A run and a hike

Day Fifteen

Yesterday was another good day in class.  We learned a little about the history of the French language and how up until it was established as the official language, there were more than 50,000 different dialects in the territory that is now France.  We went over how to physically describe someone in more detail than I'd learned in basic French, like specifying the shape of someone's face, body, nose, and eyes.  There was a lot of new vocabulary that I learned.  Again, I was pretty intimidated by the vocabulary that I wasn't following very easily.  Thankfully, a lot of other people had the same issue but I'm going to ask my teacher on Monday what she recommends I do: go to a lower level class or stay in this level.  I can handle the day to day lessons but I'm just a little concerned about when the quizzes and exams come around.  After class I went to the youth group and once again, there was a great talk on whether man really has free will.  We had a GREAT dinner of sloppy joe, baked beans, and homemade cinnamon rolls.  :)  I don't think I'll have cravings for American food because I'll get my weekly fill from these group meetings!  The people there are so sweet and very outgoing.  There were three new people I hadn't met before.  One from India, another from the Dominican Republic, and another who was French and wanted to practice her English (which was phenomenal!).  I also found out one of the girls there, Katie, was a runner!  So we made plans to run together the next day.

Thankfully I woke up early enough to wear I could have a small breakfast of some baguette pieces with jam and do my devotional before meeting up with Katie. We met at Place Bellecour and then headed to the Rhône River where we ran all the way to this huge park in the middle of the city! We did a lap around the park (which I know will be absolutely beautiful once spring comes around) and then parted ways, after planning to make this a routine once a week together. I think the run was about 3-4 miles in total. It felt really good; it definitely helps when you have an accountability partner haha. Then I got ready and met up with Amelia for lunch and some shopping at Part Dieux.  On our walk, we found an adorable traditional cuisine restaurant where we had the plat du jour and dessert for 14 euros. The main meal was roasted chicken in a special sauce with vegetables. For dessert I had rice pudding with raspberry--it was amazing. What I like about eating here is that the portions are the perfect size to make you feel content but not like you're going to keel over. And food is an art. Everything is about presentation. Even the water jugs they bring on the table are so pretty! They typically come in a glass wine bottle--just for tap water! We spent a couple hours shopping at Part Dieux to get some things for her. I got a cardigan sweater and knitted hat for 13 euros. This mall is huge as far as French malls go and it had +250 stores with a cinema and a grocery store! I bought some raspberry tea :) We made our way back after we'd bought a few things and after coming home, I started watching a French gameshow. It's essentially "taboo" between two teams but you can only say one word at a time. So the person with the word says one hint and then the guesser has to make a guess and so on. The winner became a finalist for the 50,000 euros. Then, for dinner we had salad and a homemade bread with olive and sausage bits in it. Then fruit and yogurt. Very good, as always. Now, I'm watching the 8th "Champs Elysées" Music Show with the most popular French singers. :)

Lunch :)

Dessert (after I already had a few scoops)

Hotel Dieux (a VERY old hospital that is currently under construction, I can't wait to see the inside after its renovations)