Today we also visited the University of Nantes to tour campus and sample the dining hall food. As an IES Abroad student in Nantes, I am automatically registered at the University of Nantes and can take classes there and use their facilities if I wish. I'm going to look into taking a psychology class or two there--it'll be an interesting opportunity to blend my two academic specialties and a chance to meet French students. We're also allowed to join sports at the university, or the fac as they call it (short for faculté), and I’d love to do rock climbing and kayaking! We ate lunch at restaurant on campus; for just 3€ (about $4) I was able to purchase a salad, yogurt, bread, and a personal pizza about 10” in diameter! It was pretty delicious too, especially for the low price.
After lunch we had over 2 hours of free time before we needed to head back to the center for grammar, language, and conversation “classes.” I have classes in quotes because we’re not supposed to begin classes until Monday, but somehow we already have homework and discussions in classrooms. During our free time, we finished important errands and explored a bit around the downtown. I have been feeling a bit naked this past week without a cell phone in my pocket, but that changed today when I bought un portable. Not that I feel the need to chat for long periods of time, but I guess I just feel safer walking around the streets of Nantes knowing I can call someone if I need help or something, especially since there's about an 83% chance I'll get lost if I'm walking by myself. Plus we're required by our program to each have a phone in case they need to contact us outside of class. A bunch of my friends and I purchased our phones at Bouygues Telecom...we stared at the sign for awhile trying to figure out how to pronounce it before we asked the sales lady (it sounds like BWEE-guh, by the way). After our hour long ordeal at the phone store, we stopped by the public transportation office to fill out an application for a student discount card on a monthly transportation pass. For about 30€ a month, I’ll be able to take the bus or tram as many times as I want. Nantes has a great public transport system, so this will definitely come in handy as I come and go from IES, the fac, and days/nights out on the town with my friends. It feels good to have a lot of my important purchases out of the way; now I can focus on getting to know the city and enjoying my time in Nantes. The map of the transit system looks really complicated, but I think I’ll figure it out before the semester is over…
After lunch we had over 2 hours of free time before we needed to head back to the center for grammar, language, and conversation “classes.” I have classes in quotes because we’re not supposed to begin classes until Monday, but somehow we already have homework and discussions in classrooms. During our free time, we finished important errands and explored a bit around the downtown. I have been feeling a bit naked this past week without a cell phone in my pocket, but that changed today when I bought un portable. Not that I feel the need to chat for long periods of time, but I guess I just feel safer walking around the streets of Nantes knowing I can call someone if I need help or something, especially since there's about an 83% chance I'll get lost if I'm walking by myself. Plus we're required by our program to each have a phone in case they need to contact us outside of class. A bunch of my friends and I purchased our phones at Bouygues Telecom...we stared at the sign for awhile trying to figure out how to pronounce it before we asked the sales lady (it sounds like BWEE-guh, by the way). After our hour long ordeal at the phone store, we stopped by the public transportation office to fill out an application for a student discount card on a monthly transportation pass. For about 30€ a month, I’ll be able to take the bus or tram as many times as I want. Nantes has a great public transport system, so this will definitely come in handy as I come and go from IES, the fac, and days/nights out on the town with my friends. It feels good to have a lot of my important purchases out of the way; now I can focus on getting to know the city and enjoying my time in Nantes. The map of the transit system looks really complicated, but I think I’ll figure it out before the semester is over…
J'adore cette photo!
ReplyDeleteEmmi - Que je suis jelouse - Je suivrai tes aventures francaise ! Bon courage.
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