so the last couple of days here have been really busy. we start classes at 9:30 and they go until 6 or a little after at night but i think that's just for this week since it's orientation. so far this week we're taking grammar classes, basic language classes and a conversation class. they're all really easy because it's review but still. other than that we have lectures on safety, how to act around our host families, etc. and we've been taking tours. monday we took a walking tour of nantes and got to see the post office, the bank, ies, the bus/tram stop and useful things like that and tomorrow we're going to go see the more historical (and thus interesting) things in nantes which i think will be good but i have to remember to wear comfortable shoes!! a whole bunch of girls have been wearing shoes that are fashionable but they all have blisters. haha. ooh and today we took a tour of the university that's near by (universite de nantes). everyone has to take at least one class at the university but we don't enroll in classes until friday - but i think i want to enroll in a french/english translation class so that'll be good. 

as for the other parts of life here, i met sophie (the french student who's boarding here as well) yesterday and i think she's nice. she speaks fast but i think that'll be good for me. she's studying law at the universite de nantes so i can ask her questions about the campus and things like that. my host mom is really nice and i like her, although she intimidates me sometimes. i've found that i speak better french at night after i've had all day of french but she likes to talk in the morning at breakfast and it's hard because i don't have a lot to say and i'm still sort of in english mode, but she's understanding so that's good. oh and my host mom (madame bechaux -- pronounced bay-show) asked me if i watched what i ate or was on a diet and i said no not really, but i try to make sure i don't eat horribly all day everyday and she said "well that's good, because you shouldn't. you don't need to" so that was really nice since a lot of french people think americans are fat (because it's true....). she also said that i speak pretty well although i think she's just saying that so i will continue to speak, but she's taken to correcting me when i speak, although she doesn't correct me too much so it's still good for my self-confidence. LOL. 

i've made some friends here, everyone's really nice and there are only a few people who irritate me but almost everyone is super outgoing and understanding about trying to speak in french which is nice. i have my french phone and i think i figured out how to set up my voicemail. i had to record it twice although i'm not sure the second time worked but if it did i speak french briefly first and then switch to english so if you call me and you hear someone speaking french (with a horrible french accent) don't hang up unless you don't hear english afterwards. haha. okay well it's late and i wanna go to bed now. but i miss you all!!