Quotes from Candy Wrapers

My friend Olaya got me hooked on these chocolate Christmas candies which are awesome, and they look like this:

They are also wrapped in a paper with a quote, here are some of my favorites (I've eaten a couple... a few... here and there)

S'irriter d'un reproche, c'est reconnaître qu'on l'a mérité

To be irritated by criticism is to recognize that we deserved it

- Tacite

Qui s'excuse s'accuse

He who excuses himself accuses himself

-Stendhal

Parole. Si l'on ne disait que des choses utiles, il se ferait un grand silence dans le monde.

I promise, if everyone only said useful things, the world would become very quiet.
-Alvare Sanchez de Moncades

Une idée qui n'est pas dangereuse ne mérite pas d'être appelée une idée.

An idea that is not dangerous is unworth of being called an idea at all.
-Oscar Wilde

Qui parle sème : qui écoute récolte

He who speaks sows; he who listens harvests
- Pythagorean

Les vrais gourmands lisent en remuant les lèvres pour déguster les mots.

Real gourmets read with moving lips to better sense the words.
- Yvan Audouard

End of December

Hey! So... remember in my last post when I said I was going to stay in France for Christmas? Yea, I changed my mind, I'm coming back to Chicago for the holidays. I'm really looking forward to going home for a while- speaking the same language as everyone else and seeing my family and friends.

In the mean time, I've finished my classes! Woo! Now what am I going to do?! I'm at a juncture and the future is uncertain, it's a little stressful. On the other hand I've suddenly found the motivation to find a job. I feel like I'm being pulled in several directions at once: I want to play the viola and improve my ability to improvise, I want to go to classes at the University, I want to find a job because my savings are dwindling... It's not impossible for these goals to coexist. I sure as hell won't be taking ten classes THIS semester!

I would like to stay here for another year if possible, although I'm not sure if I'll feel the same way next fall. I should probably continue to live outside the states for as long as possible, mostly because this is probably the last time I'll uproot myself to become a foreigner. That rupture was not easy, and managing life in a foreign country is very challenging: you're misunderstood, ripped off, and isolated! Sounds like fun, right? On the other hand my french has improved, and I've gotten back into playing the viola.

So now I'm going to start looking around for employment, on the internet for starters and then around town. I'll keep you posted! Here are some recent photos:

Two of my roommates: Loïc and Yoann

A little bit of snow, from outside my window

Some decorations in downtown Lyon

Carol and I at the Belcour square

The Christmas market