The PACA region has really so much to offer. We visited another commune located 25 minutes from Hyères by car called Belgentier. We wandered around the small village. There's really something about old buildings and houses that makes it feel rustic and artsy. Here are some photos I took:

We also did a small hike/walk of around 8km. The weather was very cooperative that day, perfect for a day out. 

Out of the 6 days I spent in Hyères, we went to L'Appart Fitness (gym) three times. What an achievement for my lazy butt! We tried a session of Circuit Training which I liked a lot, and then the usual Body Pump session. I think I've already given up on the idea of exercising to lose weight. Losing weight requires a diet, and I certainly don't have the discipline for that. So I guess I'm reframing my mindset into — "I'm exercising so that I can eat whatever I want." Not exactly whatever I want, really. I still watch what I eat thought, just not as strictly as someone in a diet.

With Max's mom, we visited "Le Gapeau" — a small coastal river with man-made waterfalls. I thought at first that we will do another hike, but we only walked less than 1km to reach the waterfall. It was a pleasure walk instead, along the vineyard with the autumn sun.

I then went back to Lyon after almost 6 days. And I went back alone, 'cause my 2nd second semester of classes was starting. It was the first time I took the train all by myself, and I should say it was quite fulfilling. 

So yeah, I spent a week in Lyon without Max. Again, quite fulfilling. 

Now let me talk about my 1st week of classes. I received my schedule 2 days before the classes start, and to my disappointment, it starts at 8:00am in the morning. And I should mention, I was late on the first day. Hehehe 

So the next day after, I set four alarms on my phone— first is for waking up at 6:40am, second at 6:55am to remind me to finish breakfast, third at 7:10am reminding me to finish my make up, and lastly is at 7:20am telling me that I should go soon. In addition, there's Alexa telling me at 7:22am "Depeche toi Lorraine! Tu vas être en retard!" Needless to say, I always arrive on time. Lol

Impression of being back? Honestly, I'm quite delighted to be doing something again, to be back on learning. It's quite pleasing to see familiar faces too, and to meet new ones of course. It feels like the administration was more welcoming comparing my last semester. We even had a "Réunion de rentrée" where all the ILCF students were gathered in the amphitheater. 

I was assigned in an intermediate class. Since I already had a B1+ university diploma, the goal of the group is B2. We discussed about Lyon's history, culture and a painting of Monet. Surprisingly, we have a "cours magistral" where we'll discuss culture, politics, economics with the goal of being able to talk about it in french. It's a refreshing shift from the prior semester, probably because I'm already in an advanced group.

Anyway, this week's highlight for me was the discussion about different adjectives and their antonyms. It really piqued my interest because I do enjoy writing, and my favorite resource is the thesaurus. Lol I hope someday I would be able to write in French fluently, without the help of a Google translate. 

By Thursday, my professor asked me, to my surprise, if I wanted to change into an advance group. Because apparently, I already have a good level of French. Frankly, I wasn't considering it. But I do have the cognisance that the class was "not easy, but not difficult enough", it was just...average. She advised me to give it real thought. According to her, since I live with a French man I have the advantage of progressing faster not like the other students. 

And so I questioned myself, should I stay in a group where I know I'll be at the top or should I go to another group where I will most likely be at the bottom? Should I step out of my comfort zone? Frankly, the answer was simple. Choose improvement, accept the challenge. Hence, I requested to be transferred. 

I choose to keep on adding to my toolbox. I choose to make more mistakes, and learn from them. And yes, truthfully, admittedly, I am terrified.

So yeah, that's the tea for the past two weeks. Ciao!