Kelcness

This morning I walked into my French class ready for the day. When I arrived, the professor asked me what I did during the weekend. “I went to Lourdes on Saturday and saw the cathedral.” I told her. She then asked a question which I interpreted as “Did you go with a lot of people.” “Yes,” I answered, “With these people and a few others.” She repeated the question. I told her I did not understand. She repeated it again and I answered, “yes.” She then told me, “If you need to, you can still switch to group 2.” I replied, “I understand what you are saying, I just don’t have confidence when I talk.” Not gonna lie, I was bright red and had some tears of anger in my eyes. I participate in class and she calls on me often, why would she even suggest that?! She patted me on the hand and moved to the next girl.

I later asked a friend what she said to me, she had asked me if there were a lot of people at Lourdes and apparently my simple yes was not a sufficient answer for her. She had used the phrase, “tout le monde” (all the world) in place of many people. I did not understand her. It was super frustrating and definitely didn’t encourage me to participate more actively in class. 

Away in another country, I thought I’d be happy and full of joy! I pictured meeting new friends at campus activities and having a blast speaking the language. Now that I’ve been here for a week, that’s only a fantasy.

French universities are different in many ways. For one, they are so cheap! Students don’t need to pass a test to go to school. They only need to pay around 500 euros. Therefore, many students live at home and go to a nearby university and many don’t even attend classes. On many campuses, there aren’t any dorms—although Pau is an exception. There are no sports teams and as a result, no university gear. There are also no on campus activities. The campus doesn’t get lots of money or response to on campus activities, so there aren’t any.

That was the biggest shock when I came here. At Jamestown, there is always something going on. Now I’m not really sure how to meet French people. Some friends and I went out on Friday night, and met one guy who has lived here for two and a half years. He doesn’t really count as a French man because he grew up in the US. He is taking us out next weekend, so I hope I can meet some new friends then. I just need to get over my fear of speaking French and screwing it up. I know that the more I struggle through it now, the sooner it will be better!

Well I’ve got tons of bull stories, but not this time. I’m headed to France and no one can stop me, not even myself.

Family Photo Shoot.

Suddenly, mom decided that we should have a family photo shoot. Why? Don’t ask me. We haven’t had family photos done in thousands of years. It was fun, and we ended up with some priceless family pictures. 

So what I’m a bitch? Call me one all you like. It really doesn’t bother me. Being a bitch gets stuff done.

9 days. In 9 days, I will be in France. In 9 days, I will embark on a new adventure. In 9 days, I will be alone in a country who’s language I can just get by with. 9 days.

Yesterday, I had a major panic attack. My heart rate was double its usual speed most of the day. During lunch rush, my hands shook. Nervous beyond belief. More nervous than I’ve ever been. It’s rational, right? I’ll be in a foreign country, mostly on my own. Expected to have fun, learn, make new friends, and adapt to a new environment all at the same time. I’ll be expected to tackle new challenges and smile. Always expected to smile.

Excited. Of course I’m excited. It’s the trip of a lifetime. 12 weeks learning a language I love and facing a new adventure everyday. The very things that make me nervous, make me excited too.

People have expectations for me when I tell them my summer plans. “You’re going to have the time of your life. Enjoy it! What an adventure!” They say. Oh thanks. I smile. Of course I’m excited it’s France. “Paris!” The idiots say as though it’s the only city that matters in the whole country. No. Pau, a small town. Much less intimidating. Hopefully they aren’t snooty about the language- that’s part of the reason I chose it.

Unconfident. Speaking French sometimes scares me. I’ve Brenden made fun of more than once. I haven’t had a safe environment to speak in for a while. It’s a sad day when a french professor laughs in your face. It drove my ego and my confidence to the ground. If I gain one thing this summer, I want it to be confidence in the language. I have confidence elsewhere in my life, but I want to regain it there.

Expectations surround me, but I will overcome them. I run my life and no one else. I’ll cover up what I need to. I’ll do what needs to be done to get by and hell, I’ll have the adventure of a lifetime one way or another.

Obesity could affect 42% of Americans by 2030

Hope for my future dream of being successful and making a living in the fitness world!

madsweat:

Obesity has reached epidemic proportions in the United States and other developed nations. In the United States, 27% of adults are obese and an additional 34% are overweight. Research in the past decade has shown that genetic influences clearly predispose some individuals to obesity. The marked increase in prevalence, however, appears to be attributable to a toxic environment that implicitly discourages physical activity while explicitly encouraging the consumption of supersized portions of high-fat, high-sugar foods. Management of the obesity epidemic will require a two-pronged approach. First, better treatments, including behavioral, pharmacologic, and surgical interventions, are needed for individuals who are already obese. The second and potentially more promising approach is to prevent the development of obesity by tackling the toxic environment. This will require bold public policy initiatives such as regulating food advertising directed at children. The authors call not for the adoption of a specific policy initiative, but instead propose that policy research, based on viewing obesity as a public health problem, become a central focus of research.

American Journal of Preventive Health

As noted previously, I injured myself from being too hipsy in Zumba and overdoing it in the gym. 2 1/2 weeks later and I’m still hurting. I’ve been able to get off the couch a little more, but I’m definitely not back to where I was or where I wish I was right now. Working out is my greatest stress reliever so this injury came at an awesome time—finals week. :| Normally, finals are a breeze, but with 7 classes finals are a bitch. Add no workouts on top of that leads to a stressed out, emotional Kelsey. 

I’ve been trying to take it easy while teaching classes, but it’s tough. During Zumba today, I had a sudden revelation. I better take it easy now. I will be in France in under 3 weeks. There I have no one to support me, to listening to my emotional grudging. All I’ll have is me. With that, I decided I’ll survive on the couch with a daily walk for now. So when I get to France, I can workout strong, hard, and long. Just the way I like it ;)

Epidilius: Rules to New Girl's True American

Saturday night we are playing this Harry Potter style. So stoked, you have no idea!

epidilius:

Game prep:

Arrange the cans of beer around the bottle of rum. The cans are Pawns of the Secret Order, the rum is the King, and the arrangement is called the Castle.

Decide on 4 Zones, and arrange platforms ( chairs, buckets, anything ) in patterns through them. The 5th Zone is the Zone with the…