My super Brazilian soiree

So my host parents have this little tradition that no other host parents have

We got to go to this restaurant/bar when they had a show with Brazilian dances and capoeira

This was just the start of the night - getting down on the dance floor before the show started

Disclaimer: The following pictures may seem rather provocative. It must be known that I was given a chair to become more involved in the show. Also, my hands were in my lap until I was told to put them elsewhere.

L

O

L

It's pretty obvious that I was laughing so hard! Yup, def not your average soiree

One of the girls' performances

During capoeira - all of the other shots are blurry cause they were moving so fast!

Dancing with the host dad... Aww

Really had a good time - when do we get to go back?!

I have the best host family EVER!

As the title says - I have the best host family ever && it's so true!

Whether it's making crepes, chilling and watching TV, going out to a soiree or heading to the beach - we have a great time together!

This is me flipping away with our home made crepes - Yummm!

My host family also hosts another student - from Germany. Svenja happens to be a wonderful host sis - Even better!

We went out to a restaurant/bar and of course we made it onto the dance floor - That's me, Michel and Bea

I'm gonna have to make another post for that soiree with Brazilian dancers ;)

Same hair! My host mom dyed my hair for me - now we're both redheads :)

So my lovely host sis celebrated her birthday this past Sunday so me and the fam headed to Pornic, a nearby town for a little promenade near the beach

Me and my girls :)

Mom asked me if I had my bathing suit when I told her I was headed to the beach. Haha, not yet that time of year! Still got my coat on paired with my rain boots so I could squish my way around in the sand.

Super awesome host family! Woohoo :)

Mont St. Michel and St. Malo

School trip! School trip!

I made it to Mont St. Michel first :)

Look at that beauty!

Closer up

My friend and I after we walked up a gazillion stairs to the chapel

You probably can't tell, but it was really windy here!

This garden was just so pretty :)

After suffering thru the cold and the wind, we had a second spot on our itinerary - St. Malo

I was less than enthused cause I was tired but I enjoyed it nonetheless

It's a port and a random carnival was going on

 I got to walk around the walls and even hop right up

Still was kinda chilly, so we decided to head into a cafe - maybe not the best choice since it had this creepy array of dolls in one corner

The whole cafe was a bit strange but hey, who cares? Still had a great time!

My new home Nantes

Went to the 32nd floor of the tallest building in Nantes where there's a lovely bar/restaurant that overlooks the entire city

Funny thing is that it's called the nest and so it's theme is far reaching - hence splattered eggs on rooftops

But it's the decor that is really fun

Eggs anyone?

But it was lovely to see Nantes from this angle

Sunset :)

I highly Recommend Le Nid for anyone visiting Nantes :)

First Saturday in Nantes

Well my first Saturday in Nantes was a bit all over the place! 

So I went to church on Saturday morning – the only Seventh-Day Adventist church in Nantes

Summary:

- Met a Jamaican who's a Language Assistant from St. Ann – small world huh?

- got kissed on the lips by a 5 yr old girl – You know how some people kiss kids on the lips, which is fine within family I guess, but I was just like no problem if u kiss me on the cheek “fait la bise” but on the lips “bisou” is a bit too familiar for a lil kid that’s not my own – to each his own right?

- sat with the pastor and his fam at lunch – instant integration into the church family, feeling at home already… so awesome!

- got asked if I was the gf of the pastor in training cause I was talking to him – I just met this lady and she speaks to me in English about this absurd subject like what?.. the guy is happily married although his wife wasn't there. I'm just like I'm single, lady says well for now and I had to insist... well he's married... We just met... awkward

I was at church from like 10 am – 6 pm!!!

After taking a well needed nap, I went out, it was gonna be my only weekend without homework since classes hadn’t started yet – donc on doit profiter!

Strangest thing happened to me when I was tryna go home after my night out with friends

I normally take the tram home but I ran into a little problem cause the building I normally walk through was locked

I had to walk around but it was already almost 2 a.m. and I soon got lost..

Luckily I ran into these 5 girls who were visiting from a nearby town and were also looking for my neighbourhood – they invited me to come along with them while we tried to find it

Once we did, they invited me to join them for a party on a boat – and what did I say? OK

So there I was with a bunch of French girls I just met dancing around on a boat…

And then we ran into their male friends who were evidently very drunk

In short, this one guy thought that after our barely audible conversation (shouting over the music), it was okay to kiss me – he just leaned in and went smack on my…

Cheek! Of course, I moved my head like whaaaat do you think you’re doing

Him: pourqoui tu ne veux pas m’embrasser ?

Me : uhh… Je viens de te rencontrer

He went on to try to convince me to come home with him cause he lived nearby, when I looked at him wide-eyed, he insisted that he meant just sleep and nothing else

How about no thanks? Yep being hit on by a drunk French guy – sure it’s all part of the experience

Anyway, I said goodbye to all my new French connaissances and reached home at 4 a.m. exhausted but terribly amused

So there was my Saturday in a nutshell

Sorry there are no pics.. next time!

Princess Chantelle is back in France!

Hello lovelies

Guess who’s back in France?! That’s right – me! and I’m finally blogging again

In my defence, it’s better to live in the moment than try to write down all my experiences and miss out on others… however I will make more of an effort this semester while I’m in Nantes

So my first weekend back in France, I went castle hopping in a nearby town called Tours

• Chateau Royal de Blois
• Chateau Chenonceau
• Chateau d’Amboise
• Chateau de Chambord

Castles are a big thing in this part of France

I live 10 mins away from a castle in Nantes actually so look at that :)

Hitting up my first castle with my good friend Chi - Grinnellians in Tours!

You can call me Queen Bee, and baby I'll rule

Chateau Royal de Blois - kicking it with my homeboys

Overlooking the Loire and the town in the background

Yay castles! Chateau d'Ambord

In the gardens at Chateau Chenonceau

My fave castle: Chateau Chenonceau - New goal: live in a castle!

Voyage d'études au Maroc

So I know this blog is supposed to be about my time in France… but it’s barely there… so why not add my Moroccan experience :)

&& Yes, I went to Fez, Morocco!

One week for my “voyage d’études” – it was totally a school trip, promise ;)

I was literally too eager to leave Marseille, even though my flight was delayed. Tant pis!

I clearly remember that I was welcomed to Morocco with hella food – like a nice seasoned (is that even the right word?) salad, then the main course – couscous avec viande, plus dessert – so many fruits (grapes, strawberries, apples, bananas and the famous oranges our prof told us about)

So meals are definitely a big deal in Moroccan culture – I promise Im not just being obsessive about food this time

One of the meals I had with my host fam

We had excursions to nearby historical sites

Like these roman ruins at Volubilis

We did a bus tour of the ville nouvelle

And several walking tours of the medina

The Medina is the old traditional town in Fes (the oldest medina in all of North Africa) and the Ville nouvelle is the newer part of town with its own version of the champs élysées (due to French influence Morocco having been a French protectorate and all) and a huge brand new mall (opened this year!)

Transport in the medina - most of the roads are too narrow for cars

Madrasa - I don't remember which

Also lots of visits to see artisanal shops in the medina

And where leather is made - like all the steps from the freshly shaved off animal skin. I was sniffing on my mint leaf so hard while we were there. But hey the final product is pretty nice and not smelly 

I was staying with a host family in a traditional Arabic home in the medina – (+++ Got to see first-hand what my Arabic prof from Syria was explaining to us in class)

My host mom insisted that I take pictures in the fancy entertaining rooms since I was oohing and aahing

Apart from my correspondent and my host mother, the rest of the family didn’t speak much French and since my Arabic solely consists of “tamam” and “habibi” there was def a language barrier

Eating with my host family (was only with my host mom and correspondent – separation by sex)

-          One communal plate for the main meal

-          Bread/ my hand was my best utensil unless it was rice, salad or soup then I used a spoon

-          Sugar in everything: tea, coffee, even the warm milk

-          Most conversation was carried out in Arabic and if there was French it was more than likely “Mange! Mange!” (eat! Eat!)

I wasn’t lying when I said I went for studies cause I attended about 4 conferences there – the MOST interesting one being the Debate on the Veil. It is so much more authentic when you’re in a Muslim country and in a conference room surrounded by 90% veiled Muslim university students – it was a great learning experience!

My last night in Morocco was our going away party – we got to dress up or not (if you were too poor to buy traditional dress lol)

Me, my French prof, the craziest Moroccan girl ever (in a good way of course)

We got to dance to Arabic music and nibble on traditional Arabic desserts

Had a great time!

And before you know it, it was goodbye Morocco

I got plenty invites to return, so for sure I gotta make it back to Fez!

The view of the medina from the rooftop terrace