Hola et à Bientôt

It's only been two weeks since I last updated this, and I can't believe how much has somehow happened in that time!

On an administrative note, I have now received all but one of my exam results back, and have passed everything! Which, as far as I'm concerned, is a total miracle considering how clueless I felt most of last semester. I have also now got my timetable sorted, and I only have to be in on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, i.e. I have a longer weekend than week. I'm hoping to make the most of this spare time by travelling, because as far as I'm concerned exploration is just as important as studying when you're on a year abroad. Thirdly, I like pretty much all of my modules this term, which is a huge step up from last term! I even get to study James Bond films, which I'm really looking forward to, even if it does mean finishing at 19h15 on a Monday.

Anyway, on to the fun stuff! The week before last (14th) I was lucky enough to take a trip back to my current favourite city: Barcelona! Two of the friends who were leaving France had booked their flights back from there, and suggested a road trip. Alex was happy to drive, and I was happy to hop in the spare passenger seat, so we took off for an amazing few days. It was Alex's first time in Barcelona, so we went into serious tourist mode, walked for longer than I could begin to measure, and saw so much. Highlights included watching a man blow giant bubbles in front of the Arc de Triomf,

a cablecar ride over the city up to Montjuic,  

a walk around the inside of the Sagrada Familia, 

a nighttime trip to the highest point of Parc Guell, 

and a meal at one of the best burger restaurants I have ever come across!

And, of course, ice creams on the beach in January. Because 19 degrees is a ridiculous temperature for January!

For those of you who are concerned I was slacking, rest assured that I caught up on all missed classes as soon as I got home :P

This weekend was also really fun, because I had visitors! Jess, Rachel and Megan all do French at Birmingham, and are currently studying in Bordeaux, which is a only a few hours away on the train.

It was so nice having some girls around the house, and I got to do the tourist route all over again, which was exhausting but gorgeous!

We crammed a lot into a couple of days, with the beach trip, whistlestop city tour, two bar nights and meal out, so I would definitely consider this a very productive 4 day weekend. Here's hoping I can continue to make the remaining ones as busy and enjoyable! But for now, with everyone back home, its time to finish off this glass of wine and actually attempt to do some work.

A la prochaine,

Sarah 

xx

Je reviens

It's now a week today since I landed back in Montpellier. I feel like I should be saying that I'm "back to reality", but with all the city shifting and confusion, I don't feel like I even know what that phrase means any more!

Being home for Christmas was amazing. England is FREEZING, as expected, and I suffered from this sooner than I would have liked, when our car broke down on the motorway on my second day back. Aside from that slight hiccup, I had a great holiday, and caught up with so many wonderful people who I've missed so much, including a lot of family members who I haven't seen in over a year. Christmas was a family affair, and new year was a very messy house party in which I managed to infect what seems like half of those present with the cold that I inevitably caught from having been stuck back in the wind and rain.

(All the family pictures were taken on other people's cameras, so sadly I don't have any of those.)

I loved being home, but strangely I missed living in France in a way that I wasn't anticipating. I suppose there's something exciting about getting on a tram and having all your background noise in another language, or walking through the city and hearing international students from all corners of the world who are just as confused as you are. Although it was incredibly hard standing in the baggage queue at Gatwick airport and watching my family walk away, I feel like I could now never imagine going back and living in England my whole life. I love living abroad!

When I landed in Montpellier, Alex picked me up from the airport and drove me straight to the beach, which was a welcome breath of fresh air after being cooped up in a crowded aeroplane. However, all my charming illusions about France were quickly shattered, as I returned to university and was instantly reminded of that familiar feeling of complete disorientation and cluelessness, although thankfully it was a lot less severe this time around! I managed to turn up to a class that exists online but not in real life, talk to plenty of people who aren't French, and sign up for one class while accidentally attending the lecture for another. Pretty standard first week by any consideration, and hopefully things can only get better from here. Exam results are coming in, and of the 5 I have received I have so far passed everything. Fingers continually crossed for those which have yet to appear. 

On Friday night we had a "Diner Au Revoir", to see off all those who have briefly returned to sit their exams before finally going back to their home countries. It was an amazing night, and a great chance to catch up with everyone after the Christmas break. The next day Helen and I finally got round to seeing La Reine Des Neiges (Frozen), and were incredibly proud of ourselves for understanding everything. We will soon graduate to understanding political thrillers (we hope!).

Bonne année à toutes et à tous!
Sarah 
xx