Haley Marie

Hello! So the semester has ended, people have gone back to their respective countries and alas the world continues to turn. Most people went back home this past weekend… it was so sad to see my really good friends off at the train station Saturday and Sunday. Needless to say, tears were shed. The last few weeks of school were absolutely amazing. The weather was gorgeous. Flowers were in full bloom (and Angers is not at all lacking in the flower department!). And exams were just around the corner. My exams, though assez difficult, seemed to have gone well. So I’m super excited about that. And my defense of the paper I wrote during the semester went incredibly well. I was so surprised. As I was waiting to be called into the room, I seriously thought ... read more

Hello friends! I hope you’re doing well and that you’re enjoying this late spring weather. I surely am…as I am not a fan of the dead of summer in the South. Too hot for me. So, last week I turned in my mémoire (a really important paper), which made me so incredibly happy. Though I was not a fan of the mémoire during the semester, I was so proud of it when I finished. And I think I did a really good job on it. The first week of June (exam week) we will have la soutenance, which is when we will have to defend our mémoire in front of a jury of 3 professors. Gross…I’m not looking forward to that one. But I think once it is over, I will appreciate having done it. It’s ... read more

Hello everyone! I hope all is well and that your semester is not too hectic. I’m doing amazingly. This coming week is our last week of classes before our two weeks off, so my professors decided it’d be a good idea to give me a test in every class but one next week. Not cool. But I’m nonetheless loving every moment here :) Every Saturday afternoon in March, I’ve had an Intercultural Workshop that I chose to participate in. It was lots of fun, and the differences between certain cultures were really interesting… things I had never really thought twice about were problems for students from other countries. Vice versa. Anyway, each Saturday we worked on a couple of skits that showed these differences, and this past Wednesday we acted them out…for the public. Oh joy. ... read more

I think that in just a few short days, I will have been in Angers for exactly one month. I must say that I feel as though I have just arrived. I am completely discombobulated by how quickly time passes. In a way, I wish time would just freeze so that I could stay here forever. Yet on the other hand, I have lots of dreams to go after... so I inevitably want to embrace the progression of time... Hmm... weird... Well, last weekend I did my usually market trip/promenade through town on Saturday. And Sunday I did some work, read part of a novel I'm working on, and walked around town. However, to make my rather normal weekend absolutely exceptional, I was able to talk to Sra. McClam Sunday evening. That instantaneously made me one ... read more

So it's been exactly one week since I've last written, and so much has happened! Last Saturday, Amber and I went to the outdoor market just down the the street. It's held every Saturday morning in the same place, and locals bring everything from funky smelling cheeses to antique livres. It's really cool. I was so mad that I didn't take my camera...the colors, textures, and shapes were incredible. Except for the meat and seafood section...gross!... Anyway, rest assured I will go back tomorrow. And yes, with my camera. On Sundays, very few places are open. Even the vast majority of tabacs are closed...which are like the center of French communities! Ok...maybe that's a bit exaggerated...but not too terribly much! However, you can find a few random cafes that are still open, along with unexpected things ... read more