a week in grenoble

Wow, I've already been here for a week, but it feels like I'm already a citizen of this mountain town in France. I've started classes already, and I have to say, they're one of the bigger shocks of how different my life is right now. I'm taking French classes every morning from 8:30-10:30 Tuesday through Friday, and two electives on Wednesday and Thursday afternoons: History of Contemporary France and French Economy (or something like that). The electives are both taught in French, and there's no hope of getting any English translation help in any of our classes because Anglophones only make up about half of the program. There are a lot of Asians in my classes, which makes it interesting to know that our common language is French for the first time in all of the French classes I took.

It's weird being at another school for a semester...I almost feel like I'm cheating on USC. I've already joined the ski club, and yesterday learned how to snowboard with my friend Taylor. If you join the club, called Ecole-de-Glisse for 30 euros, you get super cheap lift tickets, transportation from campus, and free all day lessons in French. I'm sore as can be right now, but I defintely can make it down a bunny slope on a snowboard. I can't wait to go again! I've also joined the school's general student life club called Espace Vie Etudiante [student life space] for 3 euros and i get discounts on beer on campus : ) oh I love Europe. Being on the slopes yesterday was just incredible. I've never seen anything so beautiful in my life--and there wasn't even that much snow. I was burning up in my lightweight soft shell, but there was some great powder until the end of the day when I slipped on some ice going too fast and faceplanted and almost broke my neck. No more than five minutes later did I almost give myself a concussion just walking on some ice. Funny, yes, hilarious, definitely, at the time however, I was having the worst moment of my life. Oh well, I'm going snowboarding this week again. By the time I get back, you'll be watching me on some pro-snowboarding videos. I'll catch you up on stuff, and maybe post some pictures later. We're about to go watch some French football since American football doesn't come on until 12:30 tonight. Love--Gabby