...another atypical week!

Another manic Monday, and time to update my blog! Last week was another atypical week in France. Classes were normal on Monday and Tuesday. Monday I went to eat at Catherine's house, and she had some visitors over from out-of-town. There was a woman named Alberte, who is Catherine's age, her two daughters, and her grandson. They were over on Sunday, but I didn't realize that they would be staying until Wednesday. I had another opportunity to eat dinner with them and to get to know them better.

They're from the north of France, from a city in Normandy. Alberte is from Angers - she grew up here - and they were coming back to visit friends. The little boy, named Noah, was the CUTEST kid. I believe he is 3 years old, and his mom is expecting another little boy in February. There is nothing that brings a smile to my face quicker than hearing a little kid talk, especially in a foreign language! I love their high-pitched voices and their expressions as they're talking. We were playing with some origami birds that Hitomi had made for him, and when I would hide them, he would constantly say "Ou ca?" (where is it?) It was incredibly adorable.

Wednesday was a holiday here in France as well. While it's called Veterans' Day in the U.S., it's called Armistice Day here. No one had work or classes. I was invited to have lunch at Jacqueline's house, and I was there from 1pm until 6pm. Catherine, Trevor, and Nellie were also invited.

It was a typical French meal. I drank a lot of different wine and liqueurs that she has collected from her travels. The most interesting one was called Suze, and it's made from a plant in Spain. To me, it tasted like green beans. She served us a salad, beef tongue as the entree, cheese, and then apple pie for dessert. It was fun to just sit, talk, and laugh with them. I thank God for this group of people every day. They have really made my stay in France so comfortable; they are "ma famille angevine" (my Angevine family).

Thursday was a relaxed day for me as I only had one class, and Friday was a free day! Catherine invited me over for dinner, and afterward, I went out to a fair with Trevor. The fair in Angers comes during the month of November, and it's located on the other side of the Maine, the river that separates the town. They have rides and games that you can pay for, much like a carnival or fair in the U.S. For those of you in Va Beach, it is a lot like the Chesapeake Jubilee.

I went with Trevor because he had to take pictures of streets for a class project, and I really wanted to go to the fair! We rode on a "horror" ride and a super scary ride called "No Limit." With the "No Limit" ride, we were strapped in, and it flung us around - up, down, around, sideways, upside-down. It went on for a solid 5 minutes I bet, which is way to long for my body to be subjected to such conditions. I got off the ride feeling very sick to my stomach with a headache. While it was a thrill to the adolescent boys who were being macho during the whole thing, I enjoyed it the first three minutes, but the last ones were torture. That was the first time in my life that I have felt ill after a ride, and it made me feel like an old lady. I'd like to go back to the fair, but I probably won't try that ride again. "No Limit" definitely showed me my limit!

Saturday morning, feeling much better after that last evening, I woke up and went to the market. Turns out that the weather in Angers is much like home; when I left my residence building, it was sunny and warm. When I got to the market twenty minutes later, it was a torrential downpour. I was soaked, and worse, I couldn't find Catherine. I searched in the rain and finally went to her apartment, hoping to find her, and she wasn't there. I waited there, and eventually she got there, all wet just like me. I helped her unload her baskets, and then we had lunch. Thank goodness for a roof in weather like that!

That evening, I met up with the Spanish lectrice, Elena. We watched the movie "The Holiday," and then went to Mass. We tried a new church this time, one that was closer to my residence hall called St. Madeleine. I really liked the parish - it's much smaller than St. Joseph's. They also offer Reconciliation before Mass, which is great! I'd like to go sometime before Christmas; it'll be interesting to have a confession in French. After Mass, we made dinner at my residence hall.

Sunday was a pretty calm day too. I did my laundry in the morning then headed to Catherine's in the afternoon. I helped her to start organizing things for our Thanksgiving celebration in two weeks. We picked out a table cloth that was big enough, and I started translating cooking directions from English to French. Peter (my boyfriend) sent us some things to make stuffing, pumpkin pie, and cranberry sauce for the feast, and it was my job to translate the directions, measurements, and temperatures. I left Catherine's after dinner.

Today has been an ordinary Monday. It's actually making me a bit homesick as we are talking about American holidays and I'm going into detail about how we celebrate Thanksgiving. I know it's going to be difficult to be away from my family and friends during that time. Thank you all for your prayers because I really need them!

Also, my prayers are with you all who had to endure the nor'easter that came through last week. I know my family was without power for some time, and I hope those of you who were effected by the weather are resuming your lives without much difficulty.

Hope you all have a great week, et a la prochaine!