Shenanigans in 2010

I hope everyone celebrated a great New Years! I was at the ski station Chamrousse with Vivien, Cyriel, Yann, and eight other revellers. We arrived at 7:00 with sleds and plenty of wine. At first it was a little awkward because most people didn't know each other before, but we a dinner of potatoes, meat, and cheese got people mixing and with all the disguises it was hard not to find something to talk about. See pictures below for more details.

The food took so long to eat that we finished around 11 and then we didn't even realize that it was midnight. The music was going and people were talking, so when we started hearing fireworks, we all went on the balcony to shout to other people in the apartment building.

Pictures: me with a skier. I know what you're thinking...the hat is pretty awsome.

Yann with a friend. I'm not exactly sure what look he was going for at this point.

The cow. He actually went into a night club like this.

Me as a lumberjack

Vivien with a friend. Notice the collar I got him.

Cyriel as Mrs. Claus.

Around 2 am, someone had the bright idea to go sledding on the ski slopes. The first time I went down with someone, we ran into a group of people standing around and I now sport a huge bruise all down the side of my face. I'm blaming it on his steering skills. Because regular sledding wasn't dangerous enough, we decided to take down the huge pads that cover the ski lift polls and slide down on those. During most of the night there were at least 10 people on mats, flying down the slope at 40 miles an hour. During one of these runs I lost my hat, which was, sadly, never to be found again. Went to bed at 4:30 and woke up at 11 for breakfast. We left at 4:00 in about a foot of snow. Driving in chains is no fun at all so it took twice as long as usual to descend.

It just so happened that my dad's cousin was in Grenoble the 1st and 2nd so we got to catch up and go out to dinner. Tomorrow I leave for Morocco, so today is dedicated to deciding which things I want to cram into my backpack. Next (very long) post on the 14th when I come back!

Bisous a tous

Mushrooms!

Coucou!

I went mushroom picking in the mountains today! It was quite fun until Vivien and his friend Yann (who drove) started talking about all the wild animals that live in that part of the mountain. It was not an easy task searching for the mushrooms, which happen to be neon orange, because it was REALLY steep terrain. Being at such high altitudes is really difficult for breathing as well because the air is so thin, and I was on my hands and knees a couple of times because the danger of slipping (I'm glad I brought my hiking boots). The most rewarding part of the search was that we had them for dinner tonight with garlic and olive oil-yum! At one point we could only find poisonous ones, which are identical to the good ones except for a white stem, so we had a mushroom fight. I got hit on the neck with a particularly moldy one, but then I got revenge by clandestinely pelting them in the back of the head with these stinky green ones on the way back to the car.

In other news, today was Charlotte's tenth birthday. It was not as big a deal as birthdays usually are in the US, but I think they are going to live it up this weekend when she has her party. There was no singing, no breakfast in bed, and no favorite meal, but again this will probably happen later. Twelve ten-year-olds spending the night! I am looking forward to it if I end up staying here this weekend.

Also, I don't think I have talked about my classes yet. I am taking language and translation, which are mandatory, in addition to four electives. I chose French history, French art, French economy, and French culture and society. These are all extremely boring because one sits in a lecture hall with 100 other students and takes notes for an hour and a half. This is probably normal in US universities, but I'm spoiled from my Albion classes with 5 students in them. I have no homework whatsoever in the electives, so the final grade is based solely on the final exam. In my language class, we are graded on our participation and homework, which is written and oral. I received my first grade and it was 10/20...ouch! Before you judge, know that 20 is impossible to receive and 14 is considered really good. Again, I have been very spoiled at Albion, where I do very little studying and still receive good grades-not going to happen here. While the classes that I am taking here may not seem useful in the larger scope of things, I am considering staying in France and these subjects are very important in understanding France and the French people. P.S. I skipped my history class today to go mushroom searching and don't feel one bit guilty because 1. no one will notice 2. I can get the same information by copying someone's notes 3. I have studied the French Revolution countless times and know the dates and names by heart and 4. how many other times will I be able to look for mountains on a mountain in France?