Mid Terms... ugh...

Lets just say that studying for mid terms is awful... Especially when others warn you about a professors tests... Ok, not done studying, back to work!!!

Circus Time

The circus came to town yesterday, and we were happily anticipating the show tonight... So fun to do something completely childish and goofy. It was just like being a kid again... Cotton Candy, trick ponies (and kitties!!!), and clowns... It was small and only had a few acts, but still a good time. And, how many Americans can say they have been to a French circus? Seriously, the opportunities that being here (however silly) have afforded me are once in a lifetime. J'adore l'Abbaye!!!

Blinded by the Light

Darkness creeps up on the Abbey... All is silent, the fog begins to roll in... A twig snaps underfoot, you pause, hold your breath... All is clear, you make a mad dash.... TAG! You almost had their flag, but no, their guard catches you. The night continues and your team tries to find their flag... Eventually, through trial and error you narrow down the location, and then with legs pumping and heart racing you drive home, flag in hand trailing triumphantly behind you. Their flag has fallen and you are victorious!!!

Yeah thats right team "Typical Baller" (that would be me) won... They never had a chance, seriously even now they don't know where the flag was, and it was right out there in the open. Oh well, they tried, we just had better game... Ok, I'm gloating, but it was my first capture the flag, and my team won. I played defense and ran the jail... I think at one point we had 4 people in jail and there were only 11 people on each team... Not sure how many they had in their jail at once...

So, capture the flag was a success, I'm gonna bet that it gets played again... And maybe the rules will be better explained, since most had never played, or play with alternate rules at home...

Oh and about the title, some were playing with flashlights and blinding opponents (not cool), and after the game Anna and Michelle were singing "Blinded by the Light"...

Balade Blanche

The Balade Blanche is a night of performance, the students of the Abbey tell the history of the Abbey through various skits staged throughout the night. This week we started preparing for the Balade. First we signed up for parts... There are several scenes and some of them have such intricate costumes that it will be the only scene you are in. Other people will be playing multiple characters... The are two narrators throughout the evening. One will be reading in French the other in English. Here's the catch, the French will be read by an American and the English by a French person... So, of course up for a challenge I volunteered to read French... Good thing I'm taking French, eh?

We also started making the costumes... The basic premise is everything is white, and recycled. So plastic wrap, bubble wrap, white cloth, tea bags, if it is white we can use it... I spent the afternoon making a costume, not sure who will be wearing it, but I hope whoever it is likes it.

You just never know what the weekend will bring in Pontlevoy... And it is hard to believe we have been here for a month already... Next weekend we are heading to Paris, and then our 2 week vision quest, then we only have 5 weeks left! My how time flies...

The Day After

Yesterday was Mardi Gras, and L'abbaye parties hard... Really I went to get some footage for my film project, and ended up staying for the entire party... It was loud, raucous, and everyone was having a good time. Becca made gumbo for everyone, and that got the Mardi Gras spirit going, plus she brought beads (which nobody had to flash for), that girl was prepared for the party. So, Tuesday night theme parties are officially back on (the previous class had them). Wonder what next week's theme will be???  So, I got my footage, and will be getting more... Hopefully I will have enough footage soon to have my film done (don't think I can get it done before Paris week, and Vision Quest).

Today things are back to normal (what is normal anyway?) and nobody got too drunk to miss class... So, alls well that ends well, and I'll be posting more later (maybe photos...)

Photos as promised

I finally got around to it, and now I present you with the first installment of photos...



The Water Closet... literally a closet, some people have toilets, which are more space envasion than convienence.



My side of the room, just a desk and a coat rack...



The bed... note the ladder, it's a bunk, there are 3 beds, but nobody got a 3rd person... There are empty rooms, I can only suppose they are not suitable for living...

I know the pics are blurry, but I wanted to snap them before we got all our stuff strewn about...
So, thats my side of the room in a nutshell (no really, we live in nutshells)... The other side is pretty much the same, except the desk is under the top bunk, and there is a bigger armoire (mine is a single, Anna's is a double). There isn't much storage space, and it would be nice if the desks had drawers, but I have folding cloth boxes, and they fit perfectly under the desk and on the shelf of the coat rack... And since my top bunk is empty (falling is not my favorite pastime) I'm using the ladder as a bookshelf and nightstand. There are plenty of electric outlets, 7 in the room and one hidden under the light in the bathroom... Everyone's room is set up just a little differently and some are more well laid out than others, mine isn't the worst, but it isn't the best either. I have found the down comforter to be too heavy (so have alot of people), so my mom sent me sheets and a light blanket, I would suggest others pack some sheets if they tend to sleep hot... I found vegan yogurt at the Biocoop in Blois and am using the glass containers they came in as pencil cups (recycling becomes easier when you need hard to acquire things), if you aren't into vegan yogurt the jelly jars empty rather quickly around the Abbey (just use some up, or raid the recycling shelf in the kitchen).

Notebook paper is hard to find... What suffices is ledger paper... So, if you prefer college rule (or wide, whatever floats your boat) you might want to consider packing some, or sending it with books (seriously mail your books at least 2 weeks in advance, some books have gotten held up in customs and now 3 weeks into the semester there are people still without books). Speaking of mailing, do not, I repeat do not mail medicines (including over the counter and homeopathic). France does not allow import of medicines and they will be siezed at the border. Also don't pack them in your checked bag, or in unmarked containers. One girl had her entire supply of medicine siezed at the airport...

So I'm writting this post as a basic guide of initial need to know info... Be on the lookout for more valuable (I hope they are valuable) tips and info!

Escargot, Togas, and Americans

Last night was a full night... Le Commerce hosted a tasting party of traditional French foods (mostly meats, so I didn't go). They served les escargots (snails), les cuisses de grenouille (frog legs, literally thigh of frog), le fromage de chèvre (goat cheese), and la tarte tatin (apple pie, the is cooked upside down so the sugars carmelize on top). As it turned out quite a few people actually liked snail and frog leg, so hooray for Carol!!! Now the question is; will they ever actually order them...

After the tasting everyone came back and stripped their beds... Why? Toga party thats why... I brought safety pins, and now I have no safety pins... Good thing I had them, cause some people would've been naked without them. I didn't go to the party (not big on debauchery), but it sounded like everyone had fun... And there are some pictures to prove it... I was amazed at how creative some people got with their togas, and I think Jordan had the most toga-ish toga in the bunch, so props to her. Suprisingly, after such a faire le féte (party) everybody made it class without being too late (only a couple of minutes at the most).

So, we Americans are getting into the French culture, and showing off our crazy American antics... I wonder what such a small town thinks of us? Do they measure all Americans by our actions? Are we setting a good example, and being good ambassadors? Or, am I just spending too much time thinkin' and not enough time drinkin'?