There is Pau-tential

This week has been a little less exciting. I went to the casino last night and managed to win 8 euros.. It was nerve racking for awhile since i had to lose 10 euros before i ended up winning the 18. I watched my friend lose money at the black jack table and decided that i should probably stay away from the casino for a little while. I don't want to find out that i have an extremely addictive personality and come back to the Etats-Unis broke..Although i foresee that outcome happening without the help of a casino. I've managed to turn my original 1000 dollars of abroad money into a measly 250 in a matter of 3 weeks. I blame Chase bank. They charge me an insane amount for taking out money and for just using my card. I may be forced to paint my face white and seal myself in an invisible box on the corners of Pau, just to be able to afford my daily intake of 5000 calories of french bread.

Big news, i've booked my tickets for spring break! I'll be going to Milan, Venice, Tuscany, and Pisa with my friends. The host sister of one of my friends has an apartment in venice that we can stay in, so that will help with costs. Ideally i want to eat my weight in gelato the entire time i'm there. Also if i somehow find time between February 18th and the 23rd i would love to get to Rome to see my Loyola friends, but it is a little bit out of the way. Another trip that a bunch of us are planning is one to Dublin. I have a friend studying in Ireland who i'd love to see, and i really just want to taste the Guinness there and go to the factory, to be honest. Tomorrow the whole USAC program is going to Bordeaux, so i have to be up at 7 in the morning to get to the school. It'll be worth it, and i can sleep on the bus. We're staying over night at a hostel in the center of town, and i get to see ANOTHER one of my friends who lives in Bordeaux. I can't wait!! I'll update more about Bordeaux once i'm back.

I have to bring something to the attention of all my American blog followers. It has been bothering me since day 1. French people do not get out of the way when you are walking on the sidewalk. I literally have gotten bumped into more times then i can count. I'm being 100% honest. They expect you to go around them everytime. They must have a sort of "usa-dar", similar to "gay-dar" which obviously stemmed from the original "radar." I would hate to see how this would play out with heavy machinery. But i've had to walk into the mud on the outside of the sidewalk numerous times and it stops here. I will not be a victim of this hate crime any longer. It's time to pull out the beret, striped shirt, and baguette so i can finally walk the sidewalks in peace.

Speaking of radar, a bunch of us met french guys in the army recently. I proceeded to make a joke saying "wait, the french have an army?" which clearly wasn't as funny to them as it was to me. Lots of things get lost in translation as well. It's getting a little frustrating, just because i want to be able to say the most common responses to something, quickly, but i always am going around the point that i'm trying to make, strictly due to the fact that i don't know the language well enough. It's become a drag, and for the first time in my life i'm actually thinking about what i'm going to say before i say it. Some would say that is a positive trait to have, but i say it is irritating, i just want things to start coming more easily! Ok enough complaining. In time things will get easier.

Bon weekend, GO BEARS, and hopefully my next post will not involve a breakout of bed bugs at my hostel in Bordeaux.

Tout a l'heure

Marzipan