Dinner party

Lately it seems my life has switched focus from exploring the city and meeting new people to studying for classes and getting together with friends. Last Wednesday, I had my first midterm in grammar class, which focused on the past tense (passé composé, imparfait, plus-que-parfait), prepositions, and vocabulary. The test was quite challenging, but I feel pretty confident. Good thing I had excellent instruction when I learned this material the first time around (shout-out to Mesdames Bowe-Wielgus et Rettler!). I've noticed that there are fewer homework assignments and quizzes here than in the US. For most of my classes, my final grade will consist of a midterm exam, a final exam, and possibly one paper or project. I've already been assigned most of the work for the semester, so I should probably start working ahead...otherwise I'll be pulling out all my hair right around the middle of April when everything is due.

In other news, my host parents are on vacation to Île Maurice (near Madagascar) until this Thursday. My 17-year-old host sister Adélaïde and I have been bonding and enjoying having the house to ourselves. A few days ago (with permission from the host 'rents), I had a group of friends over to cook dinner and hang out at the house. We bought a bunch of vegetables, egg noodles, and turkey to make a stir-fry. We couldn't find teriyaki sauce anywhere, so we had to make our own with soy sauce and sugar. For dessert my friend Julia brought a rum flavored cake unique to the region called a Nantais. To say it's "rum flavored" is an understatement--I imagine one bite of this cake is pretty much the gustatory equivalent of a straight shot of Captain Morgan. Blech. At least the meal was wonderful!

Appetizer: baguettes with brie & goat cheese

Delicious stir-fry

Bon appétit!

 Starting this Friday (Feb 25) through March 6, I will be on winter break. A group of 8 friends (everyone at the dinner party plus a couple more) and I are going to Spain! We'll be spending time in Barcelona, Seville, and Madrid seeing the sights and living the life. Not counting the Spanish 1 class I endured senior year of high school, I don't have a background in Spanish and know little of the language except useless phrases like "I do my homework" and "you like to go shopping." Luckily a couple people in our group are fluent in Spanish, so we won't be completely hopeless wandering around the country. So, my next blogpost will most likely be after March 6th and I'll have plenty to say about my vaycay!