petite liste

Some things I've learned so far in Tours:
(not numbered. numbered lists are either funny or important.)

- It's hard to study abroad in a place one can't really pronounce. (I can't even say with certainty, "I'm new to Tours." Mon cours et toujours à Tours. Bonjour.

- Not all cheese in France is good, especially if it only costs €1,30. I should have known, right? Apparently it doesn't all come from the same goat.

- According to the French, there are only six possible formats for an essay or piece of writing, and each is meticulously defined.

- The French resist speaking English at all costs, by all means, de toutes façons.

- Despite the great lengths our French teacher goes to encourage us not to accept stereotypes about the French, when I walk down the street, I still see that 2 out of 3 people are carrying baguettes under their arms, often smoking, and wearing scarves. I used to joke, "See that person? They don't really exist. They're a stereotype." I guess you had to be there.

- It's perfectly normal to go out and party. In fact, it's dinnertime conversation with French family. It's also perfectly normal to shut oneself up in one's room to study all night. Sounds a lot like Bucknell.

- Cat poop smells really bad. I encountered it on the doorstep and it stayed with me the whole day. My host mom left a big red note on the door for the cat-owning people who live below: NE PAT LAISSER ENTRE LE CHAT LE NUIT (Don't let the cat come in at night). It's also a very scary cat, who waits for me to come home and appears in my face when I enter through the gate.

- You can go a whole day in France using just three phrases: "Bonjour," "Ça va," and "C'est pas grave." And I suppose I should add, "Bon appetit." It is necessary to eat while in France.

- My English got really bad, really quickly within days. I have to listen to American music and concentrate on thinking in English for awhile before writing anything that makes sense. I think, therefore, that the blog is good for me.

- French school children scream a lot at recess. (There's an elementary school right next to my language school. My fellow students are all like, "I hate the sound of kids." And I'm like, "I LOVE young learners!")

Well that's all for now...I might go to a discothèque for the first time tonight. I'll be sure to post about that!
Bon courage to all the Bucknellians surviving the flood.