This is NOT Montpellier. Don't be fooled. (I am endlessly amused by the signage here xD)

 Time for the obligatory weekly-ish update on life! Accompanied by pictures, even better! This semester is starting to be a bit quieter than the last - haven't gone out so much the past couple weeks, and though I definitely wasn't the going-out type back in Alabama I've got to say I'm getting a little stir crazy here...what, me? Miss Excellent Student, actually feeling antsy to go out and party? I appear to have changed some. Though maybe it's for the best that I haven't actually gone out late this weekend, what with the Valentine's themed events and that faint aroma of "shouldn't you be Not Alone right now? Can't you see the red hearts and flowers?" in the air.

Now, of course I haven't stayed in my room like a little hermit or anything. I did go out on Monday (only once this week? Egads!), then did the more low-key type of hanging a couple times this week with various friends. I took my bike into town and hit the last of the month-long winter markdowns that are a seriously big deal in France, finally finding a pair of skinny blue jeans that will fit my supremely bizarre proportions of big calves/behind and tiny waist without making me feel like I'll explode if I sit down. Also, a super hot - though classy - dress for six euros, cha-ching! Joined a couple friends for pizza and girl talk, which involved a lot of hilarity in interpreting various French insults and swear words and their equivalencies in English. Great fun, very educational, and very inappropriate. =)

Aside from that, classes are still classes - they're going, much as they do in the U.S., so I won't bore you with the details of that. Although I will share this awesome revelation, I'm finally to the point, after my five months here, where I feel at ease speaking in French with just about anyone - and English is really taking a back seat. Not one seat back, we're talking three or four rows back! C'est le progrès! I can listen to my phsyiologie animale teacher, comprehend (90%, anyway - there are certainly still times when a word/turn of phrase catches me off guard), process, and take notes in French at whiz kid speed while listening to what she's saying next! I'm surprising myself quite a bit here, and that makes me really happy and just a little bit proud. Don't get me wrong, I'm definitely not fluent and still lack a lot of miscellaneous vocabulary and have grammar faults out the wazoo when the conversation ventures to a high level - but it's progress! I'm marking this in particular by my salsa/merengue workshop that I've been in since the beginning of the first semester - when I arrived, I kinda just danced, smiled, and interjected a phrase or two here and there when I felt comfortable enough to. Now, I consider these ladies/gents friends and don't mind shooting off my usual goofball attempt at jokes and gestures, and the instructor has even invited some of the best students (whoo hoo, that includes me!) to perform a choreography - in front of people!- later in the spring. Hopefully that works out!

So, that's pretty much life at the moment. This is really a fabulous place, can't say it enough. As indicated by my first picture, I am also doing a lot of wandering outside of town, to the small towns/villages surrounding the town. They all have their own unique character, and the countryside here, while not obvious and filled with "OH HEY, LOOK AT ME!" mountains or beaches, is exceptionally lovely and can best be described as friendly. And now, thanks to me toting my camera in-hand on some of my bike/jog adventures, I can finally show you some of my faaaavorite spots!

Uh, probably not supposed to go down by the river this way, as there's no set path - but it's more fun this way!

One of the quieter points by the river - peace and quiet :)

One of my absolute favorite places to jog to. Farmland and forest on either side. 30 mins. out of town.

In the above picture, after a couple minutes this gravel path disappears and you're just jogging alongside and these fields. Maybe you'll run into somebody, maybe not...either way, it's always very serene and happens to meet up with the above river at some point!

The windmill of the happy little town of Clapiers. Took my bike to get here - definitely not Montpellier!

 

Clapiers centre (main street). Is it hoppin' or what?

On the Esplanade de Jaun Jaurés in Clapiers. Getting to be dusk, time to go home =)

 Esplanades - essentially the French word for a promenade, or boardwalk if it's on the coast perhaps? - exist everywhere, not just in France. Montpellier has one. Barcelona has one in its famous Las Ramblas. And, of course, this little town has its own version, dedicated to France's favorite Socialist revolutionary! Lightly gravel paved, lined with trees that must be gorgeous in fall/spring, with benches occasional occupied by various townsfolk or maybe even a game of boules going on or some kids goofing off with their parents nearby. It was pretty quiet when I took this picture, seeing as it's the end of the day on a Sunday, but on my first circuit through the town I liked it so much I decided to come back through one more time. Until next time, three cheers for small towns!