“We don’t see the things the way they are. We see things the way WE are.”

“The problem is not that there are problems. The problem is expecting otherwise and thinking that having problems is a problem.”
So, things are really looking up with my host mom. Today, she offered to cook us dinner because neither Nika nor I really had any plans for the evening. As I told you, we sorted through the refrigerator fiasco, and I also told her today about my going to Paris this weekend (this last weekend in Nice, I did not tell her exactly when I would return and so she was mad about that). So at least now we are communicating better, and that's mostly due to me understanding French better now that I've been here for a bit.
Anyway, dinner. It. was. wonderful.
We had salad (which in France, means some weird green leaves and a olive-oil based dressing that was really quite good, if a little more bitter than I'm used to); fried potatoes (almost exactly how my mom makes them! I seriously felt a surge of nostalgia when eating them: so good); little super-market steaks, about medium-rare, and quite delicious, with garlic and spicy mustard; and some very tasty wine. Then, for dessert, a soft cheese from the Pyrenees Region of France, with bread, and more wine. And finally, a full slice of delicious pineapple. Could you ask for anything more? I couldn't.
I also really enjoy eating with Josaine (she never eats with us in the morning), because the whole time, she tells us what something is called or what she is doing, and especially if we are doing something wrong etiquette-wise (like letting our hands go under the table, or turning the knife the wrong way, etc). She never says anything with malice, it's just a learning experience and I really appreciate it, because I know I probably look a fool when I eat in French restaurants with my American customs. For instance, you're never supposed to say "I'm full," when you're finished with your food. You say "the food was great," or "thank you," to signify that you are finished, but never "full." I didn't really get why, but that's just the way it is, I suppose.
Anyway, the point is that I am now quite full.
The weather here is not ideal. It has been raining so much that the lake is swollen and the canal is rushing like the Mississippi. It's almost scary (but mostly awesome). It is much colder than I prepared for, however, and so when I went shopping with Jackie today, I kept an eye out for cardigans or jackets or even a coat-like article for days just like this (seriously, it's 55F right now, yeck). I didn't end up getting anything like that, but I did get a long sleeved shirt, an awesome gift for Claire, something for my mom, and a shirt and a skirt, all for 30€ (ps, just figured out how to do that on my mac, woo!). I'd say that's pretty good for a day's shopping excursion!
To go back to an earlier topic (I really should have just made this post and the last one into one post...), today in class we did tongue twisters in French and it was super fun! Some examples are:
Cinq gros rats grillent dans la grosse graisse grasse; ( ~Five fat rats are grilling in the fat something something)
Ce ver vert sévère sait verser ses verres verts; (~this severe, green worm knows to empty his green glasses)
Si ces six cents six sangsues sont sur son sein sans sucer son sang, ces six cents six sangsues sont san succès; (I did get the meaning of this one via google translate: ~If these 606 leeches are on her breast without sucking her blood, these 606 leeches are unsuccessful.... yeah... not so much of a twister in English. haha).
and my favorite: Poisson sans boisson, c'est poison! (~Fish without drink is poison!)
Please don't ask the exact translations, because while I can kind-of get the meaning, I really couldn't tell you for certain. Just like English tongue-twisters use strange vocabulary and grammatical formats, so do those of French. :)
I think that's about it for today. Au revoir!