Feb
20
I am feeling much better! My throat is not near as sore. I don’t have much of a voice, but I can breathe most of the time and my cough is much less annoying đ After a night of no sleep because I was coughing so much, I decided to fill my prescriptions for the cough medicine and nose spray. I even found some “Strepsils” which are basically coughdrops but they are menthol and that clears me right up!
Friday I had my first exam in my translation class. We had to translate a piece of literature from English to French. For whatever reason that type of translation is much more difficult for me. I feel that I did okay but there were quite a few words I didn’t know. I made a list of them and looked them up so now I know them! I also did a load of laundry and watched some episodes of “The OC”. My oldest addiction is back now. I love that show! I only brought the first two seasons with me and I have a feeling someone is going to be mailing me the ones I left.
Saturday I hung out with Kelli and Lelani. We were going to make “Mexican” food for Lelani, make cupcakes, watch movies, and just hang out. We went to another Carrefour that was EVEN BIGGER than the other ones! It’s like every other week there is a bigger Carrefour I discover! In all seriousness, this one really was like the Wal-Mart back home. It was gorgeous and wonderful. I love Carrefour! They had an international aisle where they had (gasp!) DR. PEPPER!!!! Take a breath and wait for this one…PEANUT BUTTER!!!!! You don’t even have to ask. Yes, I got both! The Dr. Pepper was the same and it was wonderful. The peanut butter is the same but it is Skippy brand and I prefer Jif. However, I am not going to complain because my breakfast of apples and peanut butter was the best thing this morning!
We tried to make some cupcakes and icing from scratch. We needed powered sugar and it was nowhere to be found! For everyone’s reference in France who needs it, it is called “sucre glace”. It only took 2 Americans and 1 South African five minutes to find it. No big deal đ We got guacamole, chicken, cheese, tortillas, and salsa to make quesadillas, Kelli’s favorite meal. They were very good! Not quite like my mom’s but a good second place! The cupcakes turned out…interesting. I didn’t think they were that bad, but Lelani thought they were awful. It wasn’t very fluffy, more like “thick cake” cupcakes. It wasn’t bad, but not like the delicious mastepieces I make either. We watched Gulliver’s Travels and “Life as You Know It” which were both good movies. We then chitchatted and I attempted to learn how to French braid….
Sunday I went the the Limoges Ice Skating Rink with Jacques, Lucas, Kelli, Ebony, Martina, and Klara. It was the hopping place and I’m not surprised since 95% of things are closed on Sunday in Limoges. It was a fun afternoon. Sticking seven people into Jacques’ small car was also a fun time. I don’t think we could do that again if we tried. I also cleaned my room. It gets so freaking dusty and annoying so I “Swiffer” dusted the floors and “Swiffer” mopped the floors. It feels so much cleaner. I have homework I need to take care of and then that is it for my night! Five days until Spain! Turns out, because we didn’t book our night train from Barcelona to Limoges in time, that it was all booked! The way we are taking to get back is crazy! We are leaving Barcelona, going to Figueres, then to Narbonne, and then to Toulose. Since we have to stop in Toulose anyway we may as well sight see, right? We are staying a night and day there and will come back on Sunday with a direct train. I think the people at SNCF (train station) probably hate us because we were so complicated. Oh well! I need to Google Figueres and Narbonne because I have never even heard of those places! Hopefully the train station is exciting because that is obviously all I am going to see!
This week I am also going to see a film that UniLim is offering free to students. It’s called “Pauline et Francois” and it’s on Tuesday. I’m sure I might be a bit lost because it will be all in French, but I bet I can handle most of it! Have a good week everyone!
Lovelovelove, Teryn
Feb
16
Hello lovely blog followers! What’s been new?! I’ve been quite disappointed that I missed “SnOklahoma” but I guess being in France is a fair trade đ
I hope everyone had a good Valentine’s Day. Mine was spent in my bed, sleeping 80% of the day trying to get rid of what I think is strep throat. Each year around this time I get this wonderful sickness, and after a Z-Pack, I am as good as new. According to the French, I don’t think they know what strep throat is! I went to the campus medical place on Tuesday just hoping to get medicine to help it go away. What an experience that was. Yes, I know enough French to communicate but when you start talking about medical problems it is a bit different! She checked out my throat and listened to my breathing, and decided I needed ibuprofen, nasal spray, and cough medicine. I decided to save my money and self-medicate with alka-seltzer, hot tea, tylenol, and allergy medicine. I feel much better today than I have the past two days, but I still don’t feel wonderful. This is one of the times I wish I was at home with my mommy to bring me Sonic corndogs and a Sprite!
In other news, I found out that my best friend, Kara, is going to come visit me for her Spring Break! I am so very excited to see her! I am living with her next year and we Skype all the time, but it is so hard being without your best friend! I tell her all these things and now she will get to experience them! It’s the same with my family, who is coming in April, but there are only so many things you can do with your mom and sister than you can do with your best friend, too! đ It will be very fun!
At the end of February UniLim has the winter vacation! It is a 9 day break from everything, and I am going to SPAIN!!! Never in my life would I think I would get to go to Spain! I am going with Kelli, the girl from OSU, and Klara, the girl from the Czech Republic. We bought our train tickets today and booked our hostels. Our train leaves Limoges at 6:11 am and the buses don’t start running until 6, so we conned Samy into taking us and we said we would buy him dinner! We are going from Limoges to San Sebastian, there to Madrid, and then to Barcelona! I feel like I am spending a lot of money on this trip, but in reality, it is so cheap compared to if I were coming from the US. We found all of our hostels for under 20 euro (who knows yet if that is a good or bad thing!) and even bought a little Spanish phrase book! We already decided we need maps, metro/bus/tram schedules printed out, and a trip to Carrefour to get snacks! If I learn one thing while studying abroad, it is going to be how to pack light! My family will not know what to do with me when they see how I pack somethings! I have a feeling this trip is going to be so very fun and very, very interesting. Three girls in Spain, yes, scary, but we can do it! I’m also exciting about our train from Barcelona to Limoges. It is a night train and will be perfect for 7.5 hours of sleep after a week of fun in Spain!
I think that is all for now! Spain in 8 days and counting…..
lovelovelove, Teryn
Feb
12
Bordeaux was the weekend of my life. I cannot believe how beautiful it was and it wasnât even springtime. One major difference I have noticed between France and the US is that France has beautiful architecture. There is absolutely no reason to have a train station that is ornate and pretty, or steel decoration on windows and doors but they do! It makes a simple building ten times better. The US cares about quickness, height, and space, while France has no problem building out instead of up, and building pretty instead of ugly! Granted, a lot of things were built hundreds of years ago, but still. Even the modern stuff keeps to tradition. It is simply beautiful. Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
 The group that went was quite âtheâ group! We had 2 South Africans, 4 Americans, 2 English, 1 Chinese, and 1 Taiwanese. Everywhere we went I am SURE the people hated us. We left Friday morning with only our backpacks and purses (yes, believe it or not, I did pack light J) to catch the train. We all sat together and the 2.5 hour ride began. Remember this for future reference: I had a list of things to see in Bordeaux because Jacques told us to make a list of what we wanted to do, and I was the only person who did.  Nothing too exciting happened on the train, but once we arrived in Bordeaux, the fun began.               Â
We first began by exploring the city and seeing some churches and some of the main monuments. Count on my camera battery to not even last the whole day. Of course, who would have thought I would have needed my charger, but naturally I did! We went to St. Michel where we saw the second largest spire in France, behind Strasbourg. We ate lunch at a cafĂ© and Jacques gave us a (bad) lesson in professional wine tasting. We found âLa Grosse Clocheâ which is a beautiful arch clock tower. I even saw a wig shop for my Nana and found the name of what my wine shop will be named: âWine More Timeâ. How cute is that! We continued on and found St. Andre which was beautiful on the outside and had a tower on the outside that you could climb. It is called âLa Tour Pey-Berlandâ and had a curving 231 steps up. Cardio for the weekend: Check. It was terrible to get up and down it, but SO worth the view of Bordeaux from the top! Absolutely beautiful. We werenât in quite the direct center of the city but you could see for miles in every direction. Fabulous. I even sat on one of the things to try to be a gargoyle like the cement, but I donât think I succeeded at that very well. Afterwards we sat at âLe CafĂ© Francaisâ (tres chic!) and had coffee and later some wine. Hours later, after grabbing some more wine and dinner, we headed to our hotelâŠA whopping forever and five days away!               Â
 LâEtoile Bleu turned out to be a scene out of a horror movie. Right off the highway, dark, and like three cars in the parking lot. It really wasnât that scary and it was perfect for sleeping but I definitely wouldnât hike my way back there again just because it was so far away from everything! We made a picnic in the lawn and had French cheese and baguette and played many fun games! Turns out, we were too loud and needed to move, so we started some dancing lessons and more games on the patio of our hotel. It was quite the successful night, but after too many hours, it was time to sleep.                Â
Saturday morning came bright and early, and Jacques was a little too happy waking everyone up for grumpy Miss Teryn. We were supposed to go to a wine tour (that hadnât been booked yet) and get lunch and see more of Bordeaux. Of course, with 12 people, âBe ready in 15 minutesâ really means be ready in 45. Finally we made it back out and couldnât find the Tourism office to get to our wine tour, and the ones they offered were beyond expensive. We decided to see more sights and just go to a âCave du vinâ and try different wines. Itâs basically a wine restaurant where one can do tastings of the wine from all over. After sitting for more than a few hours, we ventured out to find a place for dinner and go to an Irish pub. The number one thing I am going to miss about France: the bread! The baguettes are extremely fresh, and it turns a simple ham and cheese sandwich into a masterpiece! We went to this Irish pub and played some games and watched an English soccer match. After we went into the center of town again and found another small bar where I met a bartender who dated a girl from Oklahoma and he knew Boomer Sooner! Small world, huh? Of course, I took a picture! We decided to leave before the last bus so that we could make it back to our hotel; five hundred miles away đ
Sunday was pretty low key. We got up and went to lunch. Jacques was determined to have KFC because he loves it and there isnât one in Limoges. Surprisingly, it was the best meal I ate that weekend! Actually, it wasnât but I guess it was just good to have something greasy and like home! We didnât have too much time on Sunday because to go anywhere really big because our train was leaving at 6. We went back to the Fontaine des Girondins and took more pictures and then back along the river. It was a perfect day without a cloud in the sky and it was so nice to just walk along the river. We even saw some otter-looking things swimming and making their way up the mud to eat. We sat outside a cafĂ© and had crepes and coffee when I got the brilliant idea to spell out Bordeaux with our bodies! I am quite the creative genius and I am pretty sure the other customers loved to watch the crazy tourists!              Â
After two fun-filled days, it was time to say goodbye to Bordeaux. It was such a nice place and I am definitely going back because I want to visit a winery and see it all when it is blooming and the fountains are on. Plus, with it only being 2.5 hours away, why not?! Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
In other news, classes are going well. I have my first exam in the Translation course this coming Friday. I will translate something from English to French with one a one language dictionary. Wish me luck! I feel that my French is progressing. It is easier for me to make conversation, and I feel that my comprehension is getting a lot better as well. I still donât understand everything, but I am understanding more and that makes me happy J On Thursday night, I went to this restaurant called âRaconte-moi une histoireâ where I learned how to make crepes and the traditional French meal, blanquette de veau. It took a long time but it was SO worth the wait. Rice, vegetables, veal, carrots, caramelized onions, sautĂ©ed mushrooms, fabulous sauce, and just all together amazing! It was fun! Friday I went with Klara and Martina (the 2 Czech girls) and Kristen to this fresh, local market called âSaveurs Fermieresâ that had wine, fruit, nuts, fresh meat, jams, honey, coffee, breads, cheese, a ton of things that were all local. We bought some cheese with dried tomatoes, onions, and basil with a baguette and sat in a park and ate it and spoke French. Câest la vie! It was perfect and very fun. It was a nice afternoon and a great way to start off the weekend!            Â
Tonight is Martinaâs birthday so I am going to go help her celebrate and then tomorrow and I am resting up, doing homework, finishing a scholarship, and cleaning my room. For some reason, my room gets so dusty and it is highly annoying. In two weeks I have my first week long break and I am thinking Spain. I want to go somewhere that I cannot go on a weekend and I would also like to go outside of France. I guess Iâll research that as well for tomorrow. Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
Everyone have a happy Valentineâs Day! My mom sent me the best care package with a Cosmo, jean skirt, homemade cookies (yuuuuummm!) and some âflowersâ to decorate my desk. It was so nice and made my day. Sheâs the best!
Lovelovelove, Teryn
Feb
3
Happy early birthday to my mommy on Sunday! I think this is the first birthday that I won’t be with her! Sad day! I’ll celebrate with some wine for her!
Today was good overall. I’ve been sick to my stomach all day today and so I did not want to go to class. It was an ugly day: rainy, not too cold, but like a weird rain mist-drizzle thing. It was annoying.
Yesterday I spent the day with Lelani. We vented about life and then cleaned her car! I have never in my life seen a girl wash a car in high heels. Enter Lelani! We did quite a good job I must say. She then took me to a “Salon du The” which has TONS of teas to choose from and you just sit there and talk and drink your tea. It was so nice and relaxing. I had a tea called “jardin des poetes” that had strawberry, peach, and something else. It was very nice. Lelani’s reminded me a bit of Robitussin, so I wouldn’t ever order it, but it was good; just a different flavor than what I prefer.
We then went back to her “flat” and Tros showed me their wedding pictures and videos. I now feel like I was there! Lelani and I (mostly Lelani) made dinner and Jacques joined us. We had steaks, green beans, sweet carrots, and potatoes. For dessert we had hot chocolate and some kinder candy things. It was a very good meal and I enjoyed doing it.
That’s all that’s been happening. I cannot wait to tell you all about Bordeaux. Jacques swears it will be the “best trip ever”, but I’m not quite setting my hopes that high. We shall see!
Lovelovelove,
Teryn
Feb
2
Whoo hoo! I am up to four followers on my blog! Thank you, followers, for now I feel so special! Somehow I became of follower of my blog and I don’t know how to not become one. It is weird. Oh well!
The rugby match on Sunday was great! Limoges won, and there was a lot of tension and fights (some more intense than others) that made for a good game! It was SO very cold outside though, and by the end of the game, no one could feel their feet!
This week has gone by so fast! Yes, it is only Wednesday, but still! Monday’s classes were good. In my “pratique de l’oral” class we do these things called “Coup de coeur” and “Coup de guele”. It’s basically like a good thing and a bad thing. My good thing: I have been speaking lots of French with some new friends in my dorms. The bad thing: I think it would be cool to babysit while I am here, but I haven’t found much info on it yet. So tell me, what are your “Coup de coeur” and “coup de guele”? We also did a “piece de theatre” that had to deal with situations with neighbors. It was my 30th birthday and I was having a party, my neighbor was upset, but eventually we got her to join the party. It was fun. In my societe francaise class we kept talking about the education system. It is different from the US and it confuses me, but I guess it works for the French. In the French system there are so many levels of “degrees” and tests for certain ages and it is just odd compared to the US. There are also two movies out, “La journee de la jupe” and “entre les murs” that are about different teaching styles. I want to watch them both. They look interesting.
Tuesday’s classes were good and afterwards Kristen, Ebony, Jacques and I went to eat at this wonderful French place! Beforehand, Kristen and I were sitting in class and discussing how much we did not want to have soup, a sandwich, or cook something, and how we don’t like finishing with class at 6:30 and just going to our rooms. We wanted to do something, anything! Jacques was the lucky taker on his willingness to drive us. The restaurant was called “Le Bistrot Gourmand” and it was the best food I have eaten since I have been here. Save for the crĂšme brĂ»lĂ©e at La Bibliotheque. Everyone hold your breath and let this blow your mind:
I ate escargot. Snails. And I liked it. đ
It was surprisingly good. Jacques told us the ones we had weren’t that good, but they were good to me. There wasn’t much flavor in them, but they came out in a little dish with oils and herbs that was great with bread. I still can’t believe I actually ate it. For my meal I had something that had egg, ham, cheese and some other vegetable stuff with pasta. It was SO good. This is where I am taking my family when they come for their first meal. The wine wasn’t bad either. đ
Naturally, this little outing took us four hours. I am beginning to learn that is just how it works over here. No one is rushed and meals are used as a socialization method and it is nice. I like it. We talk about the most random things, but the conversation never stops. Kristen told about this house that is haunted in her hometown, so I made a plan to go visit her in Louisiana and go see it. It sounded creepy and we all know how much I hate haunted houses.
Today I got my first eyebrow waxing done by the French. Don’t get too excited; it was no different than the American way. I have lots of homework I need to do today and I might go to the big Carrefour with the other girls. Â
Tell me this, Oklahomans:Â I was talking with Lelani a couple weekends back about what South Africa is “marked” by and known for, and she asked me about Oklahoma. She said, “I know you deep fry everything, but really, what is Oklahoma known for?” Good question, and I’ve been thinking about it ever since. Of course, if you are a collegiate, you say “Oklahoma football”, if you are stereotypical, you say “Cowboys, teepees, and Indians” and if you are clueless, I’m not sure what you would say. Really though, what is Oklahoma known for?! Wheat? The invention of the parking meter?! It has to be something better than that!
 Ponder that thought and get back to me đ
lovelovelove
Teryn
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Feb
2
Everything has been going really well these past couple of days! I started my translation course which will be extremely beneficial to me, but it looks like it can be difficult at times. Plus, the Friday morning at 8:00 am doesn’t quite help that! There are a few classes that I am taking that are simply just for preparation for the exam at the end, which is basically, in my mind, a French ACT, but only with reading and writing. We are doing a lot of old tests and learning how to listen well, time ourselves and things like that. It is stressful because right now I don’t see myself doing well on it at all, but I know a lot will change when May comes around.
There are a couple of guys who live in the same building as me and we have created a “date” for speaking French each night. It just happens and it is really nice. I can ask questions, they help me, they re-teach me things! It takes effort on my part because I feel uncomfortable speaking French sometimes, but that is what I have to get over and just talk and I will be better. It’s becoming easier, and I’ve realized I know a lot more than I think I do.
Remember how I talked about the Carrefour by my dorm being like a French Wal-Mart? Well, it is, but moreso a Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market. The actual Carrefour, which I discovered Wednesday, is b.e.a.u.t.i.f.u.l! It is literally like walking into a Wal-Mart! They have SO much stuff and it is cheaper than the things at the Market. I’ve decided that even though it takes more of an effort to get to it by bus, I am definitely going there for everything! That is the one that I am taking my Mom and Sister to when they come to visit.
This next weekend I am going to Bordeaux with Kristen, Kelli, Ebony, Jacques, his friend, these two girls in our class from the Czech Republic, and Alex and Claudia, the two students from England. It should be really fun and I am very excited to go! We are staying in a hostel, taking the train there and back, and visitng a winery! We found a 5 hour city and winery tour that I think will be very interesting. I am happy to finally go somewhere on my weekends and I am looking into where else I want to and can go visit on the weekends and for my first break!
Today I am going to the Rugby game. Tros told us they are playing a French team that they lost to last time and there should be lots of fights! I am definitely wanting to see that! Last week I was at Lelani’s and they showed us videos from different rugby teams and the level of intensity and fighting went up and the level of competition went up. It was interesting. All I know is, these poor rugby players have to be either so sore or so dead after playing a match. I wanted to cry when I saw the hits some of the guys had. It looks awful.
That’s really all that is going on. Funny story: I needed to buy a mini-stapler because a lot of the copies my professors give me are just pages and pages without being stapled and it drives me crazy. So, I was at the big Carrefour and I bought a hole punch instead. In my defense, they look EXACTLY alike, and the picture looked like a freaking stapler. Oh well. Now that I don’t have a need for a hole puncher, I have one. Maybe one day.
I realized when looking at my calendar that I have almost been here a month! It is crazy how fast it has gone by. Just a few things that I really miss:
- Sonic ICE!!! Or, ice in general!
- Dr. Pepper, but not as much as I thought I would.
- My mom, sister, JayJay, and of course, Sassi and Coco!
- I haven’t had Starbucks, BWW, Sonic, anything in one month!
- RANCH! OMG, ranch! I do miss you!
- A bathtub. I officially hate showers. So inconvenient, plus, who really wants to stand while getting clean? Not me, that’s for sure.
- Driving, I haven’t driven in a month! Honestly though, I enjoy walking now and taking the bus. The public transportation here is ten times better than in the US and it really can take you almost anywhere! Walking now gives me time to think and notice things around me that I wouldn’t if I was driving.
- Kara, Taryn, Shelby, my tortilla!
I am sure there are more things that I miss, but overall I really don’t miss home all that much. Sorry, mommy! đ I truly enjoy it here, and could definitely see myself coming back for a much longer period of time. We shall see…
Lovelovelove,
Teryn
Jan
23
Hi world! I feel like I haven’t blogged in forever, but there hasn’t been much to say! I’ll start with class on Thursday. I felt very confident in my morning phonetics class because I understood what was happening and even went up the board and wrote! Gasp! I just knew it would be a better day. Then, as always, my oral comprehension class happened. I know oral comprehension is my weakest point in my French, but I want to cry every single time I leave, and sometimes during, this class. It is terrible. I don’t understand the 234210943754 miles an hour the news anchors speak, and I also don’t understand the professor who asks the questions twice as fast! My professor last semester showed me some websites to help with my listening and stuff, so I have decided to devote at least 30 minutes a day to practicing this, and hopefully before too long I will be much better at it.
My writing class later that day were fine, but just are not very entertaining. Not that class is supposed to be entertaining, but it could be a wee bit fun, you know? It drags on and on and on and never seems like 6:30 will happen.ï»żï»żï»żï»ż
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| The “La Maison du Fromage”. The smell in this place was unreal. This was just one side of it. I have never seen more cheese in my entire life. |
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| Sheep cheese…. |
So we ate it. This is the before, and just imagine it all carved out for the after. It didn’t have a very pleasant aftertaste and it reminded me of the smell of older people and mothballs, but after a while you no longer seemed to notice. I enjoyed trying it but I doubt I will get it again đ
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| The “It’s 2 euro” store! The French version of Dollar Tree. Love,love, love it! |
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| A monument for WWI Vetrans. |
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| At Place Jourdain with Ebony. It was SO cold! |
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| A Virgin Mobile advertisement. They have them with girls too, but I obviously prefer the “avec” boy..with Joe Jonas’ body and face đ Then again, I’ll take what I can get! |
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| The Laughing Cow cheese and crackers! |
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| A Praline I split with Kristen that was good, homemade from a chocolatier! |
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| I was SO close to buying this for my future nephew. It was 70% off so I should have! I may go back… |
Jan
19
 If there is one thing I do not miss at all about being at home it is the wind. So far in Limoges, there has been hardly any, and it has been great. Today, it was like I was back at home! It was SO windy and definitely colder than it has been the past couple of days. It was my day off and all the sales were calling my name!
After lunch I went with Kristen and Kelli into centre-ville. We went to Saint Martial which is a shopping mall where they have an H&M, which is my favorite store ever! They had a ton of things on sale and so many cute dresses and skirts for spring. For some reason, I was feeling guilty for shopping so I wasn’t quite in the mood to do it. We went through all the mall where there are sports shops (like Academy), gift shops, tons of clothing stores, shoes, shoes, and shoes! I did find a cute sweater dress that was 39 euro that I got for 13 euro! I am proud of myself for that purchase.
 I also was in dire need of contact solution. I didn’t pack any with me because I just assumed it would be at all the stores here. No such luck! After checking the Carrefour and the Pharmacie, I asked Samy who told me you had to get it at an optometrist’s office. Who knew?! He also said it was very expensive. Later at lunch I asked Jacques how expensive it was, and he said 50-70 euro. I was about to be wearing glasses the rest of the semester. I was furious and did not know why it would cost so much. I decided to try my luck because maybe a little bottle would be only 20 euro and I could suffice until my mom sent me some from home. Luckily, I got a big bottle of it for 11 euro and I knew it was going to be a good day! Yes it is still much more expensive than in the US, but it is better than the 50-70 I was prepared for. Then again, Jacques was probably lying. Oh well, once I got my solution I was pretty much jumping up and down and did not care where the day went! I was that happy!
We shopped for a few hours and then tried out a chocolatier. Kristen and I shared a very good praline covered in chocolate. We decided since we split it, it was only 250 calories each, to which we said, “We are in France, who cares?!” I made some soup for dinner and did another load of laundry. I am going to shower and then do my homework that I have so far for this week. Tomorrow is my long day of classes. I may wear my new dress just so I feel cute and maybe the day will be better!
Lovelovelove Teryn
Jan
18
School has been much better the past two days. On Monday there was a meeting for international students and it was supposed to be a “Welcome!” type of event. Had I had it two weeks ago it would have been great, but since I had it yesterday, I felt it to be a complete waste of my time. Plus, I also thought it was more for students who were taking Univeristy courses and not doing my FLE Program. In my “pratique d’oral” class we did an exercise like “Telephone” but with stories in French. You know how messed up it can get in English, so just imagine that in another language with stories you knew nothing about. It was interesting and fun, but a complete disaster, at least for me!
Tuesday’s classes were good, but it is still such a long day! We are in the same classroom from 2-6:30. The little coffee machine has become my best friend to keep me ready for another lecture. My grammar class will be good for me once I remember what all I learned in ninth grade. It has been so long since I have reviewed a lot of what we are going over, so it makes for a complicated situation. I know the information, but it is filed away so far back that I need to reach in and grab it out! I also have a class on “Techniques d’expression” which teaches us how to write a letter, formal or informal, and it seems pointless now, but I am good at it so it makes it enjoyable for me! I am sure it will come into use later, but so far I do not see me writing a letter to someone telling them I am unable to attend their housewelcoming party, but congratulations on their baby.
Tomorrow is one of my day’s off so I am going to go into centre-ville and do some shopping! Since it is sale season it just makes perfect sense! I also want to visit a distillery but I do not know how far away it is yet, but it is on my bucket list! I made a rough bucket list but I will keep adding to it, I am sure. Hopefully each week or every so often I can go accomplish a few things on it. Some are bigger than others, and some are a mere five minutes away. I made it up while I was doing some laundry. The dryer just does not dry so my whole room smells like a clean laundry mat each time I do it. Jeans and towels are everywhere currently, and tomorrow it will be my whites! My mama would be proud!
I get to Skype with my Nana and my Mommy tonight! I am so excited. I think my poor Nana worries about me too much and wants me to come home. It takes me some convincing to let her let me stay here. It will be good to talk to them and I am excited!
lovelovelove,
Teryn
Jan
17
Rugby: my new favorite sport! It was so cool, and I found rugby to be exciting. The Limoges team won, 52-3 (I think) and Lelani said it wasnât too much of a game because the other team was weak and there werenât many scrums which makes the game more exciting. Since I am a football fan, I am used to hearing helmets clashing and at a rugby match you hear skin and heads and I think it looks absolutely painful and I would cry if I was in the situation of some of these guys. I really enjoyed it though and would like to see another one!
After the rugby match, we went into this little bar place right by the stadium where the players go to hang out for a bit and thank their supporters. We met some friends of Lelani and the Jacques and then we planned out our night. It was too late to eat dinner but some of the group left to go try to find an open place and I stayed behind with Jacques because I felt bad if he was left alone. He is a big talker to all the people anywhere, so he went up to some supporters and then made me speak French which actually turned out to be helpful even though I felt like I was butchering every single word. This French family that we were talking to actually knew about the OKC Bombing which I found surprising because I guess I thought it just made big news in the US but apparently not. After talking some, we left and met up with Lelani and âTrosâ (that is her husband, Jacques, nickname and everyone calls him that so it is probably easier to distinguish between who I am talking about) and Kristen, Kelli, Ebony, Audrey (one of their friends) and whoever else we decided to bring. We went to a small rugby bar called Bar Barians that was packed and had the cutest lamp made of rugby balls in one of the corners. Random, I know. I learned the difference in France between a bar and a nightclub. A bar is just like a bar in the US but closes at 2. A nightclub is like a dance club and a bar, but stays open until 7:00 or 8:00 in the morning! Absolutely nuts.
Now that that is cleared, Bar Barians closed at 2 and Audrey, Jacques, me, and another rugby player and his girlfriend went to this nightclub called âLe Speakeasyâ. It was small with a dance floor and some booths. It is much cheaper in France when you go to a bar to buy a bottle of liquor for like 5-10 euro and then get mixers there than to buy a mixed drink already which is anywhere from 7-12 euro per drink. We did that and danced some and then left! I met and spoke some French to some âlocalsâ who knew Jacques and attempted to make them my friends. There was a coat check place to put your stuff and as it turns out, when Jacques and I decided to go, the other rugby player had taken Jacques coat too, with his keys and everything in it. So, at 5:12 in the morning (because thatâs how the French roll I guess?!) we had to walk to the rugby players apartment, Allo, and bang on his door to get Jacques coat and keys, and then walk all the way back to the car so we could get to my dorm. It was such a hassle but very entertaining at the time. The streets of France are much more open and wide at 5 am than they are during the day.
 Needless to say, Sunday was spent sleeping a LOT and finishing up some homework for class. The whole University starts back tomorrow and so there should be a lot more people around. Also in France right now it is sale season, and it started last week in Limoges. Everything starts out at 30% off, then goes to 50%, 70% and so on for one month. I think someone is going to be doing some shopping. I donât really need anything, but hey, I will only be able to shop sale season in France once, right?! And if it is on sale it is silly to pass it up, right?! Yes, that is just what I thought! ï Class should be good and I am going to try to mark off one thing from my bucket list this week!
 Lovelovelove, Teryn
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