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Published: September 18th 2006
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My Host Family
Elie, Francoise, Caroline, and Claire on their vacation earlier this summer So much has happened in only 12 days. I arrived here in Nantes on Sept 6, and I just started classes today. My flight went well, and I met up with other Nantes students at the trainstation at Charles de Gualle airport. To get to Nantes, we took the TGV (high-speed train). When we arrived at the Nantes train station, no one was there to meet us (as promised in our trip guide), so, with the help from an extremely nice French man (he was there to pick up the American he was hosting) a few of us braved the Nantes tram system to get to the IES center. The center is on the 2nd and 3rd floors of a residence building. Here, most families live in appartments above shops, or in connected houses (there aren't any freestanding houses in the city; everything is cramped together).
My host family came to take me home from the center. I live with the Doucet family in a 3 storey house. Elie, the father, is a podologue (kind of like a podiatrist); he works from home and does a lot of the housework. Francoise, the mother, is a building manager. Caroline (18 years
Bridge at Night
Me, Melissa, Amy, and Jeanette at the bridge in Brest old) goes to the university and participates in competitive rowing. Claire (17 years old) is in her last year of high school and does horseback riding. I have my own room (small, but very cute) and my own bathroom, and I'm doing my best to pick up after myself. I eat breakfast at the house every morning, lunch in the city, and I eat 5 dinners per week with my family. It's been a tough transition to French cuisine. There is a lot more oil and butter, and the meals are huge, and its considered rude to leave any food on your plate. Also, breakfast is very small; I usually have a cup of tea and a crepe with jam. Dinner is large: a heavy main course, a cheese course, and dessert. Also, dinner is served later (the earliest I have eaten has been 7:15, and 8:30 would not be odd at all.)
Nantes has great public transportation. There are 3 tram lines (think of arteries) that hit the main parts of the city, and there are tons of buses (think veins) that hit most everything. The trams have priority on the roads, but the buses have to fight
Boat to Ile d'Ouessant
View from the dock where we took a boat out to the island. the traffic. I have a TAM pass that will let me ride the bus or tram all year long. My house is very close to the 3rd tram line, so I take that line into town. From there I can either take the #1 or walk to get to IES.
The day after we arrived in Nantes, we left for a orientation trip to Brittany (Bretagne). We spent a day on the Island of Ouessant, where all 70 of us rented bicycles and wandered around seeing the churches, houses, cliffs, and beaches. I was ecstatic to see that everyone had Brittany Spaniels, and I wished I could have brought my own with me (but I don't think she would have made it through the boat journey to the island; she is not fond of water.) It was very fun, and I got quite a workout. We also went to Locranon, a small picturesque village, where we ate lunch at a creperie. We did a little hiking on the hills in Brittany, and went to see a large cathedral. On the last day, we took placement exams to place us into groups for the following week.
When we got
Brittany Spaniels
It's not just a clever name. back from Brittany, we started our intensive French week. We had IES orientation, ettiquette lessons, safety orientation, language classes (mostly vocab), grammar classes, and conversation classes. We also took a few tours of Nantes (one practical, one historical).
I rented a viola last week. It's not extrememly expensive, but it plays, and that's all that counts. Tonight, I'm going to check out the university orchestra. I'm also looking into taking some lessons; so far, we've only found violin teachers, but the search continues.
I started my day today with Advanced French Language and Composition I. The grammar teacher is Madame de Pous; she is very demanding, but also very helpful. Later today, I'm going to the University of Nantes to take a translation course. Then I come back to IES to take a French Classicism class. I'm also taking The Palestinian Question, History of France and the Atlantic World, and hopefully a music history class at the Ecole des Beaux Arts.
Last Saturday, I went to the beach at Pornic with my friends Amy, Andrew, and Ally. We took the train down, and looked for the beach for about 45 minutes before giving up and going back
Lighthouse over purple fields
This is one of the lighthouses on Ile d'Ouessant. into the town center for lunch. We found this little cafe, and the hostess was incredible. She was delighted that even though we were foreign we were trying to speak French. She explained the whole menu to us, told us about the city, and gave us each a souvenir shell with the name of the cafe on it. She introduced us to her husband (they own the cafe together), and insisted that if we ever needed a place to stay while we were travelling in France, they would be more than happy to welcome us in their home. After lunch, we finally found the beach and spend a few hours wading and playing frisbee.
A few years ago, France instituted les jours de patrimoine (patriotic days) where historic landmarks are open for anyone to come through. So, some friends and I went to a museum and the opera house for free. Sadly, that was about all we could do yesterday. The city basically dies on Sundays. All major stores and most restaurants and cafes are closed, so you have to make sure to do your shopping on Saturday.
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Linda Babcock
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Wow, Melissa! It's sounds fabulous. I'll forward this to the kids so they can read it, too. I'm so glad you are having such a great adventure. Linda Babcock