Blogs from Brittany , France, Europe

After arriving home from London, it was Halloween. I LOVE Halloween and dressing up, even though I am 21. I just really love, love, love Halloween. So I was a little bummed to be missing out this year. However, since my host family lives out in the suburbs, there were like 12 trick-or-treaters that came to the door. That's A LOT for France. These kids dont really know the rules of trick-or-treating though so I taught them how to say "betises ou bonbons" before they got candy. Then one of the other American students had a Halloween party. I didnt have a costume so I simply wore the random souvenirs I bought in Paris. It was a lot of fun and I was happy to share Halloween with not only Americans, but a lot of the ... read more

So holy moly. It's November already and I have not posted a blog in forever, so I think I'll write a couple of them to make up for it. So the second weekend in October our program had another weekend excursion, this time to Cornouaille which was an absolutely beautiful region. Once again it was great to spend time with everyone in the program on our bus rides, but also while galavanting around western France :) We went to Pont-Aven which is a picturesque tiny town which is actually famous because so many painters spend time there to take in all the lovely scenery and let it inspire their artwork. Then we went to Quimper which had a gorgeous cathedral. We had a tour of the city and learned all about the rich history of that ... read more

So I just finished my fourth week of classes at the university here in Rennes (plus the two weeks of classes before that) and everything is going swimmingly--except perhaps, trying to type on this French keyboard. Did you know you have to hold shift just to put in a period. Ridiculous. It is nice though that I am starting to find a routine which makes me more comfortable. It is strange how similar France and the US are, however, it is all the little differences either in cultural or habits or ways of living that throw me for a loop sometimes. I am used to the fact that the toilet and the shower are in two seperate rooms, but it is things like how direct the French are with you. Professors will tell you in front ... read more

Hello everyone. My apologies for such a long time between posts. There has just been so much going on. I've been in class for three weeks now and everything is going swimmingly. I love my Cinema and History classes and my language class are fun too, of course, but in a more academic way. What's more exciting though is that I began my teaching internship last week! I am at two different schools--an elementary school with CE 1 (which is like 2nd grade) and a middle school with 3eme (8th grade). The first week went swimmingly. I mostly observed, but I also presented myself to the students and let them ask me questions and we had mini-discussions about America and what I was doing in France. It was great to meet the kids. They're wonderful. This ... read more

Hey everyone! My apologies for being almost a MONTH late!! I'm really going to try to be more punctual about this :) On verra...we'll see! One month ago... I took a weekend trip with two other F&M students, and a BUNCH of students from the UC schools. Accent took us to Omaha beach, in Normandy, and we stayed in a beautiful little sea-side town called St Malo, in Brittany. We also saw Mont St-Michel and its abbey. So, Saturday of this trip was easily the best day spent in France. In the morning, we took a walk around this huge wall that surrounds St Malo. It was used for defense, but now, it's mostly a spot to hangout and walk around. Mirek, our lovely student excursion planner, gave us a tour of the city. Mirek, who ... read more

Hello all and my apologies for not regularly updating my blog. I was recently told that if I did not update more often, I would be removed from the Christmas list, so obviously much more effort will be given. Well since last Sunday, I have done a lot I suppose. Sunday night we shared a nice meal because it was Virginie's last night here. She was a swell young lady who always had a smile on her face and it was fun joking around with her. I wish her the best of luck in the south of France and we'll miss her here. Monday was the first day of classes at Rennes 2, the French university that I attend. I have classes at 8 am on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, but on Monday mornings I have ... read more

This is the last evening of my five day stay in La Gacilly, Brittany. It has been a restful few days which have done me well but I think the tiredness of the past few weeks before I came here have caught up with me in the form of a cold!!! What joy!! Cecile has given me tablets and mouth spray and yesterday I purchased a very expensive packet of Strepsils from a pharmacie in Redon but nothing seems to be working so far! On top of all that I have drank what must be now litres and litres of French herbal tea (not my preferred choice of drink) and water (again not something I like to drink in large quantities). I pray and hope it will be gone by tomorrow afternoon so I can greet ... read more

Special note for my friend Lynne. Hope that these blogs are keeping you entertained during your lunch breaks ! Todays Campsite is : Domaine le Bohat, Sarzeau Woke to the sound of ducks quacking on the water but couldn’t see them as the river was shrouded in mist, which gave us hope for a sunny day. Should have got up sooner than we did for a drive-day with quite a few miles to cover to get us across to the Gulf of Morbihan in Brittany. Not helped that we needed to shop for a few essentials on the way. More milk, and potatoes to replace those we accidentally left behind in the veggie rack at home (neighbour Chris is getting accustomed to panic calls asking him to empty it out and please use anything edible). Found ... read more