Baby it's FREEZING outside!

So this little Texan is experiencing the shock of her life. I've never really lived through a real winter, and let me tell you: brrrrrrr! It is so dang cold here! I thought I was prepared for the cold, and I thought that I loved winter, but now I think I'm a cold wimp. It's only Autumn here, and I'm already wondering how on earth I'll stand it if it gets any colder! I've been told that it got cold abnormally fast, and will probably be warmer next week, but still, fall here is like winter in Texas!

So my mission tomorrow is to buy a new (very warm) jacket, some thicker sweaters (all I packed are long sleeved t-shirts), and some boots (my poor feet). I really want to go to a market here called St Bruno, but it's really best on the weekends, and my weekends are packed. This weekend I went on a super long hike on Saturday, and next weekend I'm going to Provence. It doesn't help that we have midterms coming up. We're supposed to be studying, but it's so hard to make myself study!

The hike Saturday was really awesome. I went with the CUEF (Centre Universitaire d'Etudes Francaises) and there were about 30 students, with 3 guides. We took a bus into the Vercors, and then started hiking! I had a blast. It was so cold though! I saw snow, well I should say I got snowed on- a lot! I also wore my brand new hiking boots, and today my ankles/heels hurt really bad.... at least the shoes are broken in now! I had planned on doing another hike today, but I just couldn't, because I'm so exhausted.

Instead, I went with a friend to her church. I've been wanting to try out the different churches before I decide on one to stay in, so I was pleased that she invited me to come. It was a "charismatique" church- that is to say it was very lively, people spoke in tongues, and all that sort of thing. It was my first time to experience a church like that, and it was very interesting. I did find the worship style very odd though, and ce n'était pas ma tasse de thé. (10 points to whoever translates correctly first!) I don't think I'll be going back, but I'm glad that I went and got that experience.

Pictures:
The village we went to was one of the sponsoring villages near grenoble for the olympics in '68

At the top, looking out over Grenoble

SNOW!!!!!

Me, Natalie, and Isabelle before the hike

How not to get La Grippe A

So the title doesn't really mean anything other than that we've been inundated with info at school on staying healthy, and not getting the swine flu. (Grippe A) As you will read, I am perfectly well, and have 0 symptoms- so you can stop worrying now Papaw! Wow, it hasn't been that long since I last posted, but it feels like forever! I've been keeping pretty busy with everything here. I guess I'll just start from where I left off last time.

Last Friday, our API group took an excursion to the chateau Vizille. It's about 30 minutes from Grenoble, and played an important role in the French Revolution. Vizille was cool, smaller than I expected, but still big :) There was a museum all about the Revolution, which was very cool. I learned all about the assassin of Marat by Charlotte Corday. Apparently Marat was a big player in the Reign of Terror, and Corday was against him. She killed him, and three days later died by the guillotine. At the time, all of France hated her. It's funny though, because 50 years later, she began to be portrayed as the new Joan of Arc, a martyr for the French Revolution. I find it odd how history can change, and how someone who is hated in their life, can later be revered.

Then, last Saturday, I got a french bank account. It was super easy to do, but I didn't really understand everything the lady was telling me. I should get out of the habit of acting like I know what's going on when I really don't.... Anyways, I think at one point she tried to offer me mutual benefits, but I don't even know what those really are in English, so I just said no. My french credit card should be arriving soon! After that, I hiked up the Bastille with my friends Katie and Catherine. I was sad that it was cloudy, because apparently on clear days, you can see Mont Blanc. It was really cool though, and a great workout!

This week, I had classes, which have been going pretty good. History of Art was boring, but I think that was just because the prof wasn't talking much about actual works of art, he was introducing the subject of Impressionism by giving us a long history of the movement. Once we get to the Art itself, I think I'll enjoy it better. Literature was fantastic, we're going to be covering 20th century writers, and the teacher seemed really intelligent and passionate about the subject. Translation is going to kick my butt. The prof is really nice, but she moves so quickly! I think I'm going to learn a lot from her though. History is still good, this past week we covered the year 1789 (The Revolution). My language classes are challenging, but I really like the prof, and I love the fact that there's only 14 people in my class. So all in all, good.

Yesterday, I went camping with the group from FEU (the christian student organization). We went hiking in the Belledonne, and stayed in a little refuge in the mountains. There were even mattresses! (They were old, but comfortable) This morning, we continued hiking to a lake, where we had a great view of the Ecrens Mountains. It was so beautiful, but very very cold! Also, the clouds came in and spoiled the view after awhile. I really loved the whole experience. It's great, because FEU has introduced me to so many french kids my age, and they are all super nice. I get to practice my french a lot, though it is exhausting. Sometimes I just have to tune out the conversation, if it's too hard to follow :)

I think my english is getting worse, living here. I have trouble finding the right word a lot of times, and often what I want to say, I can only think of it in french! I suppose that's a good thing, until I get back! Anyways, some pictures to amuse you:
The Stairs to the Bastille (only some of them!)

duh.

Catherine, Me and Katie

Grenoble, seen from the Bastille

Vizille

Me and the mountains!

More pretty mountains, in the Belledonne

our little refuge

Some things never change

For one- the fact that I still get nervous before a test, and have this crazy driving desire to succeed. The test I'm speaking of is the one I took yesterday for my placement exam for school. I know it doesn't really matter, they're just trying to put us into proper levels so we can learn the most, but sometimes I just can't help the perfectionist in me. I'll find out later today how I did, so we'll see...

Moving on to other subjects, I LOVE IT HERE!!!!

Seriously. It's great. Everybody speaks french! (Imagine that!) Actually, the french part can be quite overwhelming, especially when they start speaking really fast, and slurring their words together. But it's all part of the experience!

After the API group arrived in Grenoble, we settled in with our families, and the next day, we got a tour of the city. The historic downtown is so nice. There are lots of cute patisseries and librairies (book stores) and cafés galore. Also, many of the streets are pedestrian only. They have a great public transport system here, which is proof that cities like Fort Worth could too! To get pretty much anywhere, I take a bus for 5 minutes or so, and then get on the tram. During the day, the trams come every 3-4 minutes, which is very nice.

After our tour of downtown, we checked out the University campus, which is very large and spread out. I'm used to a large campus, but not used to so much space in between buildings. It's kinda nice, but can also make it harder for me to recognize where I am, because there are fewer buildings to use as landmarks. The campus mostly looks like it was constructed during the 60's and 70's, but it has a friendly feel to it.

This past weekend, I went on a bike ride, and a very long hike. I enjoyed both so much, and was able to get some incredible views of the mountains. There are 3 ranges that surround Grenoble. My family lives at the base of the Chartreuse, looking toward the Belledone, and to the west are the Vercors. The mountains are so so so pretty, and I can even see the Belledone from my bedroom window!

Sunday night, Priscilla, my host sister, took me with her to this thing called feu. It's kind of like a Baptist Student Union, only for Evangelicals. There were probably 20 people there, and I got to meet a bunch of kids my own age. Everyone spoke so fast! I sort of understood some of it, but mostly not. I really enjoyed it though! It was also nice to connect with students my own age.

Anyways, today is the start of classes, which I am very excited for. I bought my cahiers and stylos, and am ready to start being fluent in french. Then, on Friday we'll take an excursion to Vizille, so I'll probably post again next week.

some pictures of Grenoble:
The Jardin de Ville

The Bastille, an old fortress situated in the Chartreuse

a pretty bridge looking back over the river Isère towards the centre-ville