Days 1 & 2

Bonjour tout le monde! After a long two days we are all finally settled in to the beautiful city of Nice! We arrived at our residential building to a wonderful lunch of taboulé and fruit made with love by our chef, Pearla. Thankfully, after lunch, we had a few hours free to unpack and sleep off our jet lag. That afternoon our program director, Kathy, showed us around Nice and took us to a park for our initial orientation. We played little games to get to know each other better, which helped break the ice and make everyone feel more comfortable. Shortly after orientation, we went to dinner at a delicious, yet tiny French restaurant. Some students ordered salade, others bruschetta on bread as big as the plate, and a few people ordered pizzas. Dinner was finished with the most delicious tiramisu and salade de fruits. Ooh là là!

Our second day started off with pain au chocolat and oral placement tests to put us in groups for our French classes. We then went to buy little French cell phones to call the United States for a lesser price. Lunch was on our own today, so I went with a few other students to a restaurant in Garibaldi Square, which is the main square of Old Nice. Our electives began after lunch. Students could choose from activities like Riviera Sports and Games, Photography, Conversation, and Drawing. For photography today, we learned about famous French photographers such as Henri Cartier-Bresson, and saw an exhibition on Stephane Couturier, who is a modern French photographer. We were then given time on our own to explore the beautiful city of Nice and take our own photographs. In order to celebrate the Fourth of July, we planned to have a picnic on the beach for dinner. We made sandwiches with tomates et concombres with the help of Pearla. Once we got to the beach, we had potato chips and Capri-Sun to drink while watching the sun set; it was a great homage to the USA.