sundays are hard :(

After being here for a little more than two weeks now, I've finally gotten my student card and one of my bank accounts sorted out! (for the most part..) :D In order to get your student card at the university, you have to get your civil liability insurance from the bank, which means you need a bank account, which you have to have proof of address and proof of enrollment for...the list just goes on and on. It seems like France is just a constant slew of paperwork going back forth. So much fun...


This last week was the end of the two-week orientation course that I'd been taking at the university. So, we had to take a French test to evaluate what level of French we were and placed into different levels. It's a little bittersweet that the orientation is over. It was nice having the same people in class and meeting other exchange students. Now, after this free week, I'll be taking courses for real :3 Really looking forward to this week of sleeping in and not having all too much to do! :)


This morning, I went to church with my roommate. It was a bit lonely, to be honest. In French, I'm the most anti-social, introverted person ever, while in English, I'm the complete opposite. So, since most people spoke French there, it was really difficult =\ But, I managed to hold a couple conversations in French! But there are also quite a few missionaries at the church from the States, so it was really good to talk to them. It was similar to church back home, but different in other small areas. But afterwards, I was so tired from it, that I ended up taking like a 5 hour nap.. Overall, it seems like Sundays are bad and my homesickness days, just cause some of the best friends I've made this last year in Seattle were from church and I'm missing them all. :( Hopefully it'll get better soon though! :) 


Now for the pictures! They're not quite in order =\ But hopefully you can enjoy them anyway :)

First time at church in France! Nothing too different..

Waiting for lunchtime at church

Night time photos in Place Bellecour - the only time it's not completely crowded by tourists..

Climbing in the 'Y' - definitely harder than it looks..

Girl's night out at Place Terreaux :)

McD's! Definitely classier-looking than back home..

First time eating at McD's in France :D

Mmmm reminds me of home :P 

Passing the time before class starts

My first homemade, non-salad meal :D

Let's hope this isn't the extent of my cooking skills...

Cable car track up the hill

Classes are over! Enjoying the sun in the amphitheatre :)

Too cute! So many little kids playing around the amphitheatre

Knights in action by the amphitheatre

Loving the outfit

Ahh this was SO cute! The kids each stood on a different column with balloons that had messages on the end, released them all at the same time, then started running after them. 

Weird observations: Here in France, scooters are used by both kids AND adults. Grown-ups will be riding them down the street as well. I saw a mom and a kid riding scooters together while I was walking to school. Definitely different than back home where even college students riding scooters get called out by homeless people for being too old to ride scooters (*ahemangeloahem*)

French culture class: How to cut cheese..

Aliens: We are here to take over the world!
Frenchman: Do you have a residence permit?
Perfect description of France!

This is how interesting my French culture class was...

Lunch time - makes me feel sick to look at this picture...

Not impressed with lunch..

Anddd it's no wonder why... Sausage and fries..

Other choices for lunch.. Beef, anyone?

Let's just pretend this lunch never happened...

I guess shiny suits are a fashion statement here in France...curious. I decided to take pictures of my sightings ;)
The Original: Shiny suit #1 at my university

Subtle picture of shiny suit/shirt #2 at the university café

Shiny suit #3 - Groom taking wedding pics at the amphitheatre

Too much fun! :D words CANNOT describe my love for finding these traboules/secret passageways.. must have been all those medieval stories I read when I was little...

Candy shop in Vieux Lyon - view from a traboule

Inside the traboule

Hallway back out of the traboule

Hello Kitty is in France too! and..smurfs? :3

Huge strawberry candies!

Candy store!

Last item on this page is a 'Gandhi crêpe' - a crêpe with curry

lunch time! yummmm! The 'crêpe complête' - cheese, ham, egg, and tomato

Taken from my iPod so can't really see it all that well... but it's an accordion player, playing during lunch. For some reason, that's one of the only times I really feel like I'm in France - when I hear accordion music... 
Lady and the Tramp, anyone?

This lady looks SO excited to ride the cable car! My subtle iPod camera skills at work here.

Mmm.. first 'glace' in France! One scoop of pear ice cream, woopp :D

Two scoops gets a hugeee cone... they haven't quite figured out putting a scoop on top of another on a regular cone, i guess...

nomnommm

opera house by night - very popular place to hang around at night

hôtel de ville/city hall by night

artistic shot of the post - hôtel de ville in the background

a super awesome jazz group playing at the hôtel de ville - 'motown revival'

shiny suit #4 - singer with motown revival

this postcard is ridiculous, but fitting for the end of my post ;) bisous! xx