Puedes hablar español?

Wednesday, June 3: In the morning, we had another European culture class where we continued to study the culture of France and the differences it has between the US. It was again a very interesting class and many good comparative conversations due to all the different cultures represented just in our class alone. After morning class and lunch, we traveled into the city for a walking tour where we got to see some of the big sights and learn the history of the city. We got a very detailed history of the Roman Catholic influence on the history of Toulouse which I found very interesting. After the tour, a group of us stayed and walked through the local market on the square before heading down to the river to enjoy the views and 2 Euro bottles of wine! When kitchens were finally open for dinner (7:30 here) we ended up eating at a Lebanese restaurant… We were a group of 3 Americans and 3 Mexicans eating Lebanese food in France while speaking a mix of Spanish, French and English! It was quite the culture experience and my Spanish definitely improved… if only my French would! We even ran into a woman from Spain on the tram who we spoke Spanish to and  we carried on a conversation and she complimented on my Spanish! We then got gelato and went back to the flats because we were all pretty tired. 

On Thursday we began the day with a 3 hour French lesson where I actually felt much more comfortable and really felt like I was learning this language a bit! The classes are difficult and frustrating but also a lot of fun and interactive. We then had lunch and back to class where we learned about the history of European agriculture and the EU. We got out early today so I am here writing this and about to book tickets hopefully for our free weekend! There is a group of 6 of us that are looking to go to a beach on the French part of the Mediterranean. I also am about to figure out how the European washing machines and dryers work… wish me luck!

Overall, I am enjoying my time so far and making good friends! It is tiring but also super fun. It is also quite the experience living with three guys... Bre and I are definitely glad we have each other. Also, Bre and I have become running buddies and are getting into a schedule of getting up every morning before class to run before it gets too hot! I am so glad I have become such good friends with her and I found someone to run with! Tomorrow we have morning classes and then we are off to explore the Carcassone Castle! Saturday we are then going hiking in the Pyrenees and Sunday we are headed to Lourdes! I am so excited for this weekend and to get to see some amazing places here in France!