Le Bon et le Mauvais

It's a rainy day, the first of many in Nantes. I've heard the climate here is similar to Seattle, but today I'm also reminded of post-Indian summer rain in Michigan. But the fall colors here aren't as vibrant to combat the grey skies like our trees do.

I had some time back at the house between my morning class (History of the EU) and afternoon class (French Lang./Comp.) at the institute. As the bus there and back facilitates ample time to reflect on the passing days, upon returning I felt the need to list some of the positives and negatives of my experience these first two weeks. Somehow, lists always manage to put things in perspective, especially when balancing the loves with the annoyances.

What I'm Loving About France

1. Everyone on the streets, from little schoolboys and girls to charming elderly couples, dresses smartly and elegantly.

2. Bread is plentiful, natural, and usually fresh, and one can eat it whenever one wishes. At breakfast, I eat toasted slices with jam. For lunch, often a baguette sandwich. And for dinner, my favorite course consists of baguette slices with a scrumptious selection of cheeses!

3. Public transportation - for Nantes, buses and tramways - is cheap, efficient, and easy to use.

4. When one orders a coffee, this means espresso. The flavor is so much stronger, and it doesn't take an hour and 5 sugar packets to finish. It's an energy shot that tastes fantastic!

5. My growing confidence with speaking French, with both friends at IES and strangers (storekeepers, bus drivers, etc.). It's become exponentially easier to understand as well.

The Downsides

1. Rarely do I see someone dressed in bright colors or patterns with an original style. Here, clothes come in variations of white, grey, brown, and black, and the styles repeat themselves: skinny jeans, preppy polo/sweater combs, expensive shoes.

2. The bread surplus replaces the normally sufficient amount of veggies and meat in my diet - both are more expensive here, and thus eaten less often.

3. Waiting at a bus stop is not the most exciting thing in the world, and public transportation gets inconvenient and limiting when one wants to stay out late. Especially because it takes around 20-30 minutes for me to go from my house to the center of town.

4. I miss the convenience of having a coffee maker in my dorm room.

5. It's really hard to resist speaking in English, especially with 90 other delightful American students to get to know. It takes so much more time to form questions, responses, and anecdotes in French, but I know it's the best way to practice with each other. Hopefully this improves.

I feel like I'd thought of more points earlier, but I suppose those can wait until I'm reminded of them once more (probably in sharing/complaining about similar experiences with IES students - it's always a good conversation topic!).