Plaisirs Simples

The other day was one of those days that are such good days for no particular reason (well for a lot of little reasons). First and foremost, it was sunny outside for the first day in a while, which meant I could actually see the Alps; there’s a very strong correlation between the amount of sun available and my mood anyway, but being able to see the Alps again made it even better. Not only was it sunny, but it was actually pretty warm; I think it got up to like mid-50s, which I wouldn’t have thought warm 2 months ago but now totally appreciate. Another nice surprise was a package from my mom that had a ton of things I had been wanting/needing – there were some more socks, which meant I didn’t have to wash mine as urgently, some food from back home that I haven’t had here, a few practical things that were nice to have, and some little extras like peanut butter M&Ms (the best kind and the first peanut butter I’ve had since coming to France). Plus it was nice to know that someone back home is thinking about me and looking out for me :) since I didn’t have class until 12:30, I went into town and spent some time at the FNAC (basically like Barnes and Noble), which automatically puts me in a good mood; I looked at some books and bought a cookbook for students so I can hopefully learn to cook and make my own meals some while I’m here, which is an exciting prospect for me. Plus I got asked directions from 2 different people, and even though I couldn’t really help them since I’m still kind of new to the city, I took their asking me as a sign that I sort of blend in here and don’t immediately look American. I got onto campus half an hour before class and got a Panini from the place right next to the tram; delicious, as usual. Also, I unknowingly had a conversation with a deaf guy (I’m such a spaz), but it was still nice because I gave him my last euro towards his campus charity, which just makes you feel good inside lol also, I got to see Cecilia and Shana before class, which was super exciting because I missed them like crazy while we were apart haha unfortunately class kind of sucked because we had a substitute, and I had to try and catch up from 3 days of being absent, but I just reminded myself that I had been in Nice, so that made things easier. After class, I met Cecilia at her apartment so we could chat while she made a traditional Polish dish that I can’t currently remember the name of…we always have a lot of fun together because we’re both totally silly and ridiculous yet also have really mature discussions about life. Her host mom came home while I was there and invited me to stay for dinner with them and her boyfriend; even though I knew I was going to be my usual awkward self, it was a good opportunity to practice French and get some French culture. It ended up being really nice despite the fact that I’m so self-conscious with my French that I barely talked; I did understand almost everything, so that was a little reassuring in my French skills. It was really interesting though because we talked about things like music/movies and then politics; so it was definitely a cultural experience. Plus the food was “dumb good,” as Cecilia would say, and it meant I didn’t have to find food for myself for a night. Since we didn’t finish with dinner until 10, I had to leave soon after to get home and do my homework and such, but overall it was a really good day! I think a lot of my excitement has come from finally getting a hang of the pronunciation of the letter “r” in French; I know it sounds really random, but they pronounce every “r” using a sound that I’ve never had to make before, so I’ve had to teach myself and my throat muscles how to make the sound. It’s actually really hard, so until recently, I couldn’t do it and essentially spoke with the equivalent of a lisp. But I’ve been practicing, and I’m finally starting to get where I can do it more and more easily; I think once I’ve got it down, it will help my pronunciation so much and is really the difference, I think, between sounding like you know French and not.