How Things Are

Alright, as with anything there are good aspects to this exchange and there are bad. In this post I will honestly outline a few of the bad, and then describe the good. Trust me that the latter FAR outweighs the former.

So, school on Saturday isn't awesome I have to say. It's is actually one of the heaviest days of my timetable too, I have FOUR classes that day, two of them sciences and the other two Chinese. Not really that great but I'm sure I will get used to it. At least they're only morning classes, so I have Saturday afternoon to myself.

The other bad is the obvious language barrier. I had a habit of daydreaming in New Zealand and it tuned me out of conversations a little, and here I am at risk of doing the same because not understanding things DOES get a little boring. I have only been here a week, so it is unreasonable for me to expect to understand everything at this point but it is getting tiring, I wish I could improve faster.

Now for some good, and trust me the good is really good, where the bad was only irritating. First, I saw the castle in Pau and it was more amazing than anything I expected and I am going back there in one hour to see the inside too. It is huge, and old and so finely carved it must have taken YEARS to do. It is strange to think that I can touch a building older than the European occupation of my own country.

Also, that same afternoon, (Marion and I took the bus into the centre of Pau, about a ten minute ride if that) I tried ice cream from an Artisan Glacier, the flavour was called "Caramel de Buerre Sallé" and it was mindblowing. I am not even exaggerating when I say it was the best ice cream that I have ever had.

That same afternoon (it was an amazing afternoon), Marion showed me the shopping district in
Pau, not far from the Glacier and the castle, and it was so nice, and not expensive at all!! I saw a coat to end all coats, and several other pretty things. I bought a couple of pretty scarfs too :)

AND HERE IT IS, this is the big Kahuna of good news, and I just received it a while ago.
It more or less prompted this post. I GET TO GO TO PARIS AGAIN!!! Marion has a friend who lives in a big apartment in the city and she has invited us to stay with her for FOUR days, and we will tooth go up by train :) I am BEYOND excited about this, and it is so soon - the 19th of October as far as I understood.

Stay Super,
Holly