On the first week in Bordeaux

Bonjour à tous!

Well, I'm finally in Bordeaux... and not surprisingly, the kitchen here in the dorms SUCK, to put it bluntly. All they have, literally, is a sink and an electric stove. No fridge, no microwave, NO OVEN. I do have -ahem- contacts, however, and I could very well procure my own mini oven within the next month to keep in my already very tiny dorm room, but hey, I'll gladly make space. Fingers crossed!

Classes at the DEFLE don't start until next Monday, although we had our placement tests a couple days ago and we find out which level class we're in tomorrow. The tests weren't considerably harder than what I've done in the past with IB French, but they were difficult considering I hadn't exactly been keeping up with my French skills over the summer. I completely blanked halfway through my oral test, mainly because I wasn't expecting to be asked that much since most people had really short conversations with their professors where they were only asked about themselves, and I babbled on about myself in perfect French but once I got asked about anything else, I suddenly forgot everything and ended up actually asking my professor at one point, Parlez-vous anglais? because I didn't know how to explain myself in French, haha.

Not much else to say from this point except that France is a foodie's paradise, through and through. Bordeaux is fascinating, and last Sunday we came across a farmer's market and wow. I was speechless with awe.

Gorgeous strawberries for sale.

Homemade cheeses... the smell around this stall was quite strong, as you can imagine.

Artisanal breads and cakes, mmm!

Delicious looking pastries that I wish I had tried.

A macaron tower at a chocolatier's in the city.

Rustic -- but ever so yummy, of course -- homemade macarons I bought at the farmer's market.

Vineyards, a very common sight in this city. This one is just down the road from my dorm building, and there are loads more all over the university campus.

I have yet to try Bordelais specialities such as the wine and canelés, but naturally, I will blog about it when I do!