The past 24 hours have been some of the most exciting and relaxing hours I have ever spent in my life. After I arrived in Angers and checked in my darling little hotel I decided to go for a walk and find some dinner. The train station and my hotel are really close to the center of the city so there was a lot to walk around and look at. I was extremely hungry, however, as silly as this may be I was really nervous to go to a cafe because I felt really unsure about what to say or how to act. I didn't want to do anything that offended anyone so whenever I came close to a cafe I just walked right by! Haha it took about 6 cafes before I had built enough confidence to try one out. Luckily the server was very nice and she even spoke a little English when I was completely lost. When I looked at the menu I tried to act like I knew what I was doing...I didn't. I recognized a few words but mostly I was just taking a shot in the dark. I figured that I'm not picky so what the heck! I was pleasantly surprised when I got a crepe with brie cheese inside topped with caramelized onions. Holy moly macaroni!!!!
I continued to wander around the streets a bit, mostly just looking into windows of the stores and businesses. Naturally I found my way to the street with all the clothing stores, there must have been a magnet or something lol. I forced myself to continue walking taking comfort that I will be here for four more weeks and will have plenty of chances to re-visit my discovery. The streets are all very small, much like the kind you would see in the movies. The cool thing is that everyone drives the same type of car, they are small and functional, not meant to be flashy or show status. My favorite part of the city so far is the buildings. They are all so unique. Most of the buildings are connected, but not like what you would expect to see in the states. They are connected but it is like each building is its own unique building, simply without any space in between it and the next one. The doors are all very colorful and the shutters have many different designs. I could probably walk around in the streets looking at the buildings for hours.
Fast forward to this morning after a great night of sleep. I had breakfast at the hotel...and it is not what you would expect a continental breakfast to be like. So imagine you are staying at a moderately priced hotel, nothing fancy but not disgusting either. A typical continental breakfast would include watered down orange juice and apple juice, pre-packaged danish pastries with too much sugar and glaze, stale bagels and prepackaged cream cheese, and if you are lucky scrambled eggs that is runny and over cooked sausage. Now imagine 5 baskets full of freshly baked croissants and other types of bread, fresh squeezed orange juice, hard boiled eggs, sliced ham with Swiss cheese, fresh apple-sauce, and fresh fruit. Welcome to my continental breakfast. Instead of the Knotts Berry Farm packages of jelly there were little glass containers of jam. They were the cutest little things and I was so surprised that they were served in glass. Needless to say breakfast was delicious.
It is hard to sum up the remainder of my day because there is so much. I met my host family back at the train station and they are better than anything I could have ever imagined. They are the most gracious, concerned, and generous people I have ever met. Therese et Jean Berthelot. (not sure on the exact spelling) Therese comes up to about my chin, has short gray hair, and wears bright red glasses. Jean is just a tad bit taller, also gray, and wears glasses with a black rim on the top. Simply adorable!!! They don't speak a word of English but have been very patient with my all day. I am actually surprised at how much I remembered from class. I think since English has not been an option I have been forced to dig deep down into my brain. Their house is perfect. It is just the right size - not too big and not too small. It is two stories with the living room, kitchen, dining room, and bathroom downstairs, and upstairs there is a tv room, two bedrooms, and a bathroom. I will post pictures of my room because no words can do it justice. I feel like I am living in the imagination of my youth.
Explaining lunch could take an entire post so I will try to keep it short. First we had sliced tomatoes with olive oil and feta cheese on top. Jean was very proud to announce that the tomatoes were organic, which I thought was really cute. Then we had baked pork with a tomatoes, carrot, and onion sauce, salad with vinaigrette, bread, and diced potatoes. After we finished that we enjoyed some brie and chevre on bread with fresh grapes and peaches. Sounds like a full course dinner to me, and it was only lunch! Oh and may I mention that they drink wine with lunch...I had two glasses and it was no big deal! I think that this trip will definitely fill me up on my daily need of anti-oxidents.
I showed them pictures and they are fascinated by the fact that I am married. Therese introduced me to some of her friends and it is the first thing she said. "Elle est une Madame!" and all her friends looked at me with awe and approval. Therese wants to know all about me and Chris, our wedding, where we live, what we do, etc. It is so cute.
After lunch Therese asked me to go on a walk with her. They are in their mid-sixties so I was assuming that we would walk for about ten minutes. Well I was shocked because we ended up walking for an hour and a half! She walked me all through her neighborhood, past a golf course, along a river, and across a ferry and back. She says she enjoys walking because it is good for her health. Heck yes lady!
Dinner was also another fabulous meal. We had whole tomatoes stuffed with a sausage type meat, with pasta and bread. Fresh fruit and wine finished us off for the evening. Now I am completely exhausted but couldn't be any happier. I feel like every minute I spend here melts away an hour of stress that I have built up in my life for the past ten years. My steps are lighter and I just feel like I am detoxing my whole body, mind, and soul.
Tomorrow I have orientation with the program and a tour of the town!
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