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F is for Fun...and Finals (but not the grade)

Laura Schneider
December 13, 2015
All of us after our theater performances

Instead of one week full of finals, my finals were split up into two weeks: last week and this week. Last week I had my more stressful exams (theater performance, art history oral at the University of Nantes, and French final), so this weekend my friend Marie and I took advantage of our last free days here and decided to go out for a seafood dinner at Trentmoult, Rezé (a town - and former fishing village - across the Loire, south of Nantes).  

Theater!!: Even though rehearsals these past months were pretty excrutiating and exhausting, I think we were all very pleased with how our performances turned out. We performed condensed versions of La Maison de Bernarda Alba (Fedrico Garcia Lorca), Huis Clos (Jean Paul Sartre), and Le Roi se Meurt (Ionesco). I played La Poncia in La Maison de Bernarda Alba and Inés Serrano in Huis Clo. The latter was the most exciting role for me. Most roles I've played in the past (as well as La Poncia), I tend to play the nice character, so it was fun to be a little more sadistic (oops).

Group of people on stage, some wearing crowns and costumes, against a dark backdrop.

  

Person in dark clothing and white apron smiling against a black background.


Waiting in the cold isn't so bad when you've got a great companion and a front-row ticket to the sunset over the Loire river!

Calm water at sunset viewed from a boat, with lifebuoy visible.

  

Two smiling people under a blue sky with clouds.

Here's a view from the Navibus that took us to Trentmoult, away from l'île de Nantes. I especially love those rings and their colors bouncing off the water:

View from a ferry on a calm river at sunset, with a life buoy in the foreground.

Although we got to Trentmoult a little later than expected, we were still able to walk around for a bit and see some of the beautiful houses - before we got too frozen and devoured some delicious hot chocolates: 

Narrow street at dusk with colorful houses and overhead wires.

 

 

 Glass of whipped cream-topped drink on a wooden table.

We decided on a cute Italian restaurant (Le Vaporeto). I decided on linguine seafood pasta (crevettes, scallops, mussels, squid, and calamari) and a caramel panna cotta. The pasta was great...panna cotta, not so much...but we had great service - this was a great end to a fantastic day.

Seafood pasta with lemon slice on a white plate.

   

 Glass of panna cotta with a spoon on a red surface.

This is it. It's Sunday night - the last Sunday night I will be spending here. I'm not going to lie - I am ready to move back to Oxford, spend Christmas with my family and friends, and then continue my studies in Wooster. I have so much to look forward to, but also a lot that I will undoubtedly look back on and appreciate after I leave.   

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Laura Schneider

Bonjour! I'm Laura Schneider, a junior at the cozy College of Wooster, majoring in vocal performance and minoring in French. Apart from immersing myself in these two fields, I enjoy baking - while occasionally tweaking recipes, riding my bike, reading (especially outside), and playing (and watching) tennis. I lived in Bath, England with my parents my sophomore year of high school, and am so thrilled to be abroad on my own this time! After college, I am hoping to further my studies in performance somewhere in Chicago!

Home University:
College of Wooster, The
Major:
Music
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