Une Semaine

That's one week for all you non frenchies. It's also the amount of time that I've been in France. Isn't that crazy? I think it is. The past week has been such a roller coaster of emotions that I'm still recovering from it. Jetlag is still kicking my ass a bit. But time goes on and there are plenty of things to do and see in Toulouse!

Monday morning I walked with Jeremy to class (shout out Jeremy if you're reading this.. If not, awkward) which took about 30 minutes. When the weather is nice it's much nicer to walk to the Dickinson center than take the bus. It's also faster which is bizarre. We had our "Toulouse Colloquium" class in the morning and we discussed what our identity means to us and what it means to be a global citizen. While thinking about my identity, I realized that my entire personality comes from the fact that I have red hair and I'm from New York. It's weird but it makes sense. For lunch I walked with Emily (another shout out!) to meet a friend of a friend. We grabbed sandwiches and ate next to the Garonne. I hadn't seen the river yet and it was absolutely gorgeous. When I have some free time I definitely want to have more lunches there. After eating, we went back to the center where we were supposed to start picking out classes for the universities in Toulouse but the wifi failed so we were dismissed early. I was feeling really stressed and anxious when I got home after that. Luckily, Camille needed help writing an American resume so I got to be of use which was such a nice feeling after always feeling like the opposite. Instead of eating with my hosts I went in to the centre ville for tapas with Sarah, Caroline, and Alex (so many shout outs!) which was fantastic. It was so nice to eat outside.

La Garonne

Our dinner view

It was raining Tuesday morning so we took the bus instead of walking. I was having a panic attack because I thought we were going to be late because there was a ton of traffic in the city. It's so frustrating for me sometimes (and I know I've only been here a week) because I want to break my super type-a habits this year because sometimes I get sick of myself, but it's hard to get rid of my desire to always be early. Maybe it'll come with time. In class, we talked about the different levels of "interculturalité" and where we are on the spectrum. For me, I'm definitely at comparison, comparing everything here to everything at home. For lunch I walked around with Caroline, trying to explore the area where the center is and find new places to get food. In the afternoon we had our other class at the center. We learned about the proper ways to email and phone professors if we ever have questions. I also learned the difference between "bonjour" and "bonne journée." Bonjour is what you say to someone when you arrive while bonne journée is what you say when you leave. In my ten years of French I never learned that. After class I went with Sarah to buy her phone and then we stumbled across a really cute store with fun mugs, sunglass cases, journals, stuff like that. We also stumbled upon Flower's Café which I had heard about from everyone who has ever studied in Toulouse. We grabbed some desserts to go and ate them next to a fountain at Place du Capitole. The desserts with INCREDIBLE and so was the place where we sat. I came back home to find a huge package from Stephgirl with all my crap I left at home. Thanks mom!! It's nice to have my own pillow again. I hung around with Catherine while she made dinner chatting about our days. Somehow during our conversation the pot of boiling water on the stove fell over, spilling water everywhere. No idea how it happened. During dinner, we talked about the differences between American and French universities and how they affect finding a job afterwards. In France, as opposed to the US, you take classes for three years and only in your major. Maybe you'll take a language course but no general requirements or liberal arts. Thus, after graduation you can literally only work in your field. My host sister Camille is struggling with this right now.

Flower's

Tarte au citron

Me and Sarah!

Stephgirl rocks

Today I walked because it was a lovely fall-like morning. In class we talked about a project we're going to be doing this semester as a group as well as the difference between the implicit and the explicit in French and American culture. American culture is very explicit. We explain everything and talk everything out whereas in France, a lot is just understood without being directly said. This can make things complicated when the two cultures collide and I think we're all experiencing this in one way or another. During out lunch break, I walked to the big supermarket near the Dickinson center to get some stuff I needed (Folders and conditioner... Side note: In France, computer paper isn't 8.5 x 11 so NOTHING fits in my folders. Everything sticks out the top. Such a pain in the ass.) and then I grabbed lunch at the café next door. I came back to the center and did some homework before our afternoon outing. We had an hour lecture with M. Créma about the Roman history of Toulouse. This city is oooold. It's really interesting. After the lecture we went to the Musée Saint Raymond which actually shows the Roman history of the city. On the way we passed the Basilique St. Sernin which is so beautiful and I can't wait to go inside next week. After the museum, I went with Emily to have a drink and chat at a café and now I'm here talking to all of you! It's really strange not to be in New York on every anniversary of 9/11. Even when I'm at Dickinson it's weird because there isn't that same connection that we all felt that day 12 years ago at home. I'm feeling it again today in Toulouse and thinking about everyone in New York. Wish I could be with you guys today!

Basilique St. Sernin

Basilique St. Sernin

At the Musée Saint Raymond

Lovely view inside the museum

Fascinated by the beard

Augustus

And for Mr. Chris: