Je m'inscris

So I signed up for my courses... I'm taking four courses at the Institute, that is, with American students but in the French language, and two courses at l'Université de Nantes, also known as "the Fac." I'm taking French Grammar and Composition (of course), Traduction Anglais-Français et Français-Anglais (that's a combined translation course at the local university with French students - very exciting!), Politics - the Construction of the European Union, Economics - International Trade and Globalization, and Sciences Politiques - a poli-sci course with a little of everything offered at the Fac. I'm a little nervous about the poli-sci class because it's the only one I'm taking where the professor doesn't know/care about the native English-speakers in the class, that is, it's just a regular class for French students. But it will be good for me, I suppose, to be challenged. Classes at the Institute start next Monday; at the Fac, not until October 4!

I'm having some trouble getting Whitman to accept credits toward my major, which is really frustrating. If they don't, well, I may not be able to finish in 4 years. But I don't even want to think about that... I won't know for sure until I hear back from my advisor, whom I emailed this morning. And considering he probably hasn't woken up yet (it's only 6 am in Walla Walla) I probably won't know until tomorrow.

I got my cell phone in the mail! That was cool. I bought it from a former IES student and she mailed it to me - $60, not bad for a cute little red Nokia with a French SIM card, huh? I'll probably sell it to someone else when I leave. I bought some minutes for it, but it's pretty expensive to call the U.S.; I mean, it uses up the minutes really fast. So I'll probably stick with email for the most part. Of course, I can receive calls for free - so hopefully my American friends will call me! We'll see...

I've been having adventures trying to buy various cards and things all over town. I got my monthly bus pass (I use it to take the tram to the Fac, it's about a 10 minute walk to the tram and then a 10 minute ride to campus), my Carte Campus (and the tiniest little ID photos you ever saw to put on it), groceries to make lunch with, and a new purse with a matching wallet - très chic; my old one broke, by the way, I'm not just buying things for fun (Key word: "just")! I do have to save some money for textbooks, etc.!

So overall life's going well... I think it's going to take a while to settle in, though. I feel like an outsider still in my French family. M. Macaire is never there, I've only met him that one time... Every night they set the table for 4 but it's just Mme. Macaire, Eléônore, and me. He always gets back very late. Mme. and Eléô talk to each other, very quickly, and then pause and turn to me and slowly ask me something like, "And you, Meagan, how was your day?" Then I answer, they say, "Oh," and they talk to each other some more. It's just awkward, and sometimes we don't talk at all. They eat very, very fast. I'm always struggling to keep up, and I'm not even talking (most of the time)! And as soon as the last morsel of food is off my plate, poof! It's whisked away and everyone disperses to different parts of the house. Definitely not the long meals I was warned about with lots of talking and hanging around afterword. Instead, it's almost utilitarian, like, 'well, since we have to eat to stay alive...' Hmm. FX, the only ami I think I've really made here, doesn't eat with us because he just rents a room. I don't know where he eats... probably at the RU, the restaurant universitaire... Oh, well! Ce n'est pas grave. At least the food is good - fabulous French cheeses, wine sometimes, etc.

This week we don't have much work, just a little grammar and reading. We read La Parure , a short novelette by Guy de Maupassant. I really liked it. It's about a dissatisfied young woman who aspires to move beyond her social class for one night by borrowing a fabulous diamond necklace for a ball... But she loses the necklace, and in fact, loses everything, as she has to work like a peasant for the next ten years to pay it off. There's a nice twist at the end, though. I thought it was very good. Tragic, but good!

I'm sure next week when our classes start we'll have more work... Ugh. But at the same time, I am looking forward to having regular assignments and a fixed schedule and all that. And before that, there's always the weekend! Maybe I'll go to the beach if this heatwave keeps up, or to the carnival that's in town, or to a French movie... or to the mall... The possibilities are endless! And, just to make you all jealous, I could just hop a train to Paris if I wanted to... :)