fire, experts at extracting and filtering water, we turn rocks into sparkling jewelry, and we can even purify air, however when it comes to snow, we are absolutely baffled. 

Even our greatest attempt at duplicating nature is futile. We take so much electricity and insulation to create a small arctic-like space. In this freezer, we are capable of making small, uniform chunks of ice. I think snow shows us that nature is so much bigger and better than us. 

Happy February :)

Check out more pics here

Freeezing February

HOLY... COW!

I have never experienced a winter like this in my life. All the Bordelais have been telling me we are so lucky to have such a late winter. However, I don't feel lucky at all. It's that kind of cold that no matter how much you bundle up, the cold will get in, chill your bones, and make you think you're going to die of hypothermia. Okay, maybe that last part is just me and my hypochondria.

Here's the current weather conditions at nearly 1 p.m.:

Regardless, this Californian is freezing her ass off. My long down-filled coat, scarf, gloves, furry hat, boots and thick socks are not cutting it. It snowed in most parts of France this morning. Luckily, my morning class was cancelled so I am curled up in my fuzzy robed and slippers enjoying the warmth of my cozy room.

Off to catch up on some studying then I'll have to bear this weather for an evening class. If you don't hear from me, just know it was a cold, but quick death. Just kidding, but seriously if I come back to California missing some fingers or the tip of my nose, you'll know what happened.

Les Devoirs

Les Devoirs

Sorry I've been a little M.I.A. but I've had my first round of real schoolwork. It was a bit of a shock since we don't do much schoolwork usually. I have a little quiz in my phonetics class Monday and an essay in my Middle Ages class today. Thus, I haven't had much time to blog. Hopefully I didn't fail both tests. I studied (Edouard even helped) but it definitely wasn't up to real frenchie material.

Fête Foraine 

We did take a little break from studies last night and we visited the Fair! Let me tell you, just like everything else in France, the rides take For-Everrrr! A few friends rode this ride that spinned in circles for a good ten minutes. The guy on the loudspeaker said "encore???" after the first five minutes and then started the ride again! Poor things. I brought my little French brother Inel with me and he was so sick after the ride we had to go home! Although, I was glad he was ready to leave because he was like the energizer bunny and we were all like old people.

Les Vacances

It is officially break! We have a week break. Therefore, I'm leaving for Paris tomorrow morning. We are going to experience it without the stress of culture shock this time. I am really excited. Although, it has been sooooo cold here - like in the high 50's. I'm literally dying. I miss my warm fuzzy robe at home, which is my winter household staple. I will try to pack enough warm clothes for the weekend in Paris. I'll post all the pics when I'm back.

Je suis malade!!

I am sick :( I picked up some horrible frenchie cold that's got me draggin' ass. I will post a real blog soon hopefully.

Patrimoine - Day 2

Tour Pay-Berland
Giant bell tower. We waited in line for soooooo long. It rained, it got windy, bryan and I got food while Lauren and Marina waited, we brought it back, we ate, it rained again, then we finally made it in. You walk up this teeny tiny never ending spiral staircase - 231 steps to be exact.

But once you get to the top, Bordeaux takes your breath away.

Le Palais Rohan
We had a guided tour of the archbishop's palace, which now serves as a part of the town hall. It was pretty cool.

Random City Pictures