A Week

Apologies for not writing in a while. Last week was hectic.

On Wednesday school ended around 1:30, as usual. I made my way home and started some homework and SAT Prep, but I forgot about the errands I needed to run. So after a reminder call from Will, I hurried out the door and into centre ville. I ought my ticket for paris at the Gare and then went on a mission to find a guitar shop. Mission Accomplished. I found a guitar shop just near Place Sainte Anne and my strings were serviced in no time. I rushed home to meet Alejandra and off we went to bowling with Lycée Victor Helen Basch, a high school just outside of Rennes. 

The bowling alley was classy, I must say. It wasn't dirty and sticky like a typical American bowling alley. The couches were comfortable and at 8pm the lights went out and the strobes came on. It was great to bond with French kids our own age over an activity that we don't really get to do that often. We were all pretty "nul" at bowling and after one game each team gave up. Instead, we all talked from 6:30 until 9, making plans to meet up again.

On Thursday, we didn't go to school. At all. Instead, we were dispersed to high schools in and around Rennes and met by students who took us through a typical day in the life of a French élève.

I started my day in the rain, freezing, and walked to Jean Macé, which is a public high school really near SYA. Some people go there for lunch, sometimes. I prefer St. Vincent's café myself.

Amaya and Maddie from school were assigned the same school, and we all met in the "Accueil" of Jean Macé. My student-guide was named Fanny. Amaya's was named Sophie. Fanny and Sophie had all their classes together, so Amaya and I weren't totally lost.

Our first class was "Philosophie." 2 hours. Philosophy. No breaks. It was mind-numbing.

We then made our way to the Gymnase where we watched Fanny do "Step" for two hours. Yes, another two hours. We read and wrote. A lot.

Gymnase was followed by Dejeuner, another two hours, a Geography test and an English class - in which we were told a story of a unicorn. Quite the experience.

All in all, I'm glad I went to SYA instead of a French high school. With all the people I've met and things I've done, I don't regret my decision for a moment.

Hello, December

December is finally here. Rennes is freezing, but alive with the sights, sounds and smells of Christmastime.

Yesterday was December 1st. After finishing a LOAD of SAT Prep work (sorry that I have no social life), I decided I'd adventure into town and meet my friend Elizabeth at her house. She has it good, I'll tell you that. She lives in a huge house at le Parlement, which is basically the town centre, and her window looks out over the whole city. While the rest of us live on the outskirts of town, near school or in the suburbs (the Boonie Kids), Elizabeth lives right in the heart of Rennes. Not bad.

I walked to her house and from there we walked into Place de Parlement. Since November 23 there's been a Christmas fair called Le Marché de Noël, where you can buy little Christmas gifts, eat roasted chestnuts, churros, beignets and chocolate covered strawberries on a stick, and find christmas decorations of all sorts - from reindeer to dancing Santas. I had been there on Friday night with Grant, Omar, Alejandra, Maria and Jasmine and it was a great jolt into the holiday spirit.

Elizabeth and I made our way through it and walked through a few side streets to get to Place Hoche, where there's another Christmas fair set up. This one's inside a tent and it's not as cheery and jolly as the other, but still a great place to buy handmade bags, candles and ornaments.

Afterwards, we sauntered down the streets of Rennes. It was late afternoon, and all the Christmas lights had been turned on for the first time. They'd been up for weeks, and all of us SYAers had been waiting impatiently for them to illuminate the night sky. Twinkling lights danced from telephone pole to telephone pole and hung from gutters outside every shop and restaurant. We sat down at a café with coffee and hot chocolate and took in the sparkling sky.

Wes and Maren arrived and we all decided to go back to Le Marché de Noël once again. This time, we acquiesced to our cravings for chocolate-covered strawberries on a stick and we simply wandered from stall to stall, feeling the Christmas spirit envelope every one of us.

The three of them departed for sushi but I got back on the bus and headed home for my host mum's birthday dinner. When I arrived, my host brother, Grégoire, and his girlfriend were here with their baby boy and Clémence, Patrick (my host dad), and Maryvonne were sitting around the table, and we began our superb meal of cheese fondue, followed up by lemon tart.

It was a good night.

Christmas Dreaming

Christmas Dreaming

Now that Thanksgiving has come and gone, I'm officially in the Christmas Mood. Yesterday after English ended, Alejandra and I went to the €2 store to see if we could find any Christmas decorations... We were in luck. It was overflowing with red and green and gold, ornaments and garlands hanging from every shelf. We decided not to go overboard and bought a little fake poinsettia, a baby christmas tree and a battery-operated candle to put in my window. We headed home listening to and singing Christmas songs for the whole ride.

Needless to say, our fellow bus-riders didn't all appreciate our beautiful voices.

Alejandra's stop is just a few away from mine, so we ride the bus together most afternoons and on Wednesday and Friday mornings. She lost her iPhone earlier this month so she's adopted my iPod and she's putting up with my odd music choices. That said, Christmas music was loaded up on Sunday night, so bus rides have been filled with "Rudolph the Rednose Reindeer"s, "Here Comes Santa Claus"s and "White Christmas"s.

Alejandra's host mum is going away the week before we get out of school for Christmas holiday, so she needed a place to stay - I've acquired a roommate. We plan to decorate my room for the occasion and on the 22nd we both leave. Where to? That's a story for another post...

Quick Note

Just a quick note:

It turns out I have reached my quota of gigabytes on my blog, meaning I don't have the space to upload more pictures (woops).

OF COURSE, I don't want my readers (if you exist) to go without visuals, so I have uploaded the photos to my Flickr account.

Apologies for any inconvenience.

Yours in Dysfunctional Technology,

-L

T-Day

Thursday was Thanksgiving. Obviously. But what really is an SYA Thanksgiving, you ask? Well...

We started off the day with the usual schedule: I had Langue, Culture et Société Françaises, Littérature and Histoire. But to be honest we were all so giddy with excitement and a little sadness to not be home on such a family holiday. One of the girls had suggested we all dress up nicely for the occasion (as we would at home) so the boys broke out the button-down shirts and ties and the girls wore skirts or dresses.


After a LONG waiting period, we began to walk to lunch at St. Vincent, the local high school we go to for lunch. Usually, we start lunch at 11:30 and get back to school for 1:00, but on Thursday we started our lunch at 1:15. Needless to say, we were more than ready to go into the room that the chef at St. Vincent had prepared for us to begin our feast.

We started with a butternut squash soup, followed by some turkey, odd orange potatoes (not sweet potatoes, mind you), and green beans. It wasn't exactly a gourmet meal, but we were all happy to be in the holiday spirit. We got back to school in time for afternoon classes but no work really got done - Who has the motivation to do work on a holiday? Of course, SYA students are hard workers and we were back to the homework and studying on Friday.


On Friday afternoon, as soon as school ended, Wes, Grant and I walked a half a mile up the road to the SuperU to buy ingredients for Saturday's festivities. We filled up the shopping cart with spinach, apples, green beans, chicken (it's really tough to find turkey before the Christmas season in France, I'll tell you that much) and all sorts of goodies and walked back to Wes's house, weighed down with grocery bags

Grant left for tennis, so Wes and I began the preparations. I chopped up innumerable onions, he ripped up a baguette into millions of breadcrumbs, we figured out how to use French bouillon cubes (it oddly resembles jello..?) and Wes attempted to make an apple pie. We put the preparation away until tomorrow, I wished Wes and his host parents a bonne soirée, and I headed home.

Up the next day:

My alarm didn't ring, but somehow I managed to make it to school by 8am, to leave for Mont. Saint Michel for the second time. We toured the Abbey, took tons of pictures, had crêpes and were back home for 5pm. I hopped on the number 9, rushed home, showered, whipped up a pumpkin pie mix and hopped back on the bus.

Quick Tip: Don't talk to a pumpkin pie in English on a French bus. For that matter, don't talk to it in French, either. In fact, don't talk to your pumpkin pie at all, if you can help it. People look at you as if you have three heads.

I got to Wes's house and helped Wes, Grant and Will who were attempting to throw together the finishing touches on the meal. I sautéed green beans, put together a gravy, whipped up some cream and together, the four of us had a perfect meal on the table by 8pm. We gave thanks, ate too much, cleaned up, ate my stellar pumpkin pie, cleaned up the desserts, and relaxed in front of the TV, all ready to explode. It was a good night, to say the least.

Alors,

I've decided not to make Thanksgiving dinner for my host family today, because some of them are going to a concert and I don't have any of the ingredients I need. The LeGac Thanksgiving: Postponed. For now, at least.

Now off to do homework. Work hard, play hard.

Yours in Dysfunctional French,

-L

p.s. I'm getting overwhelmingly excited for Christmas. USA, here I come

Cooking

T-Minus 1 Day. Getting closer...

Today is Wednesday. Back in September, three of my friend and I signed up for a cooking class taught at the home of our pronunciation teacher. The available dates were a few Wednesday in November so we'd been anticipating our classes for a while. Last week was the first of the four.

We found her apartment after wandering the streets around school for a while and entered her cozy home. After dropping our bags, we got right to work, making Tarte Tatin. Tarte Tatin is difficult to describe - an upside down apple pie? Something of that sort. We began by peeling and chopping up apples, 2 each. We then cooked them in caramel until they were each perfectly "d'oré" (golden). We then put them into tiny pans and covered each with a blanket of pastry and popped them in the oven. While our Tartes were baking, we began to make pear pastries. They were extremely easy to make and took no time at all. After cutting out pastry designs, we covered each with pears and caramel and popped those in the oven, too. The smell was absolutely heavenly.

We tasted our Tarte Tatins, died and went to French Pastry heaven, came back to Earth and began on the next recipe. Tuile d'Amande. My favorite.

Tuile d'Amande is so easy to make and tastes absolutely delicious. A quick mix of flower, sugar and butter, whipped into a paste, spread on a baking pan and left in the oven until golden brown. When it looks ready to you, grab it out of the oven, and quickly cut it up and leave it to cool or eat it while its hot.

If any readers want the recipe, feel free to comment on the blog and I'll gladly post them!

Today, I have my next class. I seem to remember her mentioning something about macarons... I'm overwhelmingly excited.

I asked my host sisters if they wanted to help me make Thanksgiving dinner on Sunday. Mathilde and Clémence seem really excited and are taking me supply shopping on Friday afternoon. Now to find a turkey...

More details to come on the holiday festivities!

Yours in Dysfunctional French,

-L

Countdown

Thanksgiving doesn't exist in France.

Ok, I know you already knew that - it's an American holiday, I totally get that. It's also one of those things that you don't know you miss until it's gone. Who knew that you could miss Paper Turkey Cut-Outs?

Fortunately, I'm actually going to have 3 Thanksgiving meals.

1) We are celebrating the holiday together as a school. On Thursday afternoon, we will all sit down with turkey, potatoes, stuffing, the works, and give thanks for what we have. 

2) My friend Wes and his host family (who I love dearly) invited me to a Thanksgiving dinner at their house on Saturday night after our trip to Mont St. Michel. Wes, however, thinks that he is incapable of making a Thanksgiving dinner and he figures that his host parent's haven't a clue so Friday night will consist of Thanksgiving preparations with him!

3) Of course, I can't forget my own host family. My mum brought over pumpkin pie filling when I met her in Ireland, so I'm fully prepared to whip up a meal for my host parents and four host sisters. Now to prepare a menu...

We truly have so much to be thankful for. There are only 60 kids in America who got this opportunity - to dive into the French culture and to fully immerse themselves with the goal to learn a different language. It takes a lot of courage to take yourself out of a comfortable environment and wind up in the middle of a completely different one. But I'll tell you more about what I have to give thanks for after the festivities.

And thus begins the countdown to T-Day. Wish me luck - I'm an amateur cook at best so this should be interesting...

Yours in Dysfunctional French,

-L

Travelling

Today I woke up at 6:45. So much for Holiday Sleep-Ins, am I right? I showered, dressed, made sure all my bags were in order and jumped in the car with my host mum, Maryvonne. We drove to the Gare (train station) and after bisous, she left me on Platform 4.

I climbed on board and made my way to my seat. I had tons of space, because the person who was supposed to be in the seat next to me decided not to show up. Hey, works for me. I read "En Attendant Godot" (my French Literature book) and slept for the 3 hour trip to Charles De Gaulle - time well spent.

I then navigated through the airport, found my gate and boarded the plane to Ireland. Another hour and a half flight. I was through immigration in about 5 minutes (ah, the perks of being an Irish Citizen) and out the door to meet my uncle.

My first experience in independent travel: Success.

Yours in Dysfunctional French,

-L

Results

Last night, I set my alarm for 6:45am.

This morning, I woke up and JUMPED out of bed - I opened my computer and opened up to my homepage, the New York Times... and there it was. The news that Barack Obama will be the president of the United States of America for the next four years. It was so cool to be discovering such big news halfway across the world.

I hopped on the 7:12 bus with my friend Alejandra and we made our way to the Franco-American Institute of Rennes. It's in the center of the city and is actually the only Franco-American Institute in France. There we met the Consulate of the United States for the West of France and heard speeches from people giving their opinions on the outcome of the election. We also watched Obama's speech streaming live from the United States. There was a small breakfast for all in attendance and we all took an American President Trivia Quiz... most of which I knew... I promise..

The rest of the day was spent running errands, and getting ready for my trip tomorrow. Off to Paris and then Ireland to meet the family. But more on that later..

Yours in Dysfunctional French,

-L

The Loire Valley

On Monday, we hopped in the buses and embarked on our second overnight voyage. It was truly amazing. From châteaux to gardens to cathedrals, we truly got to experience the Chateaux of the Loire to their full extent.

Rather than a photo, I prepared a video to capture the experience. Enjoy as I attempt to dabble in videography.

for better quality: Click Here

Yours in Dysfunctional French,

-L

Elections

It's been weird to experience the American elections abroad. Now and then I'll hear the occasional political garble about Obama vs. Romney, but all in all it has been quite downplayed. According to my host family, the election was a much bigger deal in 2008, when there was the possibility of the first black president and, even bigger, the replacement of George W. Bush.

To discuss the elections, Groups 1A and 1B, which I am a part of, walked from school to one of the local high schools, Emile Zola, to talk with  group of students our age about their opinions. Although we strayed from the topic many, MANY times, as teenagers so often do, it was a really different experience to see the American Election through the eyes of those who are not citizens of the United States.

The general opinion was Pro-Obama, but there were many views to be heard and stories to be told. After the discussion ended, we ate lunch at the high school with the French kids and played soccer in the school yard - fully immersed into real French culture.

Here's to seeing how the results play out - And I'll only find out when I get up at 6am to catch the bus to the Institut Franco-Américain for a Result Breakfast on the 7th. Unless I stay up until 4am... Not likely..

Yours in Dysfunctional French,

-L

Been A While - Mont St. Michel

I apologize profusely for my lack of posts.

Things have been very busy here - school work's picking up and we get more and more tests added to the calendar each day. It's stressful but SO worth it. It's amazing to live abroad. There's so much freedom while at the same time you are living in a controlled environment. I feel so ready and able, exploring the city whenever I want to with my bus card.

Recently I've discovered the malls and shops that exist in and around Rennes. This is terrible for a girl on a budget but even the window shopping is fun. Little trinkets catch my eye and I can't help but admire them, even from afar. From a tea shop, to little boutiques to quaint cafés, one can find absolutely anything as one wanders through the streets. And hey, a girl can dream...

The other weekend we traversed the Bay of Mont St Michel. 60 teenagers and their teenage host siblings walking 8 kilometers knee deep in freezing cold, muddy water and quicksand. A recipe for disaster. But it was amazingly enjoyable. I met so many new French teenagers my age, talked with them and became more confident in my ability to carry a conversation. We got back around 8pm after a VERY long day and I hung out with some of the host siblings, who were more than eager to tell us about what life is really like for French kids - we soon came to see that their everyday lives didn't really differ from ours - maybe I'm transforming into a French teenager after all?

Yours in Dysfunctional French,

-L

Catch Up

Apologies for not updating in so long - life's been pretty hectic across the pond, but I'll do my best to catch up.

Wednesday, September 19

School Begins. Classes are classy. Teachers are teachy...

Ok, but honestly everything was so amazing. My first class was in a garden about a quarter of a mile from school. It was English, and we were reading a poem about digging and gardening ... So, of course, my teacher thought it appropriate for us to really experience the nature first hand. And despite almost freezing my fingers off as I attempted to write an English paper on a bench in les Jardins du Thabor, it was quite the enriching experience.

The rest of the school day consisted of the typical "getting-to-know-you" first day of school routines. Teachers stumbled over names, syllabi were given out and school supplies were demanded.

After the day finished at around 2ish (we get out early on Wednesdays, as many French schools do) I made my way into Centre Ville with a few of my friends to explore and buy school supplies. Our city is brilliant.

Hôtel Dieu, Rennes

Friday, September 21

Today - another day of school. It was pouring when classes finally wrapped up and we ran to my friend Wes's house to drop off our bags. We looked like drowned rats. As a group, Maren, Wes, Willa, Hannah, Grant and I decided to go find a nice restaurant to celebrate our full week together. We took the bus into Centre Ville and did our best to find a restaurant in the pouring rain at 6pm in Rennes, France. This, dear reader, is no easy feat. The French don't like to stay open in the rain and they never really open until 8pm on a Friday night Anyway.

After traversing the entire city to find a good restaurant we finally settled in la Fabrique, a crêpe restaurant on a cute little street called Rue St. George, just near the Parliament. I had moules (mussels) in a cream sauce which were DELICIOUS, while my friends indulged in crêpes complets (cheese, ham and egg). To finish off for dessert we all shared a nutella crêpe and a caramel crêpe.... Pas mal.

Champ Jacquet

Saturday, September 22

Today, Maren, Wes and I met at Champ Jacquet, near the centre of town, for crêpes (yes, more crêpes) and coffee. We sat and pondered the world while watching the French crowds mosey by. We wandered through the city, met up with our friend Will and made our way to another café (it's the thing to do). Afterwards we found ourselves in a square in the centre of town in the middle of an impromptu jazz concert given by a professional band. Ah, la belle vie.

 Crêpes Citron Pressé

Impromptu Jazz Concert

Tuesday, September 25

Today was just a normal school day. We laughed, we learned. Nothing too special. Just another amazing day in SYA France.

la Vue from my Room

Thursday, September 27

On Thursdays, I go to school at 8:10 as usual. We have classes all morning and lunch begins at 11:30. After lunch, the entire school has a "Universal Free" that can be used for assemblies if necessary, but otherwise we have it free until 1:45... Afterward I have another two periods free. So, with that, I have about 3 hours without classes. We get creative in our time.. Explore the city, finish homework, eat, the usual. At this point I think I'm going to turn into a crêpe myself...

Friday, September 28

Today, we began our voyage across Bretagne, to explore its sights and monuments. We traveled for about an hour by our bus, Voyages Joly (or as we so fondly referred to it: the Jolly Voyager) before reaching our first stop: A typical Bretagne church, complete with calvary, tombstones and all. Behind the church we found a meadow perfect for photo shoots so after exploring the grounds of the church the whole group of us made our way there to pose and relax in the rare Brittany sun.

After hopping back on the Jolly Voyager and driving for a bit more we reached a château called ________. The château has been a place known for its garden of sculptures as many famous artists come here to display their work. I sauntered with my friends through the picturesque, damp gardens and we picnicked in the courtyard of the château, which doubles as a museum inside. After a relaxing walk we returned to the bus with wet shoes and enlightened minds.

We continued on our way until we reached the old Bretonne village Poul Fetan. It was as if we had stepped into another time as we explored the little town. It has been preserved since the 16th century and its employees are even dressed in traditional Breton costume. We watched a woman make butter, we played cards in the field and we played old Breton games.

After the long day, we arrived at our hotel. It was in front of the sea and the beach was unbelievable. The weather stayed dry (a miracle) and we finished off the day with seafood and stargazing in the sand

Saturday, September 29

Today, we went to a city called Quimper, which held an enormous cathedral. After touring around the inside and explained some of the religious stories depicted in the stained glass windows to my fellow classmates (good ol' CCD), we proceeded in the Musée des Beaux Arts de Quimper and marveled at the works of old French painters. We were allowed to explore the city with friends and we went to a crêperie for lunch (I know, I know - crêpes again), toured the city, bought ENORMOUS macarons, and took in the much-appreciated sunlight.

We got back in the Jolly Voyager for another few hours and after the excitement we'd had all day were instantly bored and aching to get off the bus. And we did. At one of the most beautiful beaches I've ever seen. The sand felt like silk between my toes and the waves stretched out as far as the eye could see. There were surfers riding the foamy crests and others sunbathing, but it wasn't too crowded. We were absolutely exhilarated from the moment we stepped off the bus until we (unhappily) drudged back to it, our pants damp and our legs sandy.

Luckily, there was no reason to be upset. We had no idea what beauty awaited us. We arrived at la Pointe du Razand started the 1km walk. We talked, we joked, but when we arrived and saw the view we were all speechless. The waves crashing against the rocks were magnificent and my classmates and I sat in awe of what we were able to experience. I went off alone and climbed a few rocks to find the perfect one to contemplate the world and meditate in my thoughts. Alone with my camera and my mind, on top of a rock at the Western-most point of Continental Europe I felt free from everything.

We made it back to the hotel completely entranced and amazed. The beauty of the cliffs transcended anything many of us had ever seen and we were stunned, tired and happy... and then we went swimming in the freezing cold ocean at the hotel..

Sunday, September 30

We were packed and out of the hotel at 9:15, on the road again. We visited a fortified town, went around on a ferry and sat down for a coffee. We picnicked with baguettes and pâte and relaxed in the beautiful sunshine (it was an unexpected weekend, weather-wise).

After our adventures we visited Carnac, France's version of Stonehenge, where stones were lined up in lines centuries ago for unknown reasons... but they made for some great pictures

I returned home to my host family's house just in time for galettes (yes, more crêpes).

It was an eventful weekend. 

More updates later this week!

Yours in Dysfunctional French,

-L

Scavenging

Tuesday, September 18

Today was eventful, to say the least.

American Problem #1: Adaptors

Adaptors are all well and good at first. They really are, they TRICK you into thinking that they're your friends. You think, "they wouldn't betray me.." You're wrong.

Today my adaptor betrayed me in the worst of ways. The traitor has been punished with a sentencing of 5 days in a bag in the back of my closet.

My alarm clock was plugged into my adaptor and I had double checked that it was set for 7:30. I needed to get up in order to be at République at 8:45 to meet the rest of my class before starting a scavenger hunt around the city (who needs class when you can go on a scavenger hunt?)

Of course, it didn't ring. And what with these French shutters that block out every ray of sunshine, there was no natural light to wake me, either. I woke up at 8:39... My house is 15 minutes away from the city centre. By some miracle, we made it there by 8:55, just before teams were formed for the scavenger hunt.

We all ran around Rennes, finding answers and relaxing in cafés, until we had to be back in school by 12:30 for a pizza party, of all things. After a quick assembly, we were dismissed early.

Tomorrow marks the first day of school.. Goodbye summer, hello schoolwork. But let's be clear - I love this kind of schoolwork.

Yours in Dysfunctional French,

-L

Testing

Monday, September 17th

Today, we had our first (kind of) day of school. Technically, we're still in the middle of the orientation process.. but the stress was still high as I stepped onto the threshold of 5 Allees Ste. Marie. We began the testing process. Upstairs in Classroom 5, I sat down in a desk for what feels like the first time in years, but was technically the first time in about 3 months. Papers were passed and testing began. Comprehension here, writing there and eventually the scribbling stopped.

Afterwards, there was the math placement testing. There were cries of anxiety as we were told calculators were not to be used, but we all made it through without a scratch, thank God.

After school, we relaxed at la Duchesse Anne - eating typical French cuisine.. Chicken nuggets for Wes and Pain au Chocolat and baguette for the rest of us.

Here's to wondering where I'll be put..

Yours in Dysfunctional French,

-L

Exploring

Sunday, September 16th

Today, I woke up at the semi-ok hour of 11. After sauntering upstairs for a quick hello to my host family, I contacted a few friends (now that I finally have a phone.. of sorts..) and was whisked away by the grand chariot that takes me into the city... the number 9 bus. I arrived and met my friend Wes, at our new hang out - La Duchesse Ann. Now, my friends, La Duchesse Ann is not merely a café where one can lounge about and enjoy a cup of coffee and a pain au chocolat. No, no. It is SO much more. It's a run down, dingy restaurant that has weird food, great ice cream and ok hot chocolate... All at the right price for an American student with a budget. We're now friends with the owner, Bernie, who speaks absolutely NO English (which is probably good for our French). We're on a first name basis..

After I met Wes, our friend Maren arrived and we caught up with another group of kids. We explored the streets of Rennes, making our way to a park. Mainly, we were all trying to figure out how to get where. Our first time alone in this new city - navigation was rather difficult.

After we found our way around the area near school, we made our way back to Wes's to indulge in some well deserved baguette, camembert et confiture.


I made it back home by 7:30, to prepare for tomorrow. What should I expect? Where will I land in the rankings at SYA?

Only time will tell.

Yours in Dysfunctional French,

-L

Flea Markets

Today I woke up at 1:00pm, thanks to jet-lag. After eating my host family out of house and home, baguette-and-cheese-wise, we took the bus to the centre of Rennes.

Here, we stumbled up la Braderie, which is a once a year event. Think of a tag sale or a garage sale that you may have been to. Now multiply it by 3,000. That's how big this flea market was. We strolled down the seemingly never ending street that held everything from bags to dolls to disco balls. Quite the scene.

I've now bought a French carte de sim, talked to les vendeurs, and ridden the bus without a problem. Success thus far.

Yours in dysfunctional French,

-L

Orientation

Yesterday, we had orientation.

I awoke at the God-awful hour (for a jet-lagged traveler) of 7:15 and departed from my host family's house at 7:45. I made it to school around 8:15 and around 9:30 the orientation began. We met our teachers, all of whom have great senses of humor, and learned the rules and regulations of SYA France. We explored our school house and the surrounding grounds, which are magnificent. There's a garden called Les Jardins du Thabor filled to the brim with all types of roses, big lawns and even a playground - the perfect place for doing homework in peace on a sunny day.

We went to lunch at the private school down the road from us and after relaxed in the school's courtyard. Quality start to the school year.

After school, a group of us went to run some errands and get a feel for the area around school. We found this tiny hole-in-the wall restaurant that nobody else was in, sat down, befriended the owner and now we feel like locals.

Excuse the photo quality:

Departure and Arrival

Apologies for the delayed blog, life has been hectic lately. But I'll start from the beginning:

Wednesday Morning - 9:30am:

Wake up. Have shower. Realize I'm about to embark on one of the most exciting and terrifying adventures of my life. I stuff what's left of my room into my enormous bag, my parents help me load the bags into the trunk and we set off for JFK.

After calling into my school for a quick goodbye to my closest friends and driving for about a half an hour, I look into my camera and realize that I've forgotten my camera battery and charger. This is horrible news, especially for someone with a photography blog, and my parents and I quickly start researching nearby Best Buys. Luckily we found one near the hotel where the SYA Departure Meeting was being held.

Wednesday Afternoon - 12:30pm:

We arrive at the hotel and there is the typical awkwardness that is 60 kids meeting for the first time. After milling around and talking to my parents for a while as more and more kids filter in, the meeting starts. We are greeted by the president of SYA and our Resident Director. After the hour long meeting, we depart in our car, headed for the airport.

Wednesday Afternoon - 3:30pm:

We check our bags and say goodbye. Surprisingly, no tears. I'm a fumbling mess as we go through security, dropping things here and there as i attempt to put my shoes back on. A group of us continue on to Gate 44, where we are supposedly leaving for Paris at 5:30. Everyone meets, and we prepare to depart.

Wednesday Evening - 5:30pm:

A few announcements are made and groans and moans are heard from the SYA kids as we learn that the flight isn't taking off until 8:45. And we have to move to gate 3. We all gather our things and trudge through the airport to gate 3, where we settle down and await our plane, anxious to get on board. New people are met and we all bond over the experience.

Wednesday Evening - 5:45pm:

Another Announcement. Another Move. Many more groans. Gate 12, here we come.

Wednesday Evening - 9:00pm:

We finally board the plane. After a long wait, more class bonding, and many attempts to stuff my overpacked carryon into the compartments, I settle down on the plane. Literally 1 hour of sleep on a 7 hour flight.

Thursday(ish) Morning - 10:45am:

We land at Charles De Gaulle and make our way through customs, pick up our bags. After an exhausting adventure of getting lost int the airport, we finally make it to the buses.

Thursday Evening - 7:00pm:

We arrive in Rennes! I meet my host mother, Maryvonne, and my host sister, Clémence, and we take a picture outside the school. I get home and pass out from over tiredness.



So far i understand most of the French that's been thrown at me, albeit I've had to ask for a few words and I think stuff gets lost in translation. But so far, so good.

Yours in dysfunctional French,

-L

Goodbyes

Today was the start of the horrible process of saying goodbye.

I have a group of 6 friends, all of whom I've been close to for 13 years, since I moved to town. The 7 of us all live on one street and they are my closest friends, my confidantes, my sisters. The oldest, Steph, has gone to college, but the rest of us are still toiling through high school. All summer it's been on my mind: saying goodbye to them is going to be one of the hardest things to do. We had a goodbye dinner together before Steph left, but tonight was a sort of goodbye party for me before my departure. Naturally, Steph video-chatted in for the dinner and "Bon Voyage" cake that followed.

As I looked around the table at the 6 girls that I have basically grown up with I was hit with a small wave of melancholy. It's amazing to go out into the world, to be independent and to take a step away from my small childhood hamlet but it's an enormous change. And when the time comes for me to really say goodbye, I'm not really sure how I plan to handle it. Will a quick hug and an abrupt "Bye, I'll miss you!" suffice? Of course nothing will make it easy, but at times like these it's hard to find the right words.

Luckily, with modern technology like video-chat and WhatsApp and such the girls and other friends won't be much more than a click away. My interviewer for SYA (my abroad program) went to the same school in 1969 and was in the same situation as me, but had to travel by boat and letters via snail-mail were few and far between.

Well, I take solace in the fact that I'll be meeting the 65 other kids in the same situation on Wednesday.

....Aaaand back to the Over-Stuffed Suitcase. à tout à l'heure !

Yours in Dysfunctional French,

-L

Arduous Tasks

Today I employed one of my best friends to aid me in the horrendous task that is packing for 9 months. The worst thing about packing for nine months is that you never know what the weather will be like, or the conditions you'll be in at any given moment. As you root around your room, different scenarios spring to mind that force you to pack extra things.

At first you start with the basics: Underwear, socks, tshirts, pants, shorts and sweaters. Then you remember pajamas. Then you remember workout gear. Then you remember scarves, hats, bags, tank tops, and other "essentials." After more rummaging through the endless cavern that is your closet you find those big bulky sweatpants that you haven't worn in 6 months that you just can't live without.. Although you've been without them for a while... But really you can't bare to leave them behind. So you stuff them in there.

After you manage to stuff all of these so-called "necessary" bits and pieces into your suitcase and you think that you are queen of the world for having done it in a mere 6 hours, you realize that one really must wear shoes whilst traveling abroad. And that means another suitcase. Oh, and what about your toothbrush, makeup, hairbrush and other toiletries. Another step in the stressful process.

I've found, as I add more and more to the ever-growing pile that is mounting on the floor beside my suitcase, that I seem to have developed an emotional attachment to my clothes. So even the ones that I haven't worn in ages worm their way into the mess.

Packing, my friends, is no small feat.

Good luck to my future classmates. I can only hope they're all a bit more organized and well-off in their suitcase-stuffing.

Yours in Dysfunctional French,

-L

259 Days

259 Days, in Rennes

That's 37 weeks or 6216 hours. Or 372,960 minutes. Or 22,377,600 seconds. And that's how long I'll be living in Rennes, France.

3,811 miles away from my home in New York.

It seems strange to write the numbers out like that, but it almost makes it seem more definite.

This year, with a Study Abroad Program, I have the opportunity to travel with a group of 65 or so students to Rennes for 9 months. From September 12th until May 29th. I figured such an opportunity couldn't go to waste so, in order to capture the year, I will post one photo per day, documenting a moment of a day in the life of an American Student in France.

Alongside the pictures, I will attempt to channel my inner writer and describe the experience, the severe language barrier, and my fumbling French.


Before Wednesday, I have packing to do. And that is no small feat, I'll tell you that much.

Yours in Dysfunctional French,

-L