Post - Julie Kromar

the weekend was fab. Friday night we went to a crêperie and I had two delightful crepes (one savory and one dessert.) holl and I decided to call it a night early and we hung out in her room for a few hours. after I skyped mom and dad for about 2 hours and it was great but my eyelids were closing because it was about 2:30 my time (and i'm finally adjusting.)

saturday morning holly & i slept in and met the girls and the rest of the exchange students at the ice rink. so fun! i was a bit wobbly but we only had one spill out of the five of us (holl fell with flare i admit.) we then kicked around downtown, shopped a bit (i snagged a cute pair of booties for 20 euro. total steal) and then holl and i took monoprix (similar to a kroger.. but much crappier selection and an overall odd setup) on a saturday evening which was either bold or stupid, and i'm definitely leaning toward stupid. stores around here are barely open or altogether closed on sundays so your sunday errands and grocery run are shot when nothing is open.

saturday evening i went for a jog around town, and tried to make it in a square so i didn't have to think too hard about how to get back home. part of the run was a hill and that was rough.. i felt every pastry i've consumed thus far moving my buns up that sucker. i turned a corner and a few fellas were a half block infront of me walking and then i got a whiff of some pizza and decided quickly i had to turn because i was seriously considering swiping a box right out of their hands. when i arrived back home, i had dinner with Bea & Reyes, two of my roommates from spain. we giggled and chatted and had a really lovely time in each other's company. needless to say, i was blessed with incredible roommates that i already love so much. B & R invited some of their friends over, the rest of the clan came to the apartment and we all drank before taking on la Péniche, a club that is on a boat on the river. We hiked it all the way there (in booties.. bold or stupid strikes again for jkro) had a great time and then trekked it back because the tram stops at 2am.

today was really fun - we went to Moulin de Sarré which is a water mill and had a lunch of fouées, which are similar to what i would call a pita but way better, really hot and hollow and we had the option of butter, cheese (YAS BRIE YAS) and nutella. needless to say i was in carb heaven. we drove then to the Bouvet Ladubay sparkling wine cave/cellar in Saumur and toured the caves and learned about the sparkling wine process. We were also able to taste a few - it was a classy afternoon. We were all very sleepy so you best believe my mouth was open on the drive back to Angers..

nutella strikes again. obsession? well maybe

i also did laundry today and it is so dang expensive in our apartment complex and that grinds my gears quite a bit. i was frustrated the dryer didn't dry everything in a cycle so i had to run it again and of course pay more euros to make that happen. i'm in the laundry room talking to myself, throwing out a few profanities and in walks a fellow greeting me with a chipper "bonsoir!" (good evening) well now he thinks i'm a cussing looney bin talking to my laundry. grand

i also decided i'm going to add in a little lesson each post that i learn from holly. typically words or phrases that i didn't know that she uses often that i totally love. expanding the vocabulary not only to french but to new zealand chatter too.

Holly's Corner

1. i don't give/want a bar of it. meaning: i don't care, doesn't matter to me
2. sunnies. meaning: sunglasses
3. flash. meaning: fabulous, having it together. "you are looking so flash"

how great are those? thanks holl, you rock.

finally having all of my belongings is like christmas day every day. beyond grateful for all of mom's help communicating with united while i was tied up without an international calling plan and the time difference. thanks for being so awesome mum.

well, first day of class tomorrow. i'd say i'm excited to get into a routine but my class schedule changes literally every week so routines must not be a favored thing in the eyes of the French. still trying to get a hang of the transit system between the trams and buses. before now, i've never had to ride public transportation. i figured out how to get somewhere new the other day using it and i high fived a stranger in excitement. they were probably thinking, "blonde american weirdo high fiving people at the station." no no sir, you don't understand. i have killer anxiety over getting from point a to point b when its far out of my control. if i make it happen successfully, i am celebrating. celebrate the small wins, amirite?

cheers, jkro

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welcome weekend