Hello! Here we go again...another week has passed and I'm missing you all terribly - but having a blast too! This week was filled with lots of excitement so here goes ---

SUNDAY NIGHT FOLK MUSIC

So this past Sunday I went to a 5 HOUR folk music festival way out in the country with my host family! The average age was 60, but don't let that fool you - these people were playing traditional folk music from around the world and dancing and singing and drinking until after 1 am! I was soooo tired, but it was really fun. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera, so you'll just have to imagine lots of French people from the countryside dancing to accordions, guitars, and harps! A very cultural experience!

CLASS

The first day of official class was this Thursday and I already like it so much better than the preprogram. I have no class on Fridays, but hopefully I can use this day to do a teaching internship at a local high school! The campus is really wonderful and small (with only ten buildings!) so it's almost impossible to get lost. It's a nice break compared to the thirty minute walk between classes at Madison!! Each day we get lunch at the cafeteria and it's really good! I love the food! Lots of pizza and fish and rice and pudding! Delicious!


CULTURAL DIFFERENCES THAT SURPRISE ME

Here are some cultural differences that I have run into that I wasn't expecting...

- No smiling at people, that is considered flirtatious
- People here are very concerned about saving energy and water - this means military showers are common (or cold ones), no having more than one light on at a time, smaller cars, smaller houses, closing doors to rooms you're not in (every room has a door) and minimal toilet flushing. Not bad, just different.
- Ironically, recycling paper and aluminum and plastic is almost non-existent here.
- Composting is common.
- Windows don't have screens, instead, when its time for bed, you pull out this lever that cranks a mini garage door over the window - like a heavy-duty metal shutter...
- Doors lock on both sides. For example, to get out of the house, I need a key. At first I thought this was a major fire hazard, but then I realized that all the windows have no screens...
- Outside doors on businesses open INWARD. This is also a fire hazard because what if everyone was rushing to get out? I can't tell you the number of times I've just walked into doors expecting them to push outward.
- The skin comes off ALL fruits and vegetables unless they were grown in your own garden. Even apples and pears! Everyone is very afraid of the chemical products on the skin.
- Bread doesn't go on your plate, it goes on the table next to your plate.
- Contact cases have to be bought in an optometrist's office.
- No dryers. It's an energy thing. Very few houses have dryers, which is why I'm glad I didn't bring too many clothes!

That's about it. Nothing good or bad about them, it's just different stuff that I noticed.

WINE TASTING

We had a wine tasting class for our whole group on Wednesday and it was really cool! I used to think I hated wine, but after this guy's lecture, I think I understand better the way you're supposed to drink it, and how it's made, and with what foods it is supposed to be eaten...I feel culturally more enlightened - I posted some pictures of it below!


That's all I've got this week. I really am loving it here and getting to learn about every nook and cranny. I'm still working out with my friends what we're doing for our first week-long break, which is now less than a month away!! I'll let you know all the deets soon!

Miss and love you all and hope you are well! Always wanting to hear what's going on with you - so definitely drop me a line or a post or an email or something!!

Love,
Ashley