Dreamland

Hello again!

I’ve put this off for a few days now, but it’s about time that I sit down and actually write this blog, so here it goes.

I’ve been here for five months now, and in that time, quite a bit has changed. The most obvious is, of course, language-wise, but I’ve also gained many amazing friends and experiences.

Some things haven’t quite been what I expected them to be, but some, such as the relationships I’ve built, have been so much more important to me than I expected. I’ve spent these last two months (ever since the last vacation) in my own personal version of heaven, so busy with my French friends that I didn’t have time to miss home. And now, I’ve moved in with my friend Charlotte—I finally get to experience a “host family” with somebody my age, which is quite fun.

I could get all sappy here, but the video I posted on the 21st shows it pretty well—all that video was taken in a span of four days, and it’s kind of a present for the Frenchies, with whom I’ve passed so many good days lately.

OH! In other news, I only have 2 days of school left. And then I’m off to Bordeaux again, and the final few weeks in June, I’ll spend with Charlotte (B.) and my other friends. I’m so not ready for this to end, it’s just TOO GOOD.

♥,
-Aly

Trips to McDonalds/Quick: 12
(*hides in shame*)

CINQ MOIS!

American Foods

Hello, everybody!

I was just thinking about this today, though I admit I am often reminded of all the foods that I desperately want to eat. So, this is my list of American foods that I will be consuming in great quantities upon my return to the US.

1. Macaroni and Cheese. -- Really, there need be no explanation. Mac & cheese is one of my favorite foods ever, and I haven't eaten it since ... uhm... FAR TOO LONG.
2. American-style breakfast. -- I eat tartines every day. Give me some PANCAKES and scrambled eggs, some bacon, bagels, or any breakfast excursion to Chik-fil-A. Shame on me for many of these, but yeah. OH, and SUGARY CEREAL! Where are my Lucky Charms?! :D
3. PB&J-- Yeahhh. Peanut butter doesn't exist here.
4. COOKIES! Brownies, cake-with-legit-frosting. -- I could make these but it's not the same. Give me some cookie cake or anything with frosting...
5. Phish Food flavor of Ben & Jerry's. ... This one is pretty self-explanatory. Abundance of ice cream, not much Ben & Jerry's, besides the fact that it's 5 euros, which is like $7. OH, AND Breyer's Mint Chocolate Chip!
   
6. Mexican food. (wait, that's not American, but uhm, who's being technical? Mexico is in North America. Thus American...?)
7. PASTA with non-meat-sauce or pasta with not-ketchup-and-Gruyere.
8. Barbeque. -- Again, I'm a bit ashamed of this one, but let's be honest... that stuff is good.
9. Pop-tarts!-- should have included this with breakfast, but it's rare that I eat pop-tarts as breakfast.
10. Hershey's Chocolate. -- Okay, so this one is unfair. There's loads of chocolate here, really good chocolate like Lindt and such. But, some cheap chocolate that you can eat in one sitting? Yes. Yes. Yes.

Okay, I just proved my co-presidency of the Fattie Club. Happy May!
-Aly

P.S. It was blog about food, blog about my recent spaz-dom about colleges, or blog about the fact that I now realize I'm Bilingual. I'd like to pretend this is the best of the three. But that may just be because I'm eating fail pasta...

MAY FIRST

Hello!

Happy May, you guys!

I've heard from many of you that you've already received the post cards I sent-- to those of you that haven't gotten them, they SHOULD be there soon! If you have given me your address, I've either already sent or am about to send you mail.

April was a good month, the midway point and the next step closer to finishing up my time here. Like all the other months, it was good (with some bad).

In April I loved:

1. Travelling-- I finally EXPLORED France. I saw Bordeaux and Toulouse, and Carcassonne, as well as many other small villages with history.
   
2. Meeting new people & getting to know my French friends better-- this last month has been AMAZING in that aspect! Good-bye and good riddance, awkward stage of friendship! You guys at home, I've said it before, and I'll say it again with complete convinction... the Frenchies are fantastic, and I love them to bits.
   
3. Renewing my "France crush"-- Once again, the love for France is back... thanks to the experiences I've had this month, and a renewing of the vision of France I get when I see all the beauty and history here. Except now, I recognize it's faults. And that's perfectly fine.
4. Fluency-- After four months of living here, I've finally heard it from just about everyone: "You speak French really well!", and at last, I believe them. I had a conversation with Charlotte about this the other day, and basically, I can no longer say that I'm NOT fluent. This makes me ridiculously happy. I'M BILINGUAL?!
5. Just to round out this list, April was amazing because... I'm nearly finished. I'm sad and excited about this, with how things have been going, but I think about it... four months. It's been nearly a year since I started this blog, since I truly began planning this trip. Four far-too-fast and all-too-slow months. I'll be home soon-- I'm excited for the new possibilities and about tackling the next adventure. And I'm really, really impatient to see all my friends and family at home, because I miss them so much.

Things that weren't so great in April:

1. Saying goodbye to new places & people.
2. Communication problems.
3. Train Strikes.
4. Freaking. School.
   

I mean, that's really nothing, and I really don't mind those that much because saying goodbye to people and places is rough, but I WILL find a way to go back and see them in the future, the communication problems have been resolved, the train strike was annoying but it did allow me to spend more time with people that I find to be amazing, and school meant more time with friends in Frejus! :D

In other news, I have far too many things to deal with at home. Home being the US, of course. Real life is calling me back, responsibilities and plans for things that are Actually Quite Important.

AP French won't exist next year, so far as I've heard. This means that my French education is basically over, and I'll have to start taking lower levels of French than I'm capable of. It aggravates me to no end, that I've worked (as have the other students that want to take the class, even if there are just 5 of us) for YEARS to be able to take AP French. The AP French teacher was my FIRST French teacher, ever, and I just think it would be really cool to end my years of French class (that is, if I don't take it in college) with the same teacher I began learning French with.

Anyway, MAY. I'll let you know how it goes.
Lots to do! BYE.
-Aly