Corsica

So, I have not updated in a while. I wanted to try a wrap-up entry of the SIT semester, but I was too sad (and busy). Everything was so strange when I first got back. I missed (and still miss) all my friends, crazy drivers, strangers in the street, and just…Chinese-ness. Also, food, like 馒头 (mantou, steamed buns), 饺子(jiaozi, dumplings) and 耳块 (erkuai, rice square things). Not to say I’m not appreciating French cooking. Mom made soufflé a few days ago, yummy.

So, I kind of lazed around Paris the first few days, recovering from re-entry shock or whatever. Then we all went off to Lyon for Christmas at Mady’s (my grandmother) house, with all the cousins. This was the first Christmas I’d ever spent there (that I remember). Julia (little sis) has spent the last five months in Paris, supposedly filling in the gaps in her French, although this particular incident puts doubts in mind: “Mom,” she asked, “how do you say crème brulée in French?”

I’ve also been feeding my newfound Doctor Who obsession, although with the Tenth Doctor gone I’m enjoying the show less. Come back David Tennant!

Oh, and we went to Corsica.





We went to Ajaccio and…some other places. We visited the house Napoleon grew up in, walked along beaches, looked at (too) many churches, and ate lots of food. I’ve been back in Paris for about ten days and been dealing with getting a French passport, Chinese visa. Same old, same old, except I gave my study abroad program the wrong address and now I have to wait in tense anticipation for a new set of documents. Argh.

There’s good news, too, though. I’ve been accepted by a volunteer ESL program in Mianyang, Sichuan for the summer (see here).

And only fifteen days until I head back to China!