All bets are off this year.

Well, it's mardi (Tuesday) which is better than lundi (Monday), but Im quickly coming to the opinion that jeudi (Thursday) is my favorite day of the week. Perhaps that's because I have no classes on that day?
Perhaps.

Woke up at 6h30 again this morning to come to school. It's wonderful seeing the sun rise over the mountains. Im still sick and sniffling every few minutes, but I think Im getting better. Slowly but surely.

So, Im here to dispel the rumor that my host family is vegetarian. Sunday, after le messe, mass, they had some friends over for dinner. I enjoyed them because they were animated and friendly, and their body language helped convey what they were talking about. When Pierre (yes, that was really his name) learned that I was an English Lit major, he immediately says, in broken English, "You like Tom Clan-cy?" It was hilarious and completely random. So anyway, for dinner (I say dinner, but it was around 14h00) we had this amazingly delicieux beef stew with potatoes au gratin. Salad, some special cheese from deep within the mountains, and chocolate gateaux for dessert. So delicieux. Im guessing they really wanted to impress these friends because they really brought out everything- even asked me if I wanted some liqour with my meal. It was fun.

I love my host sister, Veronique. She's the best. She saw my episodes of the West Wing and inquired as to what they were. I explained how they are episodes of my favorite television show in the US and she expressed an interest in watching them- to help her with her English. Well, if you know The West Wing, it's very fast paced and I don't even get every joke and reference. But she loves it! We've watched four so far. It's hilarious, trying to translate and explain the humor at the same time. I love it- it's a challenge for both of us.
And please, no one remind me of the cancellation of this show. I heard about it yesterday and was almost in tears- but all good things must come to an end. Look at X Files. They shouldve ended somewhere in season five. Ha. Anyway, so my host sister says hello to everyone- she made sure that I told Mom hello yesterday. She's great. And she helps me with my homework. She proofread my essay and checks over my work (on top of all the studying she has to do for the Bac, she takes time out to explain to me the different nuances of prepositions....!) So anyway, my family's great. Isabelle went to Lyon Monday morning before I awoke, but she's coming back today. Dinner was fun yesterday- just Vero, Benoit and I at the table. Made for interesting conversation- and he is one funny guy. I asked Vero if it was still cool to say "C'est choutte!" and she said no, that was more her father's generation. And then her dad said, "Mais, c'est choutte is like saying 'That's the TOP!'" It was so funny. And apparently, "ibonics" here is called something I can't spell, but can say, and they change words around. Carrefour for instance, is that big Wal Mart thing but also a traffic stop- where four roads come together. If I was a French rapper, I'd say Carre-rouf. Interesting, isnt it? And so I tried to do an American ibonics impersonation and I said something like, "That's mad whack, yo!" and did the hand thing, and Vero burst into laughter and said the French do the exact same hand thing. Ha. Good times.

Another strangely interesting thing Ive been learning is Chinese custom. Im interviewing this guy in my language class- he's from China, knows almost no English, and we're interviewing each other in French, bien sur. Apparently, the french word for chopsticks is "baguettes." How funny is THAT. And we were talking about proper meal etiquette- in China, you hold the bowl and chopsticks by your mouth to eat and you stoop low close to the table. You're also supposed to be very quiet when you eat. He's great- his name is Wen. We laugh a lot, so that's good. And I make good use out of my dictionary. The word for elbow? Coude.

So the cheese Ive been raving about is Camembert. Get a block of it- well, a circle, actually- and it has this white, almost crispy exterior, but is a very soft cheese within. I can eat it with a fork, I like it so much. Just by itself. Or on bread. But it's definitely addicting and I limit myself to one slice a day. A petite slice. Ha.

Its cold again and I hear there's going to be snow on Thursday- through Sunday. Sounds like fun, as long as I dont have to be outside for too long.

Ive learned that to make my millions, Im starting a French cell phone company. Definitely. I think they must be government subsidized or something. That's how Louis the XIV paid for Versailles. Goodness.
So, long story short, Ill be making less outgoing phone calls. Cough cough, hint hint.

Um, what else. Not much else. Bowling was fun and hanging out with two Kuwati Muslims made me miss Manar. I wonder how she's doing... But the bowling alley? It had a fully stocked bar. Fully stocked. It was like a bar first and then a bowling alley. Oh, the French.

So, on that note, Im thinking this is it until Thursday. Hopefully something fun will happen before then. According to my orientation materials, this is the week where the "honeymoon" period of my stay ends and reality begins to set in. I learned in class today that honeymoon is la lune de miel. Ma lune de miel est fini.
:)

Toute a l'heure,
Chelsea