Two Weeks In

Bonjour!

I won't start this post with endless rants about the dealings in France, but believe me I could. Suffice it to say that I still don't have a phone and probably won't for another two weeks.

Lizette, Joe, Alois, Alice, and I had a grand time this past weekend. We took the train 1.5 hours west to the port city of La Rochelle. There was a slight mix-up with our tickets, but we talked to the conductor and he, being a lovely fellow, let us on his train instead of making us wait until the next one, two hours later. Since we weren't supposed to be on that train, there weren't many empty seats, so we spent the time in the luggage area on the luggage racks-- not the most comfortable, but it got us there. (We felt like vagabonds stowing away on the west bound train!)

La Rochelle was beautiful. It was overcast when we arrived, so we spent this time getting a feel for the place. As we looked out over the town, we could see several old buildings built along the water's edge. We couldn't leave these buildings unexplored so we set out in their direction.

We first came to an old something or another, but we didn't go inside because it was 6 Euros and it really didn't look that impressive. We kept walking to a very pretty church. We walked through this one and I gathered from looking at pictures that it had recently been restored. (Although, I don't read French, so I can't be sure ;)) Then we went to this fabulous clock tower. I'd wager that most of you know how much I love clocks (and watches and other things that tell time) so I spotted this early on and was definitely planning on making my way towards it. It stood over a street and when we walked under it there were cute little sidewalk cafes and small shops on the other side. So quaint. This is the kind of thing I love about France. We had lunch in one of the cafes, then went out in search of more adventure. 

We eventually made it to the beach and decided to stay for the rest of the afternoon. It was basically wonderful for the first hour or so, but after a while I was just hot and burned. But we stayed and talked and it was a good time. By about 4pm we were ready to move on. We started heading back to the train station and got back to Poitiers by 6:30 or so. Everyone was exhausted and hungry so we went our separate ways.

Alois, Alice, Lizette, Me, Joe

I got home and my legs were so, so burned. I protected my top half with a long sleeve shirt, but left my legs to be roasted by the sun. It was kind of a lop sided burn too, not even in the same places on both legs. Anyway, I stayed inside all day Sunday because I hate sunburns and I should have known better and maybe this time I learned my lesson. (Probably not.) 

Monday we had a class about our research projects that we have to do this semester. We had to form groups of 6 and then create a survey for a group of people. The professor opened the classes by saying that this would be the easiest class we take all semester and I am ok with that. I got in with a group that is made up entirely of people from the UK. They're all very nice and I think we'll work well together. 

Tuesday we had a meeting in the morning, then had the afternoon free so we worked on getting our credit cards and phone situation all worked out. And that took most of the day. 

Today the boys (Joe and Alois) had a class, but Lizette and I didn't so we decided to go shopping! We had heard that there was a decent sized mall somewhere in Poitiers, so after lunch we set out in search of this place. We had to walk 2 miles to get there, but it was so worth it. This mall will be good for when I need some retail therapy. They had a store or two that we recognized, but most of them were new to us. It was fun to explore them all and see the style difference between here and what we're used to. We spotted a McDonalds and couldn't help ourselves-- we had an afternoon snack (it was delicious). I'm ashamed to admit that I even took a picture of this meal. (But since it looks exactly like any other McDonalds meal, I won't show you.) 

We decided to take the bus back to the school, then headed to Joe's house to talk about travel plans. Although we ended up watching Zoolander instead. The plans can wait until another day, sometimes it's nice to just sit back and watch a movie. 

And that's how it's been here so far-- a few fun and exciting things mixed in with the usual, mundane things. Everyday here is an adventure, but it's not exactly the type I was anticipating. I'm beginning to see that life itself is an adventure. Not every thing is a grand and glorious thing-- sometimes the adventure is in getting the courage to ask for help in the supermarket or trying a new restaurant or making friends with French students. And every one of those adventures is as important as the grand and glorious kind. Don't let me forget that. 

Je t'embrasse,

Sarah