Ma vie quotidienne ("my daily life", in English)

I still have yet to finish writing about all my travels (from November) but I'll post about that at another time. I don't want to forget to write about everyday life in Lyon because in creating this blog, I hoped to write more about my every day experiences and describe the life I've created for myself here over the past 6 months rather than just list the places I've visited for 2-3 days each.

My life this semester is quite different from last. Most of the people from my program left around December 20th so my program has downsized from roughly 50 people to 17. It was a bit of an adjustment at the beginning because my closest friend here and roommate, Ana, was one of the departed. She went back to California to enjoy her last two quarters at UCSB. Many other people I'd hang out with on a consistent basis left too so the American social gatherings have gotten smaller and more intimate since then. It's kind of nice because I find myself making a bigger effort to build relationships with the French people I already know and I am speaking more French and less English so that's good. But I miss the simplicity of socializing with Americans and with people in my program.

Beautiful winter night in Lyon

However, I'm trying to embrace the now! That's my new motto for this semester. Or rather life haha. I think it's SO important to appreciate where one is at any given moment in time instead of reflect too much on the past or look too much towards the future. I'm guilty of both. So yeah, even though things are much different, things are still good. I'm more interested in my classes this semester and have a much better idea of what to expect and how to prepare for my classes this second time around. I'm taking the following courses:

-Images and events = it basically assesses how certain events are portrayed in the media and what effect that has on society

-History and theories of communication = pretty self-explanatory

-La construction de l'état providence aux États-Unis = still slightly confused about the title, but basically it's a course that looks at the evolution of the U.S.'s social welfare policies and programs and compares those with that of France (and to a degree the rest of the world); it's very interesting and taught in English which is nice

-Geopolitics of religion = I love this course! It's so interesting

-European and comparative economic policies = it's somewhat similar to a global economics course I took at UCSB (only less rigorous) but with an emphasis on Europe

Galette des rois, France's post-Christmas tradition

Besides going to school, I took over a babysitting job from a girl in my program who left after last semester. I take care of two French children for about 5 hours each time once or twice a week. Leandre, the little boy, is 4 years old and Daphné, the little girl, is 7. They can be a bit of a handful...I am supposed to try to speak with them in English as much as possible but I find myself speaking French most of the time because they don't seem to understand English. It can be really stressful taking care of them because I have to escort them from school all the way back to their home, which involves taking a bus and following them on my feet as they scooter around the sidewalks of Lyon. I'm constantly watching like a hawk for cars and other potential dangers that come with a city. I make lunch for them (or dinner if I'm babysitting at night) and try to entertain them (or mostly keep them from fighting with each other). It's not always easy but I suppose it's a good experience for now, I'm speaking more French and learning little aspects about French culture.

Another big change this semester is that I moved from my apartment in Croix Rousse to an apartment in Vieux Lyon. I like the location a lot better and the apartment itself is much more quaint and cozy. It has some quirks, like the fact that my bed is in a loft (yes, again) but at least now I live with a French girl and can practice speaking French a little bit more (although we have quite different schedules and don't see each other as much as I thought we would). There's a bit more privacy, it's closer to the center and closer to school, and my landlady is much nicer. All in all it's been a positive change. 

View of Vieux Lyon from my room in my (new) apartment. 

Ma nouvelle chambre

Yep, I have to climb up this ladder every night to go to bed.

New Year's Eve dinner at my place

So, needless to say I've been staying busy and in less than two weeks I'll be jetting off on another adventure, this time Amsterdam, Brussels, and Granada, Spain!