Time is going so quickly, my mind is perpetually confused in some non-existent and illogical time frame. My french language classes are coming to a close this Wednesday (hooray!) and Thursday I leave for a two week home stay in the mountains!!! Near the ocean!!! And a only a day-hike away from Spain!!! I’ve been looking forward to this trip since I started going through the study abroad application/decision making process, which was about this time last year.
Although lately I’ve been feeling much too into a routine for my liking, the past couple of weeks have certainly been full of their own adventures and random surprises. Here is a quick photo recap of some definite highlights!
Icicle wall from a hike in the French countryside. A benefit of less-than-warm and very sporadic weather is icicles mingled with moss.
Cheese, wine, and bread. This was one of many glorious moments where French food stereotypes prove themselves true. This is the cheese cave at Chez Xavier, one of the best cheese stores in France and certainly the best in Toulouse. It’s quite the complicated process to produce these cheeses!
Some surprises in the city! During downtime between classes and volunteering we often wander the streets and browse the through the shops (and botanical gardens?). Toulouse has a a relatively small, but very concentrated down town area so there is always plenty to explore and stumble upon!
This is the gospel choir that I sing with on Thursday nights with my host mom. Quite the experience! I wasn’t able to perform this Sunday because I don’t know all of the songs yet, but hopefully next time I’ll be able to join in with certainly the most animated gospel choir in all of France.
And last but not least, I saw Mumford & Sons!!! They were playing in Toulouse and I snagged a ticket via Facebook and a healthy dose of faith in humanity (which proved successful and not naive. Yay!) It was my second time seeing them live (the first in the U.S.) and it was certainly a very different experience, but very much cherished!
Next time I write, I hopefully be in a little mountain village!
À la prochaine!