Hi everyone. It's been a while, I know. I have been extremely busy since the last time I checked in. Last week I had school, a field trip to a château in a cute little French town, went to Paris again, and I moved on Monday. Phew...
Last week flew by and it is truly a shame that I didn't write here, even if it was something short, because the days all blend together. Last week started off good, just went to school and did the regular routine to recover from my tiring trip to Paris. On Wednesday, we went to the Château Pierrefonds. It was a beautiful castle located on the top of a hill in a small town not too far from Compiègne. I had an ear infection and definitely had a fever, but was still able to enjoy the day!
After we walked around the church, we got a bite to eat and then headed back. It was WAY too cold to do anything else. When we got back from Amiens, I checked my email, only to find out that our class for Saturday (to make up for no Friday class) was cancelled. Could have done a cool weekend trip!! Oh well. In celebration, Luiza, Duda and I decided to go to Paris to shop for the day. I'd say that makes up for it. There, we shopped and walked around the Quartier Latin. Although we left Compiègne at 1pm, we got in at around 2 and were able to do a lot before coming back at about 8pm. Exactly like going into NYC from home, love it.
After the glorious weekend, which included a lazy Sunday (success), I needed to move out of good 'ol Cap'Affaires. It was truly horrifying. Experts on studying abroad say that students will go through a "honeymoon phase," where everything is new and exciting, and they are sort of numb to the fact that they are in a foreign country. I don't think I fully had that, but anyway, after that they say it is possible for students to go through a "resentment phase," where they become angry easily, or certain things that are different from home annoy them. On Monday, I was definitely experiencing the resentment. We had to be out of where we were living by 10:30am, so I needed to make two trips to my apartment, find somewhere to leave my bike, and get to class by 1:30. The lady from Cap'Affaires inspected our room. She counted the glasses, forks, knives, and then to top it all, she made my roommates and I clean the bathroom until it was "acceptable." Truly something.
The move wasn't too bad, looking back on it, but I certainly wasn't a happy camper. I like my apartment so far. I don't really like living alone in a large space, especially when there are people coming in and out to fix things before my two French roommates get here, but what can you do? Compared to the other apartments and dorms, this is definitely the top notch, so I'm happy with what I have. I just think that it was hard to uproot again, only 2.5 weeks into the experience, but I don't have to do it again, so that's good.
Yesterday (Wednesday), I went on a field trip with my school to Paris. They took us all around the city by bus and then we went on a boat ride up and down the river. The sun came out just in time for the cruise and it was unbelievable. Gotta love that that was a school day.
The château
The view
On Friday, we didn't have class, so we decided to plan a day trip to Amiens, which is an hour north of Compiègne by train. It was so unbearably cold, but beautiful. It is a lot bigger than Compiègne, and it doesn't have the same quaint feeling. But, Amiens is home to the biggest church in France, so I was able to see that while I was there too.
After the glorious weekend, which included a lazy Sunday (success), I needed to move out of good 'ol Cap'Affaires. It was truly horrifying. Experts on studying abroad say that students will go through a "honeymoon phase," where everything is new and exciting, and they are sort of numb to the fact that they are in a foreign country. I don't think I fully had that, but anyway, after that they say it is possible for students to go through a "resentment phase," where they become angry easily, or certain things that are different from home annoy them. On Monday, I was definitely experiencing the resentment. We had to be out of where we were living by 10:30am, so I needed to make two trips to my apartment, find somewhere to leave my bike, and get to class by 1:30. The lady from Cap'Affaires inspected our room. She counted the glasses, forks, knives, and then to top it all, she made my roommates and I clean the bathroom until it was "acceptable." Truly something.
The move wasn't too bad, looking back on it, but I certainly wasn't a happy camper. I like my apartment so far. I don't really like living alone in a large space, especially when there are people coming in and out to fix things before my two French roommates get here, but what can you do? Compared to the other apartments and dorms, this is definitely the top notch, so I'm happy with what I have. I just think that it was hard to uproot again, only 2.5 weeks into the experience, but I don't have to do it again, so that's good.
Yesterday (Wednesday), I went on a field trip with my school to Paris. They took us all around the city by bus and then we went on a boat ride up and down the river. The sun came out just in time for the cruise and it was unbelievable. Gotta love that that was a school day.
The next two days should be pretty heavy with class and errands, but I think I am going on a roadtrip this weekend to an unknown location! I'll let you know when I know. Hope everyone at home is doing well, really miss you all.
Love,
Amanda
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