J'habite a Texas (June 7th)

We attended our first French class today and began to learn the basics. Our teacher spoke only in French, something I greatly appreciated, despite the mild confusion it caused at times. We learned some basic phrases, yet the majority of the time was spent practicing the pronunciation of the French 'r.'

Angers City Hall

After classes on European political history and ecological processes and production, we attended a reception at the city hall where we were greeted by Angers' Deputy Mayor. She spoke to us about the city's initiatives to make Angers unique in aspects of sustainability and the city's environmental initiatives. The city's bike lease program seemed to me the most noteworthy. Every inhabitant of Angers is encouraged to lease a bike, free of charge, from the city. This along with the city's walkability, bus system, and brand new metro line completely eliminates the need for a car. This concept is unheard-of in the United States.

 After the reception, a handful of us went to a cafe on the square and had a glass of wine before returning to our host families for dinner. Later that night we all met up and hit the town and several bars. I'm sure it was a comical site for the French to watch a band of chatty Americans walking the streets of Angers.