Rough week one... 8 to go...

Okay, I’m sorry that I haven’t written in a few days, because like has been hectic. And anyone who has talked to me knows that it has been a real struggle. I say that because I really miss home, and by home I mean UC.

I guess you could say I finally realized how truly important my friends are to me, and how deeply connected I am with my friends. Not having them around is probably the biggest struggle right now, and when (and if) I can get past that, I’ll start to do better here. We shall see.

Anyways… the first week of classes was both good and challenging. The classes are really challenging, but I suppose it is better than if the classes were a breeze and I wasn’t really learning anything, no? The toughest part is the rigorous schedule or four straight hours per day. It really does take a lot out of me.

After class, my friends that I’ve made through API, which is the program I went through to get here, usually go into to town and just spend some time together; it really helps me to get past my homesickness and to start enjoying Grenoble. I only have one picture so far, and it is stuck on my camera because I don’t have a cable for it!

I should probably tell you I placed into A2.8, which is the highest beginner level French course that the offer here. The best way for me to explain it would be to say it’s a lot like French 106 at UC or the second half of French 103, but only 100% French in class and absolutely no English. I should move up to the next level in May, so we shall see. I have no idea what I will or will not get credit for.

On a side note, I figured out my schedule for the fall, assuming I take a couple summer classes. I’ve planned to take French 300 and 310 (Grammar, and literature), English 340 which is another intro to linguistics course that I need to take, Anthropology 230 I believe (it’s a class on the languages of the world), and the social history of baseball. I assume that when I make a final decision about the Army, I’ll change this around to either allow for those classes or to appeal me to my interests in learning. I’m also waiting to see which teacher will teach when so I can take a class with Lorman.

I have also been looking at my schedule for the next two months, and I have a couple breaks where I am totally going to travel! At the end of this Month, I have about 5 days off in which I will travel to Luxembourg, Belgium, and either the Netherlands or Germany. I suppose if I do all of that, I’ll come back the 28. The following weekend I have Thursday through Sunday off (Meaning I have class on Monday) so I’ll probably try to go to Berlin that weekend. I don’t know yet, but luckily I’ll have some time to figure it out.

Well, I suppose that is about all I have right now. If you could, be praying that I can get past my need for my friends so that I could start to enjoy my time here more.
I’ll post sooner next time.

Nathan