On the Loose in Toulouse

Wow, I can’t believe how quickly time flies by here. I’ve been here for 2 months and a few days already although it seems like I just arrived.

Anyways, as I am still on my October break until Thursday I have sometime to update this and tell you about my amazing vacation. Last week my host family and I went to a GORGEOUS town on the Atlantic coast near Bordeaux, called Cap Ferret. It’s this really beautiful beach town with lots to do and see. I don’t really know how to describe it but it kind of reminded me of a mix between the Jersey shore, Florida, and California.. if that places a picture in your head or not, I don’t really know but that was the way I saw it! haha. Ok so we rented out this appartment for a week which was less then a 2 minute walk to the beach and we even had a view of the sand from the upstairs windows. We did lots and lots of bikeriding almost everyday throughout the town and thru the paths in the forest. There were always tons of people out riding their bikes, one because it was a great way to see the town and two because the weather was soo nice. We also ate a lot of good food, my favorite being the really dark and delicious chocolate crepes.. soooo goood!!! My host family also got to eat their intake of fish that they had been missing since I’ve been here because I don’t like fish at all. I’m sure they enjoyed that!! Between the bike riding and the good food, we spent alot of time walking on the beach and even going in the water for a bit too.. it was still surpisingly warm! One day it was so nice out that we spent the whole day on the beach and I even got a bit tan. The beaches here are also really pretty and clean and as you walk along them you see all these old German bunkers from WWII sitting right there on the beach. It was really really cool. But probably the most amazing thing about the trip was the Dune du Pyla. It was located on the other side of the basin from us, in another gorgeous town called Arcachon. We took a 30 min boat ride over there, spent some time in the city and then took a bus ride over the the dune. It is the biggest sand dune in Europe and is absolutely breathtaking. We climed all the way to the top of it, but the views from up there were totally worth it. On one side, you could see the ocean and on the other side, right next to the dune was a forest. It was soo bazar but amazing at the same time! I took tons of pictures which I will try to see if I can somehow add them on here. And, to top off my amazing week at the shore, on our way back home, we stopped at another town called St. Emilion, a town basically dedicated to wine. It’s a match made in heaven for me! That was a perfect way to end a perfect week.

Ok so now on to Halloween.. unfortunatly, it’s not a big deal here at all like it is in the US. There were no decorations on the houses, alot of people didn’t even know it was Halloween, and only the younger kids go out trick or treating. I went out for about an hour with my host sister and her 3 friends and there were probably only 2 other small groups out in our neighborhood. Alot of people left their lights off or when we rang the doorbell, the people didn’t answer it. Other people had to go searching to find candy to give us, and sombody even gave my host sister and her friends apple juice! There were some people who were prepared though, don’t get me wrong. However, I have to say I much prefere Halloween in the US than here in France.

Next topic.. On Friday my host dad and I are going to Aix en Provence for the weekend.. not only to see the beautiful sights but because I’m taking my SATs in the Intl School there! Hopefully I will do well and won’t have to take it again so I can spend more time focusing on my French than on my English. Wish me luck!   

Although I feel like my french is improved, I feel like I havn’t learned as much as I could of or wanted to. My writing and reading skills in French are definitely my strong points, followed by listening, which has defintely also improved. Yesterday I watched a movie with my host sister in French and I actually understood a lot of it. When people talk at their normal speed now, I don’t find it too fast anymore and depending on the topic, I understand a lot of what is being said. Speaking is the worst for me though. It takes me alot of time to think about what I want to say and I always seem to forget the words that I need. If I hear them I understand and know exactly what they mean, but when I try to think of a word, it slips my mind. So my goal this month is to try to speak more and more French and not English. It’s so easy for us Americans to revert back to English because the language is so international and alot of people understand it. Also I think with the SATs being over, I will have more time to devote my time to studing French rather than studing for that. Hopefully that will make a difference as well in improving my French. I have also decided that I am going to try to spend less time skyping and facebooking with people. Although I miss you all dearly, this is my year to learn a new culture and not be kept up to date with the one I left behind. Yes, I still want to talk to you all, but I’m only gone for a year! We can all wait. I’m going to try to limit my amount of time talking to people back home.. let’s see if this works out!