December 3, 2005
So… I haven’t really had time to do extensive updates and it will be the same for this one. I have better pictures of my room and where I’m living right now. It’s been really relaxing being able to hang out with people and just talk for a while, even though we do talk in French. My French has evolved to a level that I really don’t have to think anymore… it has become more natural now. Unfortunately when I call home, I mix my sentences between English and French, which my mom finds quite amusing. I think the main problem is that people are speaking French around me while I’m trying to telephone in English. All is good though. I’m sure it’ll be quite amusing if I come home and mix my languages. I’m sure it will happen really late at night or if I have a few drinks. I think I’ve finished Christmas shopping for my sisters; I just have to find some things for a few other people.
I have been eating healthier since I moved. So far every night has been a good healthy dinner with fresh veggies, some kind of meat and rice. My chicken with honey lemon sauce has become the talk of the kitchen because they are amazed at how it comes out. I must say that I’ve surprised myself. I don’t want to eat like a college kid any more. Even though I like mac and cheese, I know I can make stuff that’s so much better. I made apple crisp for dessert the other night and all the assistants went crazy over it. Needless to say, it was gone the next morning. I think I’m going to make chocolate chip cookies tonight. The only difficult thing about that is chopping chocolate bars into chips.
Classes have been going well. Not much is really new with that. I’ve been reading a Harry Potter book, the one that’s in the theater right now. I’ve read 240 of the 474 paged book. I’ve mostly been spending my nights drinking tea with the assistants talking about how different our countries are. I feel bad for Lena because Russia really doesn’t like to let its people get out. The program has to be a big deal in order for the government to grant you leave from the country. Her boyfriend lives in Spain and she really wants to leave Russia and live with him, but it’s really a big problem that she has been trying to find a way thru endless red tape in order to live in Spain.
I went swimming this morning. It felt really good to get exercise. Krista is a swim instructor back in Austria. I felt like I could barely swim compared to her level. I hope I get to go again to the pool; it was really relaxing to be in the water. Afterwards, I made lunch and we relaxed. We went for a walk in the afternoon. The festival of lights took place today. Krista, Cecilia and I ended up seeing the last five minutes of the fireworks, but it was worth it. We ended up running into Isvar and a Colombian girl. Later in the night we met up with Sam (Britain) and Lauren (Texas). Krista went to bible study and Sam drove Cecilia and me home. Sam bought her car from England and it was weird to be a passenger on what was normally the driver’s side. I sat in the kitchen for a while with Lena and Francesca really just talking about nothing.
Sunday, basically all of the assistants went to a Christmas market. I’ll put pictures up on Wednesday in my next update. I hope everything’s going well at home; I miss you all.
Fete de la Lumiere a Valence
