In the craziness of leaving Tours, doing some travelling with limited access to internet, and returning to school, I forgot to upload my final blog post, so here it is!<\/p>\n
At the risk of sounding trite, I can’t believe that it’s over! \u00a0Even though it hasn’t been that long, it’s so strange writing this from the United States and thinking back on my time in France. \u00a0It was such an amazing experience and so far out of my everyday life that it’s a little bit hard to believe I was actually abroad this summer.<\/p>\n
My host family has a tradition that they ask each student to make a traditional dish from their country the week before they leave. \u00a0The Japanese student who was also staying with my family made okonomiyaki, which is somewhere between a crepe and an omelette, with pork and cuttlefish. \u00a0I made brownies (pronounced “broo-NEE” in French!) for dessert, and although American foods are well-known enough in France that they were already familiar with them, they were excited to try the homemade variety!<\/p>\n
The night before I left, I went to la guinguette with my Chilean friend. \u00a0A “guinguette” is a bit like an open-air bar or restaurant, and there is often live music and dancing. \u00a0They are very common along the Loire River; in fact, Degas painted lots of them in his works. \u00a0I was excited to go there, because I had not yet experienced la guinguette, which is an important part of French culture. \u00a0Although there were threatening rain clouds all afternoon, we only got sprinkled on a little bit, and being there was more than worth it!<\/p>\n
I adjusted to life in Tours so fast that it seemed very natural to me, and it was hard to leave my classmates, my host family, and the place that had become a home for me for over a month. \u00a0I made some amazing friends who helped me practice my French (and who weren’t afraid to correct me when I said something that made no sense!), and I will certainly miss them. \u00a0This summer was an opportunity to fall even more in love than I already was the French language, culture, and countryside, and I loved every minute of it! \u00a0I am so grateful for this opportunity!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In the craziness of leaving Tours, doing some travelling with limited access to internet, and returning to school, I forgot to upload my final blog post, so here it is! At the risk of sounding trite, I can’t believe that … Continue reading