Nantes Week One

(From Friday, May 21)
We arrived in Nantes on Sunday night and were greeted by our host families at the train station. Jess, another girl from my program, and I met our mother, Gaelle, and went home to meet our sisters, Stef and Axue. They live on the west outskirts of Nantes in a cute house. There are two pets in the family (who have been great for my allergies): Cookie, a cat who sleeps in the exact same chair all day then wails right outside my window at night, and Babouche, a little dog with huge eyes that bug out of her head when she gets excited about something. Gaelle is a fantastic cook! So far we have had: quiche and chocolate mousse, a beef and tomato dish and almond torte, shrimp pasta and a variety of French cheeses (yum!!!), and fresh crab and strawberries. When we had the quiche, Jess told our mother that in America we eat quiche for breakfast. Gaelle thought this was the funniest thing ever. She has offered us the leftovers for breakfast every morning since :).

Nantes is the former capital of Brittany. Technically, it is no longer a part of the region, the people of Nantes still claim that they are part of Brittany because it is such a strong part of their history. The Chateau de Ducs is located in the heart of Nantes and served as the primary home to the Dukes of Brittany. Nantes is a port city and was once known as the Venice of France because of its canal system. The canals have since been filled in, but the city boasts a rich history. There are beautiful churches and a famous theater. There is a part of town called Bouffay where local students hand out and where we have spent a lot of time. I find it amusing that the most popular spot in the city is an Irish pub.

The university we attend is called Audencia. We don't take real classes, only one-time seminars and French lessons. Audencia has about 2800 student, making it about the same size as UC's CoB. The building is very nice. All of the local universities are in the same part of town, so there are several common buildings, such as a cafeteria, where all students can go. The French students are very welcoming; they invite us to some sort of event almost every night.

This is a long weekend, so I'm off to Paris with some friends because it is only two hours away by train!