Crêpes and Castles - Week 3 in Rennes

This week's special guest post comes from our Rennes session 1 student, Daniel Zaretsky.

Bonjour! With half of the program already over, I don't want to leave! I’ve learned so much and met so many new people! Yet we can't stop time from passing, but we can do our best to take advantage of it. With a busy schedule and exciting times ahead, here's week 3 of the program, written day by day:

It was Monday, which of course meant the start of another (very busy, of course) week. Evidently, we started off the day with 3 hours of language courses. We began working on our weekly project, and this week's task is to create a video with a partner about a topic that we're passionate about. We're doing a project on the effects of climate change on coral reefs. After class, we went to get lunch, and we went for the local type of cuisine: a créperie. I got a roquefort (blue cheese) galette, and a Nutella crepe. After eating, we visited the Park Oberthur. We took a guided tour around the park and learned about its rich history and its unique (and very complex) style. In fact, it's a park that houses plants and trees from all around the world (such as California Sequoia trees), as well as local and some exotic animals. Following our visit, we went to Sainte Anne (in the heart of Rennes) to do our cultural activity. We interviewed locals about our project theme (for us, we asked them questions about climate change.) In all, it was an action-packed day and a great way to start out this week! À demain!

Tuesday started out rather slow, with (you guessed it) courses in the morning. We learned more about political and action campaigns through videos and exercises. Afterwards, we went to St. Anne to get lunch, and in the end I settled for a delicious panini and a pain au chocolat. Following our lunch, we payed a visit to the Parlement de Bretagne, a historic partially historic building in downtown Rennes. In fact, it faced a fire in the 1990s, which is why part of it had to be rebuilt. Nevertheless, the interior was very beautiful, with rich paintings, gold-covered wall lining & decorations, and velvet cushions to top it all off. It is no longer used to house the Parliament, but rather contains the Department of Justice, complete with fancy-dressed judges and lawyers. Overall, a busy day, with more to come! À plus, tout le monde!

Wednesday began in a hurry, as the bus schedule was different because of the Braderie (more on that later) that was happening downtown. Fortunately, with some thinking (and a lot of running), I made it to class on time. The morning courses were interesting, and we talked even more about campaigns, slogans, and vocabulary related to these. We also learned about inspiring teenagers that sought to change the world with an invention or a brilliant idea. After class, we went downtown, and the moment we stepped out of the metro, it was evident that the Braderie was in full swing.

Vocabulary time:

- The Grande Braderie is a yearly market that commemorates the start of the summer Soldes. It can attract more than 400,000 visitors.

- Les Soldes is a giant sale that occurs twice a year (summer and winter.) Almost all French stores have discounts on clothing and other items. It's like Black Friday, but it has actually desirable discounts (usually around 30-50% off) and happens for 1-2 months at a time.

Continuing...

We ate lunch at a sandwicherie, and then we went to explore the market. It was really big: it spans the central city square (République) and all of the streets of Sainte Anne. We strolled about it for some time, but was too hot to keep walking around, so we went to H&M (very French, I know) to take advantage of the Soldes prices. Afterwards, we went to do the afternoon activity, which involved asking people about the subject for our video (see previous days for reference.) Let's just say that no one wanted to talk to us because they thought we were pickpockets or annoying merchants. Finally, we had free time, so we went to explore the Braderie. Here's some quick tips and things you should know about that:

- don't make yourself an easy target for pickpockets

- most of the stuff being sold are counterfeit/low quality goods that can be bought online for a significantly cheaper price

- French merchants can get REALLY loud when they're trying to sell something

Overall, it was a really exciting day! Au revoir!

Being the fourth day of the week, Thursday started out a little slower once again. I got ready and took the bus and metro to the university. In class, we worked on our videos and also learned about making campaigns more efficient. Afterwards, we got lunch at St. Anne. We then did our OZleFrançais activity, where we asked people in the street for their thoughts on foie gras, a duck liver based food, and the force feeding (gavage) of ducks that goes into its production. They gave us various replies, with some believing it to be a cruel practice while others said it was too deeply rooted into French culture to be made illegal. Following this, we had a tour of the construction site of an upcoming metro station for Rennes' second metro line. It was interested and quite amazing to see the scale of the station - it's all underground, yet it has four levels and goes down 32 metres (a ten story building). They even made us wear construction helmets and reflective vests, and I really enjoyed this visit. And that's all! À demain!

Friday was more of a relaxed day, with no afternoon activity planned. Anyways, we started  off the day with courses, as usual. We polished our videos, and then presented them to the class. We also acted out a scenario where we talked about our subject to other classmates. Following class, we were free to do whatever we wanted for the rest of the afternoon. A group of us got food and we went to Park Thabor. Then, we took a stroll around the mall, which culminated in me going to H&M for the third day in a row. We capped off the day by getting ice cream at a glacerie! Overall, an exciting day, and I can't wait until tomorrow, when we're going on a 2-day trip to Cornouaille. À plus tard!

Well, it's Cornouaille time! An exciting trip was to come, and I was ready! Saturday began with a bus ride downtown and a metro trip to the University. From there, we took a charter bus to Pont Aven, a small city Breton city. I have to preface that during this whole trip, it was at least 85 F outside, and very humid. When we got to Pont Aven, 4 of the boys (including me) went on a run. Unfortunately, I had no choice but to run in khaki pants and a long sleeve shirt, but it was well worth the amazing atmosphere! When we got back, we ate lunch and walked around the city. We then took the charter bus to Quimpert, a beautiful riverside city. We took a guided tour around the city, and while we were all already very tired, it was interesting to explore the buildings and the scenery. Finally, we got on the bus to go to our hostel in Cornouaille. When we arrived, it was SO pretty. The sun was already beginning to set, giving us a stunning beach view. We settled in and ate dinner, and then went down to the beach. The water was very cold, but I was surprised at how clear it was. We swam for about an hour, and then headed back to the hostel. We enjoyed the ocean-side atmosphere some more, and then got ready for bed. And that was it for today! À demain!

I started out my Sunday with an hour-long run along the coast. It was so beautiful in the morning as the sunrise cast its pink and blue hues on the water and on the sand. When I returned, we ate breakfast. We then hung out some more on the rocks and in the water, before getting on the bus to go to Locronan. We arrived around midday, and we walked around a little before getting lunch. We ate for a total of 2 hours, which probably set the record for the longest meal I’ve had during my stay in France. We then departed to the Chateau de Trevarez. It was built in the 16th-17th centuries, and also had history during WWII when it housed Nazi occupation forces. It was beautiful on the outside and quite destroyed on the inside, and the grounds were also quite pretty. This gave it a wild yet kept atmosphere, which I enjoyed a lot. Finally, we headed back home. By the end of this two-day trip, I was really tired and ready to sleep. I ended the day by watching a game of World Cup football, and then it was off to bed for me! Bonne nuit!

Overall, week 3 has been so exciting! From eating crêpes, to walking around Rennes, to staying in a hostel on the shore, I’ve done so many things that can’t be done anywhere else! I’m learning so much about the language and culture of Brittany, and I’m sure everyone else here feels the same way. Of course, there were times where I felt sad, stressed, or even scared, but I had to remind myself that I am here to learn, not to reminisce on the past. After all, I am discovering a different country, and more importantly, discovering myself in this oftentimes overwhelming world. I'm discovering my personality, my dreams, and my future goals. I'm finding myself.

-Daniel Z.