Flight to France: Caen: Day 4

So, at first I was like, "Hey, there aren't any bugs here. That's why they don't have screens."

But no; there are flies and gnats...but not as much as Indiana. I guess the French don't care about the odd fly buzzing in the house. (even though the first two days it drove me nuts) And I just saw my first French spider outside. Just as creepy as American ones.

What did I do today? Well, first let me tell you about the other exchange students' night. Because it is just like one of the girls from Ohio said: "I just want to listen to all the stories. It's like watching a train wreck. It's horrible, but you just can't help but look."

Yep, that's the perfect way to put it. I'm not writing to belittle them. I'm writing for that odd student who's searching for a blog about studying abroad. These are things you need to think about. Here is my warning:

So, I wasn't feeling good last night, so I decided to just go home and rest. The rest of the internationals went out with Charlotte and Benoit. And some of them were out the entire night. Now, I'll start putting letters for people so that I don't disclose names.

Girl A was who I was going to go with if I was feeling good. She said that she was going to leave between 8:30 and 9:00 pm because she was really tired. But she quickly learned that buses and trams slow down at night. So...she didn't get home until 11:30. Not good for someone like me. On a school night.

Girl B is underage in America, but, when in France do as the French. Fine. Okay. Whatever; have a few drinks. You're over 18. When in France, c'est d'accord (it's okay). But...umm...well. She had so much to drink that she doesn't remember anything that happened last night. At all.

Girl C let a French guy keep buying her shots. When she realized what was happening, Girl C texted Boy A (another American who we all trust) to help her. But Boy A was too far gone as well. Let's just leave it at she came to school in what she wore the night before and leave it at that, since she doesn't know exactly what happened after that. But we all have the same theory.

So, LADIES! You've GOT to know your limitations. You've GOT to say "NON!". You've GOT to be smart. Please. I'm begging you. PLEASE BE SMART!

To sum it all up: I am so glad I didn't go out last night. Not that I would have drank, because I absolutely HATE alcohol. But when everyone is drinking and there aren't any sober guys that I trust around, I do not want to be around. This was one "excursion" that I will never say "Man, I wish I had gone!" No. I guess there was a reason that I felt bad last night.

Back to my day:

I got up, didn't eat (because I still felt bad), caught the tram, and was a little early to class (sighs of relief). I went to French class, had a break, went back to French class, and then we had lunch. Only, I felt worse than before, so I decided to have only a little food later and some Advil. About an hour later, I felt better. Pain-killers up!

For the second part of French class, we had a "computer lab". Basically, it's us in a computer lab listening to videos in French and then answering questions. But...the keyboards!! They are different; meaning, ANNOYING! The left side isn't like American keyboards. And you have to shift in order to type numbers. It took us all at least 5 minutes to logon because we didn't type the numbers right. Finally, I figured it out and told everyone. IT to the rescue.

French keyboard:

American keyboard:

In the afternoon: WWII history of Normandy....YES!!! This is what I came for! This is why I am here. After the three hours of class, I'm like "Really? We're finished for today? But...but...WHY?!"

I thought about hanging out with some friends after class, but they were all going on an excursion for their class: "Culture". Since I'm not in that class, I was not allowed to go. So, I caught the tram to my stop and started walking home.

And, like a smart person, I walked on the opposite side of the street from the day before. Because there were a bunch of suspicious looking guys the other day who said something stupid to me. So, I get to walk on the other side with all of the smokers at the shops. Lesser of two evils.

So, once I onto "Le Rue de Branville" (road name), I look up, stop, and take a picture of St. Michel de Vacaulles, the church on my street. And make plans.

Dropping my stuff off, having only my wallet (pretty much empty) and my phone for a camera, I walk back to the church, climb the stairs, open the door, and enter into sanctuary. For the first time in France, I feel completely at peace. Completely home. Completely with Someone and other friends, even though there isn't another living person in the building with me.

I stayed for about an hour. Maybe more, I'm not sure.

Pictures:

St. Michel while walking home:

Just a cool looking house across from St. Michel:

Inside St. Michel:

St. Michel (St. Michael the Archangel):

Notre-Dame de Sainte-Paix (Our Lady of Peace...more or less. Not a word for word translation)

Sacred Heart statue on wall opposite of a confessional:

Stained glass by Sacred Heart:

St. Therese:

Our Lady and the Child Jesus.

The alter. Behind is the organ. The banner hanging there says "Pain de Vie Eternelle" (Bread of Eternal Life):

Choir loft (back of church):

Another stain glass:

Saint Joseph and the infant Jesus. This part of the church was really dark, so I couldn't get a good picture.

Picture of Mary on the wall near St. Joseph:

Organ:

The right side of the church:

The one tiny window I found:

Map of France explaining diocese:

I just wanted to take a picture of one of the bulliten boards because there were a LOT of Loudres posters. And it's France, oui?

I sat in front of this statue of Mary and the child Jesus for a really long time. It's amazing. At my angle, it looks like Jesus is pointing to his heart with one hand and then pointing to his mother with the other. I Love it!!!