A Very Busy Week! Grenoble to Geneva to Annecy to Grenoble

Hello everyone! This past week we had our first full week of entirely French classes. I never realized how taxing it would be to think, write, and speak in a totally different language. At the end of every day I would be completely exhausted and craving a little bit of English 😉. However, I know my French is improving already, and this will be so good for me! I love my language class and my professor; furthermore, I have chosen to take French politics, French literature, and French culture for my electives. They are all so fun, and it is super interesting to learn more about France and the culture here. The University of Grenoble is huge, almost 60,000 students, but we have our own little section of international students (CUEF). We also had a welcome party Thursday where we got to meet French students and do super fun things like bungee jump, ride an inflatable bull, and play football. Then, Friday we had a scavenger hunt where we got to explore more of Grenoble, and Friday night we hiked up the Bastille and had the BEST view of the city. The hike was 2 miles completely up hill (my legs are still sore!), but it will keep me in good shape/balance out the pastries, bread, and cheese! I really love it here!

I also must add that in Grenoble they have outlawed plastic bags, every restaurant that’s not a big chain uses paper straws, and many restaurants use wooden instead of plastic silverware! I’m glad Grenoble does not think global warming is a hoax and is doing something to protect our wonderful Earth 🌍 💙. It makes me even more proud to be here, and I hope in the near future the US can adapt to some of these policies.

This weekend we took a big trip to Switzerland to reward finishing our first week of school. My friends, Bryan and Sam and I went to Geneva and saw the amazing Lake Geneva, fountain, St. Pierre Cathedral, botanical gardens, and the UN building! We stayed the night in Annecy, France and spent all day Sunday swimming in Lake Annecy as it is 90 degrees Fahrenheit here! The water was cold but refreshing and Annecy is a BEAUTIFUL town. It was so fun to relax with my friends and explore a new country. We now have some interesting, funny, and inside jokes to cherish forever. Thank you all for following! I will post again next week :)

Rachel