La Quotidienne de Grenoble

BEST NEWS EVER: I finally was able to find the right plug adapter and have use of my computer again! YAY!

 

Chocolate lava cake with ice cream and strawberries with
salted caramel sauce. 

So Saturday was my birthday! I had such a wonderful day. My host mom, Clo, made me a wonderful lunch and we ended up having quite the ensemble! I was allowed to invite three friends, and then there were Clo's boyfriend, Philippe, and his adorable five-year-old daughter, Loé (like Chloe but without the "ch" sound), and then Clo's best friend Françoise, who studied abroad in Minneapolis and spoke English quite well. Sadly I don't think we got a group photo, but it was such a wonderful lunch. My host  mom made me canard (duck), des pommes de terre au gratin, salad, and of course fresh bread and a variety of cheeses. Then for dessert, my host sister, Eva, made me dessert, which of course meant a homemade chocolate lava cake. Because you know, France.

 

 I know someone has a picture of me with my candles lit, but I can't remember who! Dessert was amazing though. All the food here is - I have yet to have a single thing I don't like. Its dangerous. After lunch Natalie, Catharine, Ellie and I walked into le Centre Ville (downtown) to do some shopping and just look at more of the city. We ended up at this wonderful little place near the CEA office called The Bookworm Cafe. Its owned by a Scottish ex-pat woman named Mags, and despite being British, feels a bit like home, simply because of the English! We had tea, coffee and incredible homemade scones with clotted cream and jam. Again, it was amazing.

Since my computer has been dead, I'm behind on pictures! Voilà, some photos from around town:

Entrance to a private residence (with an Indian on top?)

The sign indicates that this is where a former mayor
of Grenoble lived. I love French doors.

Cularo was the name of this town during the 3rd century, when
it was a Roman town. These medallions are found on the street where the
ancient Roman city walls once stood.

La Fontaine du Notre Dame. Our go-to meeting place.

Inside St. Andrès Church

The Grenoble flag.

The incredible (and extremely old) organ in St. Andrès.
(for Grandpa!)

Hannah, me, Catharine, Ellie
In front of the building where the French Revolution began.

That evening we met up with the rest of our group to go out for my birthday! The night before we found a bar called Korner Pub, an Irish pub that we really really liked, so we went back there for my birthday. I cannot imagine a better group of people to share my study abroad experience with, and I'm so glad because they made my birthday so special, even though I was miles from home and family (and we did take a group photo but it wasn't with my camera, so I'll have to share that with you all later, as well).

Hannah and me at Korner Pub on my birthday. 

 As for my daily life now, we started school today. We take one French class per month, four hours a day, five days a week. I placed into an Advanced-Intermediate class and really enjoyed the first day. There are 4 Americans (including me), about 6-7 Chinese, a Colombian girl, an Iranian guy, an Iraqi guy, and a few others whose nationality I don't know yet. Its crazy to think that the friends I'll make in class I will only ever be able to talk to in French, because our native languages aren't the same! I've realized, over the course of the past week and especially today in class, just how much French I really do know. I finally feel like I can truly communicate in my second language; even though its much more limited and a lot less fluid than my English, I am capable of having conversations entirely in French, which I have felt was never going to happen many times.

We did a few other things that I'm going to put in their own posts, later tonight or tomorrow. As for what's coming up, we're visiting Vienne, France this Saturday and next weekend Hannah and I are meeting my friends Kristen and Cameron (who currently live in Germany) in PARIS! I can't believe this is real life sometimes.

Miss and love you all!

Love
Aubrey