Ready to go Home

I am all packed and ready!!

Things I am looking forward to:

• Pierre
• Family & Friends
• Californian Summer
• Getting back to real life
• Finishing school soon (hopefully!)
• Mexican Food
• Sushi
• American Food
• Chinese Food
• Food in general...

Things I will Miss

• Crazy Nights like these:

and fun adventures with my favorite people..

• Discovering new things every day
• Learning a new language
• Living in a different culture
• Europe's amazing public transportation

I am going to miss everything and everyone so so much... I wish I could take them all with me

I have a feeling I'm going to come home like this:

But those feelings just mean that I did this year right :)

Good Year People, Good Year

Lisbon

Lisbon

Marina and I met my friend from uc Davis at the airport in Madrid. We took the short flight and bus to our hostel. We were greeted by five friends who were already there since the day before. Then my bestie from Davis flew in from London where she has been interning this semester.

The gang of nine set out for some authentic Portuguese dinner. We we recommended a restaurant within a few blocks. The menu was small but everyone liked what they ordered. After dinner we went for drinks.

Isabel enjoying her first steak in years.

There was a street lined with bars and people socializing in the street.

The next day we went to the beach the next day. It took a while to get such a large group together and ready, but we finally made it out of the hostel around 1pm. Our English friend Rebecca flew in that morning so we got enough sandwiches, snacks, and of course Portuguese wine for the day trip.

We had a blast. Swimming and sunbathing with friends on a beach in Lisbon... Who could complain?

We hopped the bus as the sun was setting. After a clean shower we had a chorizo and wine dinner. We sampled different chorizos barbecued on a small tabletop ceramic grill, while eating cheese and bread and washing it down with red wine.

Two hours later (bellies full of spicy meat and wine) we left the chorizo table and took a bottle of wine to the river. We relaxed for a bit then headed to bed.

The next day our group split into smaller groups. I went to see the castle on top of the city. The walk was a climb but well worth it. We stopped at a church and various little shops on the way. It was amazing and the view was beautiful.

After the castle, we had lunch, then we lost our friends. After a hopeless search we gave up and Marina, Rebecca and I visited Belém which is about 20 minutes by tram.

(Pictures to come - Sorry!)


We sampled some world famous pastries. The place could probably fit 250 people but it was still packed with a line out the door. However, it was well worth it.

For our last night with everyone we hit the bars one last time. But first we pre-gamed at our awesome hostel.

We met two girls from Bordeaux that came out with us and were really fun. In our drunken stupors I haggled 1 euro for a light up tiara and Aidan haggled 4 euro for a watch.

We ended the night with McDonald's (something I would regret the next day of course.)

Most of our friends left at four that morning. Marina, Isabel and I spent the next day sightseeing around our hostel.

The next morning we piled into a taxi. Marina and I said our goodbyes to our Madrid UC Davis friends and boarded our appropriate planes.

More Photos Here :)

Football in France

Thursday

After finishing a successful week at uni we celebrated at an artists house in the city. It was huge and gorgeous. Once again, I was reminded of how lucky I am to be studying in France.

Friday

Lauren, Arielle and I spent the day making posters and devouring cheese and baguettes. It was a little difficult finding the supplies we needed for our posters, but it all turned out fine in the end.

Joana made us an exceptional dinner (as always) and we were halted by the hailstorm. I posted a video in my previous blog. Here is the link.


Saturday

Some of our friends from university had a football match. Who knew there was American Football in France? Yeah, it was a little sketchy but nonetheless it was a version of American Football.

We grabbed our signs, some necessary drinks, snacks, and umbrellas and headed to the "stadium". After a couple hours of good hard cheering, our team lost by a hair. It was still fun. The crowd seemed to be a little perplexed and even us Americans had some difficulty. There was no announcer, chain-gang, only one referee, and various other discrepancies. So entertaining it was!

We celebrated our loss over beers after the game.

Sunday

Happy Easter!

Where In The World Did The Time Go?

Oops..

I haven't been blogging because I have fallen into the routine of things. I think I am finally, after months and months, feeling at home in Bordeaux. My classes and my home life are now pretty stabilized. I have finally started to realize who my real friends are and who were never really friends to begin with.  I forget that there are still things to discuss! So without further ado...

Classes

Remember the wonderful professor I told you about in my last blog? In my next assignment my thesis was on sex, and big surprise, I got a good grade. I think that alone says enough about his character. I stopped attending to class since our only two papers have been graded. Life is good.

My other classes: Art History, Linguistics, and Affaires are going well. No sex obsessed professors. I am currently taking a break from studying for my Linguistics exam.

Jardin Public

We have been picnicking, studying, relaxing at my favorite place in Bordeaux since the weather has been in the 70's. It's been supreme. Sometimes I end up at the Jardin several times a day because I go jogging in the morning, then sometimes I'll meet friends there, and at the end of the day in the city I will cut through the jardin on the way home. It's bliss.

Beach Day

About a dozen friends and I took at train to Arcachon to take advantage of the unseasonably warm weather. We packed food, drinks, towels, and beach activities and boarded the hour train. It was the best way to spend a Friday.

Random Thoughts

• Coming home is around the corner!
• Dear Black Beans and Refried Beans, We will be having a sweet reunion when I come home.
• I don't know why you can only buy loratadine in 7 day packs here... like allergies only last a week.
• Warm weather makes me want to chop off my hair.

Bye Bye !

Adaptations

Since returning to France I have been trying to find the even balance between being a foreigner but still making a home here. I felt like I would have more French friends and be living a completely French life by now. But as always, life is not black and white.

New Homes

One of my besties here, Lauren, just moved into a new place. She lives with another Californian and the proprietor. While the owner was gone this weekend, Lauren and her roommate Arielle threw a couple parties.

The first night was such a blast. The party was filled with Californians and Frenchies and Brits. It was so nice. I realized how much my french has improved. We joked and, of course, drank into the wee hours.
The second night was a bit crazy. Things got a little out of hand and the next day Lauren's proprietor came home early. Suffice it to say it was a disaster.

Relationships

Saturday night we went out with the British girls to have a girl night. We trash talked boys - it didn't matter what their race, origin, nationality, all we under scrutiny and as far as we were concerned, all we guilty.

Just the night before I was feeling like I had nearly failed in France, because I don't have any close French girl friends and I have been here for around 6 months. However, on second look, I have accomplished so much! I have these amazing friends, who cares if they are californian and british; they are the best. We can rely on each other, we can have the craziest, most fun nights, boring long classes and tests, but most of all we can all relate to each other. Yes, it's convenient we speak the same first language, but it goes far beyond that. We all suffer from stupid foreigner mistakes, longing for home, and facing cultural and/or academic challenges.

So what they're not French? We would have never found each other if it wasn't for being in France and studying abroad. I came here to learn other cultures and make friends and as far as I'm concerned, I am doing that. Of course I would love to have more French friends, but it's hard to find sincere people and befriend them no matter what country you are in.


Food

Marina and I made the trek to the only big asian store in Bordeaux (which isn't really even in Bordeaux) which took nearly an hour, but it was well worth it. We were overwhelmed when we walked in the door. Pocky sticks, tropical drinks, lumpia wrappers, clear noodles - actually all asian noodles of all types, and many many more. We were like kids in a candy store folks. We were all over the place. We came on a whim, hence no list, and we came out with several things we probably could have gone without.

I ran into a couple of frenchie friends who offered a ride home. I didn't want to impose so I told them we didn't mind taking the bus home. Little did we know there were strikes --  yeah, strikes? In France? Hmm go figure.. We made it home nearly two hours later. Success! Regardless, when I got home with all my loot, all the effort was worth it.

Joana had dinner ready for us, and after we ate we made banana lumpia for dessert. Oh la la it was almost as good as mom's. This week we are going to tackle pancit and savory lumpia. I can't sleep just thinking about it! It's going to be like Christmas (literally, because we have those things on Christmas).

In Conclusion 

Yes, I am in France and going to a French university, but that isn't all. My classes are filled with foreigners and French students alike. We are all adapting. It's our differences that bring us together. It is true that we Californians are in France and our best friends are British... and I am so lucky to have them all in my life.