11

Feb 12, 2014

12:39

At a restaurant with Mathilde, Ariane (who I just met, friend of Hugo's) and Hugo (there are three in our class- this is the one with red hair). We are eating here for his birthday, I believe, but it also might be Mathilde's or something. Anyway. 

School ended at midi today, as it does all Wednesdays. We had French, English, then history. I managed to save as much paper as I could in history because I wrote really small. We learned more about monasteries and churches in the 1000's and monks and cloisters and people. I took notes. 

In French we started reading the first scene of a play "Le Cid". It's a tragedy, and actually I can understand it and I quite like it so far. It's all about honor and love (forbidden, of course) and knights and princesses. I think it's going to be good. 

In English we did a debate on whether computers were stressful or not. I was the moderator, and lead the discussion. It was kinda boring. 

And now I'm at the restaurant. That's my day so far. I ordered tagliatelle.

21:33

The food at lunch was ok. Not super bad, not super great. I didn't like the fact that there was not nearly enough meat sauce for the pasta. It was really boring. With each bite, I got a hint of tomatoness, and not much else. This was really annoying especially because I like my pasta dishes to be meat sauce with a garnish of noodles. Luckily they give you complementary parmesan, and I used up the entire little container they put on the table. It was kinda like parmesan with noodles when I was done, but it wasn't boring anymore. 

 After lunch we went to the supermarket, and I found out that kit kat makes little chocolate wafer balls that you dip into pre-packaged vanilla flavor kit kat yogurt. We bought some because it was so strange, but I didn't really feel like trying it (neither did Mathilde) so right now it's sitting in the fridge. I don't know if I want to know what kit kat brand yogurt tastes like. 

We went to karate again tonight, and this time Kestrel was with me. Turns out in Canada she had done four years of karate in the past, so there goes my hopes of having another beginner  start with me. It did comfort me a little though: she didn't remember everything. I struggled my way through the warm up, realizing that I really need to get better at running for more than 30 seconds before I start panting and getting tired. Maybe I'll work on that while I'm here. 

After warm up, everyone split up. Kestrel and I joined a teacher person who taught us (me) the basic guard position and three types of kicks and two ways to block a punch and four ways to turn and block. My level of retention now is about 10%. Then he went on to tech us the very first catan (I don't know if it's spelt with a "k" or a "c"). There are apparently many levels of catan, of which two were happening on either side of us with the groups of more advanced students. They looked very impressive. 

By the end of the class, I had the movements memorized (but not perfected, of course). It's kinda tricky thinking of what to move when in a certain position; it reminds me of playing viola because there's a million things that you're thinking about all at once. Kestrel pretty much got it right away, but it wasn't her second day ever in a kimono so I figure I did alright. 

Then we went a little overtime with our class, and I could tell because people started bringing in huge African drums and such. We did the ceremony thing we do before starting or finishing a class, and went home. 

Then I had dinner (cenelle (leftover cheesy stuff), spinach purée (wasn't too bad actually, I think there was a lot of butter), cherry tomatoes and leftover pasta with cheese). Now I'm in bed, and now I'm going to brush and floss my teeth. Good night