Rien plus rien egal quoi?

I've been dying to update, so I hope this isn't a novel. But be prepared. Also, you will hopefully soon understand the meaning behind the title of this particular post.

First a summary of classes:

1. Traduction I - this class is at the university; we spend an hour translating passages from English to French and then the second hour translating passages from French to English. Translating from English to French is possibly one of the more difficult tasks presented to me here. I have a feeling, though, that this class will be helpful for better understanding French expressions.
2. French Romanticism - so far, I really like this class. The professor is your stereotypical literature guru who gets really excited when talking about the sense of romanticism. Perhaps he's a romanticist himself? No, but I think this class will give me a bit of background in French literature and give me more practice reading French.
3. Religion, Society, and the State in Modern France - this is my least favorite class. I have an unusually difficult time understanding the professor. I don't know if it's his tone of voice or the manner in which he talks, but I often find myself very lost. On an optimistic note, the content is interesting (the French Revolution and the battle between church and state).
4. Advanced French Language and Composition - this is my actual French language class. My professor is very interesting and engaging; she's very blunt and witty which makes for an interesting hour. However, I made the mistake of yawning in her class on the first day and she asked me if I was bored. For some reason, I thought she asked me if I was tired to which I replied "Yes, a little." I had to backtrack majorly to cover that mistake (I was babbling in French that no I wasn't bored, but rather very, very tired). Anyway, this professor is quite a character and while she will probably pick on me for the rest of the semester, I fully anticipate learning a lot in her class.
5. French 19th and 20th century Art - this class reminds me quite a bit of my Humanities Art History class my senior year of high school. We spend most of the class looking at slides of paintings, sculptures, and architecture, analyzing and discussing why it was important in a particular time period. I really like this class so far and being here in Europe will give me the opportunity to see a lot of the art we're talking about!

I'm only taking 15 credits this semester, for which I'm very thankful. Taking classes in another language is challenging and homework takes twice as long. I'm glad for the extra time.

This past Tuesday we had Conversation Club again. There were more French students this week which was nice. For the first half, we introduced each other in French and then we "speed-dated" in English. We were given "fake" names and personalities and a list of questions to ask our potential dates. I was thankful we did the activity in English, but it was a lot of fun and gave me the chance to interact with a lot of the French students who came. Afterward, we ate at another creperie which was again delicious.

On Wednesday, I discovered my "place." I've been searching and searching for a little cafe (equivalent to a Starbucks or Grand Traverse Pie Company in the States) where I could grab coffee and do homework - a place I could go to get away from everything. Contrary to all stereotypes, the French don't spend their time sitting in cafes drinking coffee. Their cafes are rather combination bars. Anyway, I found a little cafe with a place to sit down where I can get coffee and a chocolat au pain for less than 3 euros. So I spent Wednesday afternoon there doing homework. It was absolutely lovely to be by myself for awhile.

Thursday there was a nationwide strike (un greve). My host family had been talking about it for a few days, so I knew it was coming. It's amusing how when the topic of strikes come up, the French excuse it by saying "C'est la France!" And I suppose in many ways, that's a good excuse. I'm not sure exactly what they protest when they're striking, but everyone gets involved - students included. Classes were even cancelled at the university. IES, however, did not cancel classes. I was slightly worried because often the buses and trams don't run when there is a strike. I was able to catch the bus to the IES center in the morning, so that was good. Unfortunately I wasn't as lucky later on in the day. A friend and I went to wait for the bus but soon realized our bus was not coming. So we began the one hour walk home. On our way, we passed through the center of town where much of the protesting was taking place. People had signs and were mobbed together in the middle of the street so that the buses and trams could not get through. Some were literally sitting on buckets in front of the bus, refusing to budge. It was certainly a cultural experience. I'm sure there will be more "greve" stories as the semester progresses. They apparently happen frequently here.

On a similar note, there was a demonstration in the city on Saturday afternoon. Nantes is located right on a geographic line between Brittany and the Loire Valley. Evidently, many Nantais feel that their city should be considered part of Brittany rather than the Loire Valley. So they were protesting. This seems to be a regular topic of conversation among the people of Nantes.

Yesterday (Saturday), I attended Les Folles Journees, which is a musical extravaganza in Nantes. It is basically a huge celebration of classical music. IES bought each of us students a ticket to one concert. I chose a piano concert - a young man of 22 years played 6 beautiful pieces by Bach. I was thoroughly impressed (Mrs. Wagner, if you're reading this... watching him play made me wish I had practiced more)! The concert was a good way to feel part of the community here - I'm pretty sure that every elderly person living in Nantes made an appearance at Les Folles Journees!
After the concert, we grabbed some lunch. While we were eating, a woman approached us and asked us if we were American. We told her yes and she began speaking to us in English! As a young girl her family moved to the States for a few years and then she studied for a year in Wisconsin. She apparently loves to speak English (her 10 year-old daughter was with her and bashfully admitted that her mom teaches her English). Anyway, she talked with us for quite some time and gave us her number; she also insisted that we come over for dinner some night to make American food. I love to meet such welcoming people; it helps to feel more at home here.

This morning is a story in and of itself. We went to the same church that we attended two weeks ago. The service was actually really great. I felt like I understood much more than I did last time. I even followed the sermon pretty closely (something I sometimes have trouble doing in English)! I've always had the vague sense that God likes to weave themes in and out of my life. Whenever I learn something new, it's usually reinforced in many ways throughout a given amount of time. I've recently discovered that God can theme-teach even in French (well, obviously... He's God)! I've been convicted this week by what it really means to believe in God. The pastor at church today spoke about what it really means to believe God. It's easy to believe IN God, but do we really believe Him? Sometimes I forget that God wants in on all of my life, not just the parts that I need Him for. Regardless, this morning was a good reminder. However, there's more to the story. :)

We were invited to a "free" lunch after church and we accepted, figuring it would be a great way to get to know some of the people at the church. And it was... in a comical sense. A large man approached us and rearranged us so that he could sit with us. We introduced ourselves and he took notes so that he could introduce us to the large group later. After that, however, we were done talking. The floor was all his. He droned on and on about French history and French wine and who knows what else. We all took turns feigning interest, but it was slightly difficult to understand him at times. And he kept making comments about us being American ("...the French say they don't like Americans, but it's really American politics they don't like...") and ("...your country was founded because you stole land from the Indians..."). I've found that as an American I receive comments like this often. And honestly, it's hard to know how to respond. It would be rude to start an argument with someone I've just met and frankly, I don't have the vocabulary to do so! I'm not sure if the French think that talking American history is welcoming, but I have a hard time knowing what to do. Thus, I do the smile and nod.
This lunch would not be complete, however, without another character - a small little French girl who found our American accents "amusing." She soon found her way to our end of the table and far from being shy, began to entertain us with incomprehensible math problems. She would draw a scribble (rien) plus a scribble (rien) and ask us what it equaled. When we would respond with 'rien' (nothing) she would call us stupid and point to her head, spinning her fingers in circles as if to call us crazy. I'm not sure, however, that we were the crazy ones... She literally spent a good hour chatting away to us in French about drawing scribbles on the table while climbing in our laps and and sticking her finger in our cheeks. The most amusing part was her bossiness. She didn't "allow" laughing, so whenever one of us laughed she would put her hands on her hips and claim that none of us were getting dessert! But, alas, dessert finally came and we politely excused ourselves. Thank goodness!

Before I sign off (I've been writing for almost an hour now), I wanted to also give a brief description of my host family. Someone asked me what their personalities are like and I realized I haven't written much regarding them.

My host dad (Didier) is very serious, but when he does joke or laugh it's always funny. He loves to watch the news and listen to classical music. He also treats his wife like a princess which I find quite cute.
My host mom (Rachelle) is incredibly motherly. She notices EVERYTHING! My hands are slightly chapped from the cold this week and the other night at dinner she asked me if my hands were OK and if I needed anything. Too cute. Anyway, she makes me feel at home and treats ME like the princess - always asking if I want this or that. She's a great hostess.
The oldest daughter (Marie-Emmanuelle) is 19 years old. She takes after her mother and whenever the mom is not around, does all the right things in terms of "taking care" of me. She studies history at the university and is very smart. Often the dinner conversation revolves around what she's learning (I'm usually a bit lost).
The second oldest daughter (Tiphaine) is 17 years old. She's my favorite at the moment. She studies English so we can talk pretty easily back in forth. She is the most patient and most understanding of my French language mishaps.
The third oldest daughter (Adelaide) is 15 years old. She's my own sister's age and in some ways, she reminds me of Olivia. In a few years, I have a feeling Adelaide will be a force to be reckoned with! But she has a strong head on her shoulders and she's very sweet.
The youngest (Thibault) is 12 years old. He could seriously be a cartoon character. He loves to tell stories. In fact, he has this one story that is apparently incredibly complicated. At least once a week he attempts to tell it at dinner and his parents always yell at him to stop. They tell him he has to wait two months when I will be able to understand better. I'm learning a lot of French riddles and such thanks to Thibault.

That's all for now (it's enough, I'm sure)!
Happy February!