January 15, 2014

I am in a crèperie in Dinan right now (writing all this in a journal, not on a laptop). The waiter is very polite and asked if I preferred the menu en anglais, but I said français est bien. I had la crèpe jambon enemmental and after la crèpe banane chocolate, again! I had forgotten how fast crèpes are made! I think the French are very polite, because they value politeness, etiquette, and sincerity. The Parisiens can be rude, but you can find that in any big touristy city. I also like that the French are never really in a hurry, especially when it comes to eating. After dessert they usually take coffee, or tea in the restaurants. I met up with Louisa and her friends. I got to visit their high school, which has a beautiful cathedral connected to it. We hung out in the art classroom for a while. 

Afterward, Louisa and I explored Dinan together where she goes to school. Her friends Julian, Alice, and Cèline were so nice and gave me a little tour of a few of the cathedrals. They also showed me an incredible view of Dinan! They were curious to know how the U.S. is different and I explained that our architecture is very modern. The more I spoke with them in French, the more I felt at ease with the language. I enjoyed shopping with Louisa and tried my first beignet at a pastry shop. It was messy! Louisa's high school is Catholic and everyone sleeps in the dorms there. They also have a really cool courtyard study area where we hung out for a bit. She was so nice to wait for the bus with me for a little bit. I am very grateful to have her as a friend. I returned home to Châteaubourg that evening with a renewed sense of confidence. 

Louisa in front of her high school's cathedral