The soirée was really fun last night. We didn't actually dance but it was fantastic to just watch the people dancing. The twisting, twirling, spinning, dipping, and fast steps were just amazing. I wish I had taken some pictures, but it would have been awkward/bizarre/inappropriate to do so. Anyway, the three of us sat and watched until about 1:30am.
This morning, Michel said it went well. He was glad to hear that we had fun. He thought my friends were nice and was glad to hear we enjoyed watching the dancers. He said he did the same thing quite often - it's like watching a theater show, etc.
I left for lunch with my friends outside. Yes, outside. It was beautiful today. We bought sandwiches and sat by a tree in the Place de l'Horloge. After that, we got ice cream/gelato - I got a scoop of apricot (l'abricot). From the taste of it, I think it was ice cream not gelato, but with the flavors of gelato. None the less, it was delicious.
Then we headed to my house, I grabbed my stuff for studying, and headed over to Mirel's house. There is an outdoor patio and garden at her house. We sat out on the patio and studied for about 4 hours. I then headed home and took a little break from studying.
For dinner, we had "steak" (a hamburger), cooked zucchini in herbs, and homemade french fries. For desert, Claudie made an apple tart with cinnamon on top. Thin, light, and delicious!
Watched a movie with the French actor, Vincent Lindon, who was in a recent, highly celebrated French movie. Last night the French version of the Oscars, the Césars, was on, and he was nominated for an award for his role in the recent film, "Welcome."
Then, came back to my room and studied for my exams which start on Tuesday. I am glad I only have 4 (because of my University course). It makes studying less stressful.
À bientot.
Bon chance pendant le mois de mars!
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Day 49: J'ai étudié. Maintenant, je vais danser. / I studied. Now, I will dance.
Last night, I spent the night at a friend's house studying and then sleeping over.
The other day at dinner we had cooked spinach mixed in with pasta and salmon ( Yummy!). Claudie and Michel were talking about how little kids in France don't like spinach and asked me if it was the same. I told them the story about how my sister didn't like spinach. My mom told her that Dorothy's (from the Wizard of Oz, my sister's favorite person at the time) favorite food was spinach. So my sister started eating spinach. Claudie and Michel thought this was so cute! Claudie was trying to figure out who I meant my Dorothy. I didn't know how to translate the Wizard of Oz into french. I described it as a girl who walks down a path with a bunch of animals to visit someone. Not quite specific, but she got it. She remembered the name of it (after a couple minutes of struggle), which is "Dorothy et le Magicien d'Oz". She loved the movie with Judy Garland.
Anyway, last night for dinner we had fried eggs with tomatoes and then rice with vegetables (basically a stir fry) thing. Afterward, we broke out the chocolate covered cranberries and blueberries that my Mom and Dad sent me. I didn't know the translation for blueberries, but they ate them and tried them, and seemed to like them. Ultimately, they decided that blueberries were "cassis" which actually translates to "black currants". I have since researched and learned that the word for blueberry is "myrtille". Claudie and Michel are having me keep the chocolate covered items in my room because they said if I leave them in the kitchen they will eat all of them!
Also last night at dinner, Claudie mentioned a store in Paris that sells foods from all over the world. She was wondering if they might have "chocolate covered stuff" there, like what I brought/my parents sent. She also mentioned that there is a whole aisle of all different types of coffee, which she seemed very excited about. She said that she would look for the name of it for me and then if/when I go back to Paris, I can go there.
So last night, after watching part of a crime/mystery show called "Hollander," I went over to Mirel's and studied until about 1am. Then we fell asleep to watching the 3rd Harry Potter.
This morning we got up, got ready for the day, and went to Les Halles, the fruit/meat/vegetable/etc. market in Avignon (Place Pie). I can't wait to go back!!! Everything smells so delicious and it's a lot cheaper than at the local grocery store. I think I'll go back there after my "interview appointment" on Monday that I have for my visa. Yes, I have another appointment for visa stuff. I have to bring in all my paperwork proving my enrollment in a program, etc. But anyway, les Halles was AWESOME! We saw a guy playing guitar behind one of the stands. The vendors at the stand were selling oysters on the half shell with a taste test of white wine! Les Halles has a little bit of France, PA, and Cape Cod all rolled up into one!
Tonight is another salsa soirée! I'm super excited. Michel and Claudie get so excited talking about the soiree, their faces almost light up. They've been working really hard to fix up the theater. They put in new hard wood floors in the main theater area, repainted parts of the theater, etc.
À demain!
The other day at dinner we had cooked spinach mixed in with pasta and salmon ( Yummy!). Claudie and Michel were talking about how little kids in France don't like spinach and asked me if it was the same. I told them the story about how my sister didn't like spinach. My mom told her that Dorothy's (from the Wizard of Oz, my sister's favorite person at the time) favorite food was spinach. So my sister started eating spinach. Claudie and Michel thought this was so cute! Claudie was trying to figure out who I meant my Dorothy. I didn't know how to translate the Wizard of Oz into french. I described it as a girl who walks down a path with a bunch of animals to visit someone. Not quite specific, but she got it. She remembered the name of it (after a couple minutes of struggle), which is "Dorothy et le Magicien d'Oz". She loved the movie with Judy Garland.
Anyway, last night for dinner we had fried eggs with tomatoes and then rice with vegetables (basically a stir fry) thing. Afterward, we broke out the chocolate covered cranberries and blueberries that my Mom and Dad sent me. I didn't know the translation for blueberries, but they ate them and tried them, and seemed to like them. Ultimately, they decided that blueberries were "cassis" which actually translates to "black currants". I have since researched and learned that the word for blueberry is "myrtille". Claudie and Michel are having me keep the chocolate covered items in my room because they said if I leave them in the kitchen they will eat all of them!
Also last night at dinner, Claudie mentioned a store in Paris that sells foods from all over the world. She was wondering if they might have "chocolate covered stuff" there, like what I brought/my parents sent. She also mentioned that there is a whole aisle of all different types of coffee, which she seemed very excited about. She said that she would look for the name of it for me and then if/when I go back to Paris, I can go there.
So last night, after watching part of a crime/mystery show called "Hollander," I went over to Mirel's and studied until about 1am. Then we fell asleep to watching the 3rd Harry Potter.
This morning we got up, got ready for the day, and went to Les Halles, the fruit/meat/vegetable/etc. market in Avignon (Place Pie). I can't wait to go back!!! Everything smells so delicious and it's a lot cheaper than at the local grocery store. I think I'll go back there after my "interview appointment" on Monday that I have for my visa. Yes, I have another appointment for visa stuff. I have to bring in all my paperwork proving my enrollment in a program, etc. But anyway, les Halles was AWESOME! We saw a guy playing guitar behind one of the stands. The vendors at the stand were selling oysters on the half shell with a taste test of white wine! Les Halles has a little bit of France, PA, and Cape Cod all rolled up into one!
Tonight is another salsa soirée! I'm super excited. Michel and Claudie get so excited talking about the soiree, their faces almost light up. They've been working really hard to fix up the theater. They put in new hard wood floors in the main theater area, repainted parts of the theater, etc.
À demain!
Friday, February 26, 2010
Day 48: Le rendez-vous chez medecin./The doctor's appointment.
This morning I had to wake up for a doctor's appointment. We all had to go for visa stuff. They wanted to make sure that we don't have spreadable diseases to pass along, etc. We hopped on a bus to go there and got there a little early. None of the people there spoke English.
First they took our height and weight. For the height she asked me if it sounded right, and I was like, we use different units in the United States, but I didn't do a very good job explaining. Then for the eye exam, she pointed to the line and I started to read the whole line (which at about 9:30 in the morning is hard in French since a lot of the letters are pronounced opposite for example the letter "i" is pronounced "ee"). Then she gave me a look, and looked at the other person working with her and then just had me read one letter. After that was done, we had an x-ray and then we were done. The same doctor asked me about three or four times if I smoked.
The rest of the day transpired uneventfully. Our classes had been moved to later in the day because almost everyone - except for the returning students - had doctor's appointments in the morning during classes. The weather was gorgeous. I went home and changed out of my 3 layers of clothes that I had put on this morning and wore just a sweater. Yes, it was that nice. However, Michel was worried that my neck/throat would be cold. I reassured him that it was nice out!
I had art history class, then finalized and submitted my OPD application.
Now I will be headed to dinner in about a half hour and then spending the night at Mirel's house. We are going to have a little study soirée at her house tonight and then maybe watch a movie after an intense night of studying. Our midterms are next week. Lucky for me, I only have 4 because of my class at the University: 1 on Tuesday, 2 on Wednesday, and 1 on Friday.
Bises.
First they took our height and weight. For the height she asked me if it sounded right, and I was like, we use different units in the United States, but I didn't do a very good job explaining. Then for the eye exam, she pointed to the line and I started to read the whole line (which at about 9:30 in the morning is hard in French since a lot of the letters are pronounced opposite for example the letter "i" is pronounced "ee"). Then she gave me a look, and looked at the other person working with her and then just had me read one letter. After that was done, we had an x-ray and then we were done. The same doctor asked me about three or four times if I smoked.
The rest of the day transpired uneventfully. Our classes had been moved to later in the day because almost everyone - except for the returning students - had doctor's appointments in the morning during classes. The weather was gorgeous. I went home and changed out of my 3 layers of clothes that I had put on this morning and wore just a sweater. Yes, it was that nice. However, Michel was worried that my neck/throat would be cold. I reassured him that it was nice out!
I had art history class, then finalized and submitted my OPD application.
Now I will be headed to dinner in about a half hour and then spending the night at Mirel's house. We are going to have a little study soirée at her house tonight and then maybe watch a movie after an intense night of studying. Our midterms are next week. Lucky for me, I only have 4 because of my class at the University: 1 on Tuesday, 2 on Wednesday, and 1 on Friday.
Bises.
Day 47: Finalement, le cours à l'Université./Finally, the course at the University!
So my watch battery died at the beginning of the week and I'm dying without it. Having a watch is the only method I can use to be on time to things ... or to confirm how late I am. But anyway, that's besides the point.
Today I had Lit class where we finally finished reading aloud and "explaining" our selected Henri Michaux 'poem'. If you know about or have read any Henri Michaux, then you know why I used quotation marks around poem. It was our second class session of reading them aloud...
I had my University class today for the first time. Jenn (the other student from the University with whom I am taking the class) and I walked down together. We arrived at the classroom only to there being no one there. Another girl was waiting outside, but that was all. We conversed with her, noticed a post-it on the door saying the room for Art History had changed but it said a different time on it, so we (well at least I did) assumed that it didn't apply to our class which started at 5pm, not at 11am. We walked in the general direction of the History office, hoping to figure out our dilemma, and in doing so we walked by the room that had been listed on the post-it. On a hunch, Jenn thought that the Professor (Madame Deronne) might have changed our class to that room as well. She was right.
So we got to class a little late but that didn't matter. The class is in a large lecture hall, but with probably no more than 15 to 20 people. Many of them are adults, and Jenn explained that often times professors from other departments or other schools will audit other courses.
We learned about Flemish artists who painted still-lifes (or as they are known in french "la nature morte"). The ones we looked at today were ones that contained fruits and flowers. I could follow probably 90% of what Madame Deronne was saying, the one thing I had problems with were dates (which in art history are very important). Just like we do in english sometimes the french say, for example 1492, "fourteen ninety-two," "fourteen hundred ninety-two" (and the french add another form) "one thousand four hundred ninety-two"...so I never knew what to expect because she used all three forms interchangeably. I'm sure I will adjust to this, but for today it was a little frustrating. However, besides that minor concern (and it truly is minor), I had tons of fun in the class. I think that I will learn a lot and that it will be very interesting. Since we missed the first day, I'm not sure what the mid-semester and final assessments are like, but whatever they are, I'll deal.
We went up to her after class, introduced ourselves - well, Jenn introduced me because she already has taken a class with Madame Deronne - and we signed up for the class.
Got home, we ate an early dinner because Claudie was going out with a friend to see the movie, "I love you, Phillip Morris."
Michel and I watched a news investigation show that explored:
We then watched a little of the Gangs of New York. ... and now I'm here.
Good night!
Today I had Lit class where we finally finished reading aloud and "explaining" our selected Henri Michaux 'poem'. If you know about or have read any Henri Michaux, then you know why I used quotation marks around poem. It was our second class session of reading them aloud...
I had my University class today for the first time. Jenn (the other student from the University with whom I am taking the class) and I walked down together. We arrived at the classroom only to there being no one there. Another girl was waiting outside, but that was all. We conversed with her, noticed a post-it on the door saying the room for Art History had changed but it said a different time on it, so we (well at least I did) assumed that it didn't apply to our class which started at 5pm, not at 11am. We walked in the general direction of the History office, hoping to figure out our dilemma, and in doing so we walked by the room that had been listed on the post-it. On a hunch, Jenn thought that the Professor (Madame Deronne) might have changed our class to that room as well. She was right.
So we got to class a little late but that didn't matter. The class is in a large lecture hall, but with probably no more than 15 to 20 people. Many of them are adults, and Jenn explained that often times professors from other departments or other schools will audit other courses.
We learned about Flemish artists who painted still-lifes (or as they are known in french "la nature morte"). The ones we looked at today were ones that contained fruits and flowers. I could follow probably 90% of what Madame Deronne was saying, the one thing I had problems with were dates (which in art history are very important). Just like we do in english sometimes the french say, for example 1492, "fourteen ninety-two," "fourteen hundred ninety-two" (and the french add another form) "one thousand four hundred ninety-two"...so I never knew what to expect because she used all three forms interchangeably. I'm sure I will adjust to this, but for today it was a little frustrating. However, besides that minor concern (and it truly is minor), I had tons of fun in the class. I think that I will learn a lot and that it will be very interesting. Since we missed the first day, I'm not sure what the mid-semester and final assessments are like, but whatever they are, I'll deal.
We went up to her after class, introduced ourselves - well, Jenn introduced me because she already has taken a class with Madame Deronne - and we signed up for the class.
Got home, we ate an early dinner because Claudie was going out with a friend to see the movie, "I love you, Phillip Morris."
Michel and I watched a news investigation show that explored:
- being a DJ as a profession, and DJ "school"
- the illegal chopping/deforestation and exportation of exotic/rare trees/wood for building houses in France, which is the new popular thing in France (they have like "pre-made" wood houses - you just select the type of wood you want, what size, and other such specifications)
- how Roquefort cheese is declining/fading/losing popularity
- the "facebook planet"
We then watched a little of the Gangs of New York. ... and now I'm here.
Good night!
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Day 46: Je ne sais pas. / I don't know
So today was a day just like any other Wednesday. Three classes - Lit., History, and Poli. Sci.
Then after that, the chorale.
I take the bus every week to the chorale practice. But today was more interesting. French people on the bus chatted with me. Asked me where I was from, told me I can thus speak English very well, asked me where I was headed on the bus, told me she had visited London, etc.
Returned chez moi and ate dinner in front of the tv because there was a very good documentary on about sites in Paris.
So things I've learned/love/find interesting about France:
1. Baguettes are cheap and delicious.
2. Food is fresh, almost always.
3. Weather here is a lot like New England weather, it changes constantly. Online can predict 60% chance of rain, and it will end up to be 60s and sunny.
4. French often can't differentiate between a British accent and an American accent. When they ask you if you speak English, you always need to clarify that you're from the States, not England.
5. Fruit is super cheap. I can literally purchase 6 clementines for under a euro.
6. The french know all about American politics.
7. At least two-thirds of the songs on the radio are in english. They play Lady Gaga and Kesha a lot. It's kind of obnoxious.
8. The stereotype about french people having B.O. is true. But I think I've figured out why - they bike everywhere, and fast!
9. However, the stereotype about french people being rude I have found to be false. Probably 90% of the people I've encountered have been polite and helpful, sometimes even more friendly than people in the US.
10. French fashion is awesome and unique! I wish I could replicate it. ... I try, and can get some of it, but I think you have to be french to fully pull it off.
C'est tout!
Then after that, the chorale.
I take the bus every week to the chorale practice. But today was more interesting. French people on the bus chatted with me. Asked me where I was from, told me I can thus speak English very well, asked me where I was headed on the bus, told me she had visited London, etc.
Returned chez moi and ate dinner in front of the tv because there was a very good documentary on about sites in Paris.
So things I've learned/love/find interesting about France:
1. Baguettes are cheap and delicious.
2. Food is fresh, almost always.
3. Weather here is a lot like New England weather, it changes constantly. Online can predict 60% chance of rain, and it will end up to be 60s and sunny.
4. French often can't differentiate between a British accent and an American accent. When they ask you if you speak English, you always need to clarify that you're from the States, not England.
5. Fruit is super cheap. I can literally purchase 6 clementines for under a euro.
6. The french know all about American politics.
7. At least two-thirds of the songs on the radio are in english. They play Lady Gaga and Kesha a lot. It's kind of obnoxious.
8. The stereotype about french people having B.O. is true. But I think I've figured out why - they bike everywhere, and fast!
9. However, the stereotype about french people being rude I have found to be false. Probably 90% of the people I've encountered have been polite and helpful, sometimes even more friendly than people in the US.
10. French fashion is awesome and unique! I wish I could replicate it. ... I try, and can get some of it, but I think you have to be french to fully pull it off.
C'est tout!
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Day 45: Il faisait beau aujourd'hui! / It was beautiful today!
Today was the first really warm day we've had in Avignon since I've been here. I checked the weather this morning and it said mid 50s with 60% chance of rain. So I packed my umbrella and my raincoat, put in my contacts so I wouldn't have to deal with raindrops on my glasses.
I went to Literature class from 11am to 12:30pm. Then I left class and walked to the post office. I had to pick up the package I received from my Mom and Dad. It had been delivered to the Institute but since I was on break last week, the Institute was open limited hours. So when they tried to deliver the package (the postman rides around on a bike with a little basket!) no one was there to receive it. After leaving the post office with my very heavy package, I came out to find that it was sunny, bright, and almost - dare I say - hot!
The rest of my day was uneventful. Michel and Claudie were very excited to receive more chocolate covered things (nuts, berries, etc.). We had ratatouille tart (tart not to be confused with quiche) - very delicious (as usual)!
There was a cool street playing band (tuba, trumpet, etc.) that was playing all day - literally for about 6 hours until they were kicked out by the police!
That's it for today.
I went to Literature class from 11am to 12:30pm. Then I left class and walked to the post office. I had to pick up the package I received from my Mom and Dad. It had been delivered to the Institute but since I was on break last week, the Institute was open limited hours. So when they tried to deliver the package (the postman rides around on a bike with a little basket!) no one was there to receive it. After leaving the post office with my very heavy package, I came out to find that it was sunny, bright, and almost - dare I say - hot!
The rest of my day was uneventful. Michel and Claudie were very excited to receive more chocolate covered things (nuts, berries, etc.). We had ratatouille tart (tart not to be confused with quiche) - very delicious (as usual)!
There was a cool street playing band (tuba, trumpet, etc.) that was playing all day - literally for about 6 hours until they were kicked out by the police!
That's it for today.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Day 44: L'iPod et l'iPhone / The iPod and the iPhone
So just a quick note about today because I would like to get some beauty sleep. I've got to keep up appearances with all these classy, sophisticated Frenchies! :-)
After dinner, we went to watch TV as usual, and Michel was sitting on his computer. He looked over at me and asked "As-tu un iPod?" (phonetically: Ah too uhn ee pod?), meaning "do you have an iPod?" to which I responded "Oui" thinking nothing of it. I then ended up helping him add music to his iPod and his iPhone for the next 30-45 minutes. It was actually kind of fun because I had to explain to him in French what I was doing so he could know for future. However, it was a bit tricky to actually add music to his iPod because it was full so first I had to figure out how to eliminate files from his iPod. Not a problem, right? We've all done it plenty of times for our own iPods! Well, I've certainly done it for mine, but that was using a Mac - he has a PC - and that was using iTunes in English, not French!
After the semi-technology and semi-language barriers were overcome, we ended up getting the songs he wanted onto his iPod as well as onto his iPhone. I wished that Celine was here - aka the only iPhone "expert" I know (who even has a light saber app on her phone!) to help with the iPhone stuff, but it all worked out in the end.
Needless to say, it reminded me of home, helping my mom and grandmother on their computers and with their technology woes! There's nothing like a little taste of home to make you feel comforted!
À demain!
After dinner, we went to watch TV as usual, and Michel was sitting on his computer. He looked over at me and asked "As-tu un iPod?" (phonetically: Ah too uhn ee pod?), meaning "do you have an iPod?" to which I responded "Oui" thinking nothing of it. I then ended up helping him add music to his iPod and his iPhone for the next 30-45 minutes. It was actually kind of fun because I had to explain to him in French what I was doing so he could know for future. However, it was a bit tricky to actually add music to his iPod because it was full so first I had to figure out how to eliminate files from his iPod. Not a problem, right? We've all done it plenty of times for our own iPods! Well, I've certainly done it for mine, but that was using a Mac - he has a PC - and that was using iTunes in English, not French!
After the semi-technology and semi-language barriers were overcome, we ended up getting the songs he wanted onto his iPod as well as onto his iPhone. I wished that Celine was here - aka the only iPhone "expert" I know (who even has a light saber app on her phone!) to help with the iPhone stuff, but it all worked out in the end.
Needless to say, it reminded me of home, helping my mom and grandmother on their computers and with their technology woes! There's nothing like a little taste of home to make you feel comforted!
À demain!
Monday, February 22, 2010
Day 44: Long Time, No Blog
So over the course of today and tomorrow I will be posting pictures with descriptions that correspond what I did over break instead of writing paragraphs on end about each day to catch up.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Day 33: Le Mistral, la neige, et l'université, tous encore/The Mistral, the snow, and the university, all again.
Only had one class today, this morning, Literature. Nothing special. We learned about the author, Henri Michaux, of the new text we are reading.
Class was over and I ate lunch, awaiting day 2 of my adventure to the University, the Mistral continued to gust outside in addition to the snow that started falling. Seems like whether I were home, at F&M, or in France, the weather would be the same!
One of the university classes I tried to sit in on was cancelled again. That makes 3 out of 4 that I tried to go to but that ended up not meeting. The one class that I did meet with today I don't plan on enrolling in. It was the History of the French Language, which in theory would be more history. In actuality, it is very much phonetics based (which is like a whole other language itself with all the symbols and what not). Also, I felt like the class was almost like I was reading a dictionary entry - origin of the word, entymology of the word, evolution of the word, etc. That part was actually really cool but in actuality what would that mean for a mid-semester and end of semester assessment. In addition, the other students in the class took a similar course last semester, and this is like the follow up course for them from last semester. As I am already at a disadvantage in terms of French as my second language, I think this class would be biting off more than I could chew.
When I get back from vacation, I will sit in on the other 3 classes that didn't meet this week and make a decision at that point. I tried to sit in on an Art History class as well, but that class was unexpectedly cancelled like the other two from Tuesday.
Then I went home, worked on internship apps, then ate a late dinner at 8:30. Claudie and Michel explained that they stove was out of gas so they had to refill it. Then Claudie chatted about her day. She was at a grocery store today and two teenage boys came in trying to buy a bottle of alcohol. The cashier asked them for ID and they weren't old enough (they were 16 and the drinking age is 18). Claudie was walking around the store and they approached her asking her to buy them the alcohol they wanted because she was old enough. She told them no way and they tried to convince, explaining that it's nice to drink alcohol when it's cold out.
For dinner we had lamb, rice and broccoli, and a pear cake/tart with toasted almonds. She found the recipe online, likes the cake, so decided to keep the recipe.
After dinner/desert, we watched "Magnolia" with Tom Cruise. I think I should try rewatching it in English, or at least reading a summary (either in French or English). We didn't start it right from the beginning so I think that's partially why I'm confused.
I leave tomorrow for my France trip! I don't plan to bring my computer, but one of the other girls I am travelling with might be. Either way I won't have definitive internet access.
À la semaine prochaine!
Class was over and I ate lunch, awaiting day 2 of my adventure to the University, the Mistral continued to gust outside in addition to the snow that started falling. Seems like whether I were home, at F&M, or in France, the weather would be the same!
One of the university classes I tried to sit in on was cancelled again. That makes 3 out of 4 that I tried to go to but that ended up not meeting. The one class that I did meet with today I don't plan on enrolling in. It was the History of the French Language, which in theory would be more history. In actuality, it is very much phonetics based (which is like a whole other language itself with all the symbols and what not). Also, I felt like the class was almost like I was reading a dictionary entry - origin of the word, entymology of the word, evolution of the word, etc. That part was actually really cool but in actuality what would that mean for a mid-semester and end of semester assessment. In addition, the other students in the class took a similar course last semester, and this is like the follow up course for them from last semester. As I am already at a disadvantage in terms of French as my second language, I think this class would be biting off more than I could chew.
When I get back from vacation, I will sit in on the other 3 classes that didn't meet this week and make a decision at that point. I tried to sit in on an Art History class as well, but that class was unexpectedly cancelled like the other two from Tuesday.
Then I went home, worked on internship apps, then ate a late dinner at 8:30. Claudie and Michel explained that they stove was out of gas so they had to refill it. Then Claudie chatted about her day. She was at a grocery store today and two teenage boys came in trying to buy a bottle of alcohol. The cashier asked them for ID and they weren't old enough (they were 16 and the drinking age is 18). Claudie was walking around the store and they approached her asking her to buy them the alcohol they wanted because she was old enough. She told them no way and they tried to convince, explaining that it's nice to drink alcohol when it's cold out.
For dinner we had lamb, rice and broccoli, and a pear cake/tart with toasted almonds. She found the recipe online, likes the cake, so decided to keep the recipe.
After dinner/desert, we watched "Magnolia" with Tom Cruise. I think I should try rewatching it in English, or at least reading a summary (either in French or English). We didn't start it right from the beginning so I think that's partially why I'm confused.
I leave tomorrow for my France trip! I don't plan to bring my computer, but one of the other girls I am travelling with might be. Either way I won't have definitive internet access.
À la semaine prochaine!
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Day 32: Le Mistral, encore.-Avignon en Avril/The Mistral, again.-Avignon in April
Only one class again today! It was Art History (which we tried to tell the "Kebab-man" later with much failure - we had to spell it - "a-r-t"). Instead of having a "classroom" class, we went to a museum that we were supposed to go to on Friday. For the life of me, I can't remember the name of the museum, but we saw some sculptures and some paintings (by Carot, among other artists). The museum also used to be a chateau/mansion so the professor explained to us the different styles between French and Italian architecture, because as she showed us, both exist in Avignon!
After that I returned to the Institute, ate my lunch, and then headed out to confirm the hotel reservation for when my parents and sister come to Avignon in April at the Hotel Medieval. Claudie recommended it, but I had never seen it and had never been to the area that she had showed me it was on the map. So I ventured outside in the Mistral - I think probably the strongest wind yet since I've been here - and made my way over to the hotel. The man at the reception was very helpful and even continued to speak with me in French (and seemingly not get frustrated with my slow French) for the duration of the process. Overall, the hotel seems cute, in a nice location, and with friendly people. This all bodes well for my family's visit in April.
After that I returned to the Institute, working on internship apps and patiently awaiting email replies from professors and organizations. Got to Skype for a little while with my mom and dad. There is snow in both MA and PA, which I think hardly ever happens. Also, supposedly "we" are getting snow, but I think Avignon is excluded from that, at that the rest of France (besides the south) is where there is snow.
For dinner, we had the legumes du soleil soup, which is DELICIOUS! We also had some kind of "couscous/ground up corn/zucchini/onion and some kind of sauce" casserole and chicken. Everything was delicious as always.
For the past couple days (actually I think more like a week or so) there has been construction going on in the theater and in the attic. The floor in the theater was completely installed this weekend, but Michel had to put the sealant/stain resistant coat on it, which he finished doing today, but all his clothes smelled like the sealant - a very strong, almost nail polish remover, smell.
We watched some spy/drama/murder made-for-tv movie which lasted only a little over an hour and then we watched "le panique de l'oreillette," which at first I thought was a dating show where friends/family revealed embarassing information about you, but to be honest I'm not sure.
I am leaving on Friday for my "Tour de France" and can't wait to see more of the amazing country that I'll be staying in for the next few months!
Bises. Ciao!
After that I returned to the Institute, ate my lunch, and then headed out to confirm the hotel reservation for when my parents and sister come to Avignon in April at the Hotel Medieval. Claudie recommended it, but I had never seen it and had never been to the area that she had showed me it was on the map. So I ventured outside in the Mistral - I think probably the strongest wind yet since I've been here - and made my way over to the hotel. The man at the reception was very helpful and even continued to speak with me in French (and seemingly not get frustrated with my slow French) for the duration of the process. Overall, the hotel seems cute, in a nice location, and with friendly people. This all bodes well for my family's visit in April.
After that I returned to the Institute, working on internship apps and patiently awaiting email replies from professors and organizations. Got to Skype for a little while with my mom and dad. There is snow in both MA and PA, which I think hardly ever happens. Also, supposedly "we" are getting snow, but I think Avignon is excluded from that, at that the rest of France (besides the south) is where there is snow.
For dinner, we had the legumes du soleil soup, which is DELICIOUS! We also had some kind of "couscous/ground up corn/zucchini/onion and some kind of sauce" casserole and chicken. Everything was delicious as always.
For the past couple days (actually I think more like a week or so) there has been construction going on in the theater and in the attic. The floor in the theater was completely installed this weekend, but Michel had to put the sealant/stain resistant coat on it, which he finished doing today, but all his clothes smelled like the sealant - a very strong, almost nail polish remover, smell.
We watched some spy/drama/murder made-for-tv movie which lasted only a little over an hour and then we watched "le panique de l'oreillette," which at first I thought was a dating show where friends/family revealed embarassing information about you, but to be honest I'm not sure.
I am leaving on Friday for my "Tour de France" and can't wait to see more of the amazing country that I'll be staying in for the next few months!
Bises. Ciao!
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Day 31: L'Université d'Avignon/Avignon University
Today I only had one class at the Institute - Literature, which went fine as usual. Nothing too exciting to elaborate on. It was class as normal. Then after that I ate my lunch of a chevre cheese, ham, pesto, and herb mustard sandwich, and some snacks.
I departed from the Institute at 13h30 for my class at 14h00. This half hour included getting to class 5 minutes early, finding the classroom, and the potential for getting lost on the way to the university. All of these provisions ended up being necessary. My classroom number was "0E14 TD" which means level 0 (ground floor), East side, room 14, discussion room. I wandered a little off course on my way to the university but managed to find my way back without any major issue.
I got to the classroom after walking by it (it was the first one on the hallway, which I didn't expect). Then, no one was there...I was the only one, and I was only about 5 minutes early. I booked it up to the 2nd floor where the class listings and room numbers are posted to confirm that the room hadn't been changed. It hadn't. I hoofed it back downstairs with about 1 minute left before the class was supposed to start.
Outside of the classroom there were two students also waiting for the same class. I overheard then talking and they were speaking English! So due to my frazzled state and excitement to be able to easily and unembarrassingly ask them if they knew what was going on, I went up to them and was like "You speak English!". Oh geez! They were both Brits and are studying through the Erasmus EU exchange program. In the course of about 2 minutes about 8 more Brits showed up. They came to the consensus that the class had been cancelled and went to confirm on the bulletin board what day the class was supposed to start.
While up confirming the schedule, I ran into another student from my Institute. She and I chatted, and we are both going to check out a class on Thursday. She and I walked back to the Institute, because I had about an hour until my next class and hadn't brought anything with me to occupy my time.
I then later returned to the University to observe a class that was meeting at 15h30. I got there and the same thing transpired - minus all the Brits and there being other people there in general. I went upstairs to the bulletin board to confirm what I thought I'd checked earlier (that the class was supposed to start today) and realized that it was the same professor who was teaching both classes. Therefore, it would make sense that if he was not there for one, he would not be there for the second. All in all, I spent over an hour trekking to and from the University and sitting and waiting for classes to start that weren't actually happening.
For dinner we had avocado, fish, and mixed vegetables (potatoes, carrots, and peas). We then watched a film on tv (which I don't know the name of) that was very funny. For once, I recognized a French actor, and confirmed with Claudie, that he had been in the movie of Cyrano de Bergerac. That was kind of cool that I recognized him. I don't normally have any idea about actors in general, so this was a pretty big deal for me.
After that film, there was some kind of talk show on about the new movie Ghost Whisperers or something like that with Ewan McGregor and Pierce Brosnan. PS: who knew that Ewan McGregor could perfectly understand native French speakers and that he can speak some french himself. Fun fact!
I hope the weather gets nicer. I know back in the States many of you have been flooded with snow. Here we've just been getting rain. It makes things kind of gloomy, but as long as they clear up before I leave for my trip on Friday I'll be happy.
Ciao!
I departed from the Institute at 13h30 for my class at 14h00. This half hour included getting to class 5 minutes early, finding the classroom, and the potential for getting lost on the way to the university. All of these provisions ended up being necessary. My classroom number was "0E14 TD" which means level 0 (ground floor), East side, room 14, discussion room. I wandered a little off course on my way to the university but managed to find my way back without any major issue.
I got to the classroom after walking by it (it was the first one on the hallway, which I didn't expect). Then, no one was there...I was the only one, and I was only about 5 minutes early. I booked it up to the 2nd floor where the class listings and room numbers are posted to confirm that the room hadn't been changed. It hadn't. I hoofed it back downstairs with about 1 minute left before the class was supposed to start.
Outside of the classroom there were two students also waiting for the same class. I overheard then talking and they were speaking English! So due to my frazzled state and excitement to be able to easily and unembarrassingly ask them if they knew what was going on, I went up to them and was like "You speak English!". Oh geez! They were both Brits and are studying through the Erasmus EU exchange program. In the course of about 2 minutes about 8 more Brits showed up. They came to the consensus that the class had been cancelled and went to confirm on the bulletin board what day the class was supposed to start.
While up confirming the schedule, I ran into another student from my Institute. She and I chatted, and we are both going to check out a class on Thursday. She and I walked back to the Institute, because I had about an hour until my next class and hadn't brought anything with me to occupy my time.
I then later returned to the University to observe a class that was meeting at 15h30. I got there and the same thing transpired - minus all the Brits and there being other people there in general. I went upstairs to the bulletin board to confirm what I thought I'd checked earlier (that the class was supposed to start today) and realized that it was the same professor who was teaching both classes. Therefore, it would make sense that if he was not there for one, he would not be there for the second. All in all, I spent over an hour trekking to and from the University and sitting and waiting for classes to start that weren't actually happening.
For dinner we had avocado, fish, and mixed vegetables (potatoes, carrots, and peas). We then watched a film on tv (which I don't know the name of) that was very funny. For once, I recognized a French actor, and confirmed with Claudie, that he had been in the movie of Cyrano de Bergerac. That was kind of cool that I recognized him. I don't normally have any idea about actors in general, so this was a pretty big deal for me.
After that film, there was some kind of talk show on about the new movie Ghost Whisperers or something like that with Ewan McGregor and Pierce Brosnan. PS: who knew that Ewan McGregor could perfectly understand native French speakers and that he can speak some french himself. Fun fact!
I hope the weather gets nicer. I know back in the States many of you have been flooded with snow. Here we've just been getting rain. It makes things kind of gloomy, but as long as they clear up before I leave for my trip on Friday I'll be happy.
Ciao!
Monday, February 8, 2010
Day 30: Pas de cours. / No classes.
So apparently some schools have vacation this week - whichever schools my History and Poli. Sci. profs teach at - because my History and Poli. Sci. classes are cancelled for this week. Don't fear - I still have the same amount of class time because we had an extra session/extra time added onto some class meetings.
I got up this morning (to the sound of power tools - there is construction above and below me). And got up for the day. Even though I didn't have classes, I had plenty to do. I had a friend accompany me to the university (which ended up being unnecessary but I enjoyed and appreciated her company) to verify the class times of the potential course I want to take. I have selected 4 that I will be observing/attending this week and then if none of those work out, I have a fifth selected that I can sit in on. After trekking down to the University (when I say trekking, it's not more than a 10-15 minute walk from the Institute), I had intended/expected to get a paper copy from the secretary but clearly that was not doable as inferred by the crowds of native French students in the hallways swarmed around bulletin boards of schedules. So I took pictures of the course schedules and we left the University.
No more than 20 minutes after returning from the University, we all received a message from our program Director saying she had a paper copy of the Literature department's course schedule. Haha. So I went down to her office, confirmed when my courses meet, confirmed that I could try out different courses, and verified the different types of courses. Though I was frustrated that she had gotten the paper copy after I'd already gone down to the University twice, but she was very helpful with everything else. Tomorrow I will be sitting in on two classes on at the University. Basically this week I will have the same amount of class time as every other week because of my other two classes being cancelled. It's perfect timing.
After that I returned to the Institute, worked on some stuff for summer jobs/internships then went home. For dinner we had (I think) blintzs with fried eggs and pasta with ratatouille and grated cheese. After dinner we watched the movie, Janis et John, about Janis Joplin and John Lennon...kind of. Then after that we watched the Classical Music Awards, like the french version of the Grammys for classical music.
Tomorrow is sure to be an exciting time with it being kind of like my first day of school!
I got up this morning (to the sound of power tools - there is construction above and below me). And got up for the day. Even though I didn't have classes, I had plenty to do. I had a friend accompany me to the university (which ended up being unnecessary but I enjoyed and appreciated her company) to verify the class times of the potential course I want to take. I have selected 4 that I will be observing/attending this week and then if none of those work out, I have a fifth selected that I can sit in on. After trekking down to the University (when I say trekking, it's not more than a 10-15 minute walk from the Institute), I had intended/expected to get a paper copy from the secretary but clearly that was not doable as inferred by the crowds of native French students in the hallways swarmed around bulletin boards of schedules. So I took pictures of the course schedules and we left the University.
No more than 20 minutes after returning from the University, we all received a message from our program Director saying she had a paper copy of the Literature department's course schedule. Haha. So I went down to her office, confirmed when my courses meet, confirmed that I could try out different courses, and verified the different types of courses. Though I was frustrated that she had gotten the paper copy after I'd already gone down to the University twice, but she was very helpful with everything else. Tomorrow I will be sitting in on two classes on at the University. Basically this week I will have the same amount of class time as every other week because of my other two classes being cancelled. It's perfect timing.
After that I returned to the Institute, worked on some stuff for summer jobs/internships then went home. For dinner we had (I think) blintzs with fried eggs and pasta with ratatouille and grated cheese. After dinner we watched the movie, Janis et John, about Janis Joplin and John Lennon...kind of. Then after that we watched the Classical Music Awards, like the french version of the Grammys for classical music.
Tomorrow is sure to be an exciting time with it being kind of like my first day of school!
Day 29: Dimanche-le jour de la course/Sunday-the day of the race
Slept in this morning. Checked some things off my to do list this morning.
Though I had originally planned to eat lunch with my friends because technically (according to my program) I am suppose to supply all my own lunches, but Claudie invited me to eat with them! We had ham slices and bread, and ratatouille over rice and ravioli-like pasta. Yum!! Claudie went to see Invictus yesterday with a friend, and she loved it. She wishes Obama could do something to reunite the US like Nelson Mandela did after the apartheid.
I then called my friend to see where they were at so I that I could meet up with them to sit and socialize. She warned me to be aware because there was some kind of race going on today and there were a lot of people out. So instead of Sunday being the day of rest, it was the day of the race!
I left to go meet up with my friends and sat with them and enjoyed their company, sipping my vin chaud. We left that restaurant and wandered around a little bit. The mistral wind was very strong today making it very cold even though it was supposedly in the 50s. We went and got waffles at a corner store - mine was jam covered and it was delicious!
After that we followed the race course, taking pictures of Avignon at a time when it seems the most alive that it's been since we've arrived. In the course of our observations we recognized one of the runners - a fellow student at the Institute! Obviously we took pictures and caught him as he was finishing the race. How cool to be able to say you ran in a race in France?!?
Returned home after a coffee. Occupied myself from then until dinner time. Dinner was delayed because they were finishing work in the theater, redoing the dance floor (I think). Dinner was delicious as usual - "steak" (which actually means a burger) and then a mix of potatoes, carrots, and sweet potatoes that you mush/mix together.
At and after dinner Michel talked to me about current event issues (I guess that's what you would call them). He was describing how there are different shifts of cultures and languages for example the rise of the dominance of Spanish speakers in the US or the rise of the use of Arabic in France. It was really interesting to hear his take on this. Also, I was surprised to hear him describe people from Africa in a similar manner as the man yesterday at dinner. He talked about how people from Africa are given these nice homes from the government and then they don't do any upkeep on them and the ceiling rots, there's mildew, etc. ... But, according to him, Middle Eastern people don't let that happen. When I asked him why they don't upkeep their homes he said that's just they way they are. It's the same thing in Africa - he sees it in Africa. He had all these stories to tell about people throwing their trash out their windows instead of walking it outside, etc. I didn't get the sense that he meant it in a derogatory way, more just neutral - a statement of fact that he holds that to be true .
We ended the nigth by watching a recording of a play called "L'Art," which was a comedy / critique of modern art. Claudie was getting a kick out of it!
Tomorrow brings the 2nd adventure to the University!
Though I had originally planned to eat lunch with my friends because technically (according to my program) I am suppose to supply all my own lunches, but Claudie invited me to eat with them! We had ham slices and bread, and ratatouille over rice and ravioli-like pasta. Yum!! Claudie went to see Invictus yesterday with a friend, and she loved it. She wishes Obama could do something to reunite the US like Nelson Mandela did after the apartheid.
I then called my friend to see where they were at so I that I could meet up with them to sit and socialize. She warned me to be aware because there was some kind of race going on today and there were a lot of people out. So instead of Sunday being the day of rest, it was the day of the race!
I left to go meet up with my friends and sat with them and enjoyed their company, sipping my vin chaud. We left that restaurant and wandered around a little bit. The mistral wind was very strong today making it very cold even though it was supposedly in the 50s. We went and got waffles at a corner store - mine was jam covered and it was delicious!
After that we followed the race course, taking pictures of Avignon at a time when it seems the most alive that it's been since we've arrived. In the course of our observations we recognized one of the runners - a fellow student at the Institute! Obviously we took pictures and caught him as he was finishing the race. How cool to be able to say you ran in a race in France?!?
Returned home after a coffee. Occupied myself from then until dinner time. Dinner was delayed because they were finishing work in the theater, redoing the dance floor (I think). Dinner was delicious as usual - "steak" (which actually means a burger) and then a mix of potatoes, carrots, and sweet potatoes that you mush/mix together.
At and after dinner Michel talked to me about current event issues (I guess that's what you would call them). He was describing how there are different shifts of cultures and languages for example the rise of the dominance of Spanish speakers in the US or the rise of the use of Arabic in France. It was really interesting to hear his take on this. Also, I was surprised to hear him describe people from Africa in a similar manner as the man yesterday at dinner. He talked about how people from Africa are given these nice homes from the government and then they don't do any upkeep on them and the ceiling rots, there's mildew, etc. ... But, according to him, Middle Eastern people don't let that happen. When I asked him why they don't upkeep their homes he said that's just they way they are. It's the same thing in Africa - he sees it in Africa. He had all these stories to tell about people throwing their trash out their windows instead of walking it outside, etc. I didn't get the sense that he meant it in a derogatory way, more just neutral - a statement of fact that he holds that to be true .
We ended the nigth by watching a recording of a play called "L'Art," which was a comedy / critique of modern art. Claudie was getting a kick out of it!
Tomorrow brings the 2nd adventure to the University!
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Day 28: Carpentras-Les montagnes, les roches, et un bon repas/Mountains, rocks, and a good meal.
Got up bright and early aka 8:30am to catch the bus at 9:30 to go to Carpentras with 7 other students from my program. We had a little trouble finding where to pick up the bus but found it (got help finding it) just in time! 45 minutes later we arrived in Carpentras.
The head of the association (French-Etats-Unis Association or something like that) met us at the bus station. We went to/saw the former hospital and prison, and got toured around the rest of Carpentras - looking at the landscape, saw a former Roman aqueduct, the remains of their ramparts, going into art galleries/expositions, etc.
Then they drove us to lunch at a restaurant where we met up with the other people of the association. It was good. I had a plate of vegetables crudité to start, rotisserie pork, a provencal tomato, potatoes, etc. Then for dessert we had apple tart/pie with whipped cream. Yum!
I sat across from a stereotypical snobby American (from Manhattan, went to school in Boston at Northeastern) and then a pompous French person. The American was convinced that (despite his inability to speak or understand French after being in France for 30 years, he's in his 80s), the problem with french people is that they are jealous of everyone no matter what they have. The French man was talking about how people in Africa have no culture or work ethic because everything is at their fingertips - food in the trees, hunting for meat right in the forest, etc. I wished that I had a better grasp of French vocabulary because it was very frustrating to sit and listen to him go on about this without being able to dispute it. It was an interesting experience to say the least.
After lunch, they drove us around the area looking at the scenery, going up to a chateau, etc. See the pictures to look at what we did. The weather was gorgeous! Overall today was a great - and busy - day!
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Day 27: Bon weekend! / Have a good weekend!
Happy Friday!
I woke up this morning thinking I had class at 930. I rushed to shower and get ready in time for class at 930. I got to school at 925, just as the rain started to get heavier. I walked up to the library to drop my stuff off and head to class. Walked down to class, sat down, looked around, and there were people who I weren't in the class I thought I was in. I turned to my friend next to me and said, "What class is this?" She said, "Translation." -- Whoops, wrong class! :-) That's the first time that's happened in awhile.
Then I actually had class from 11-12:30 - Art History. We were supposed to go to a museum for part of class, but because of the rain we canceled it. Had class for the hour and a half and was done for the day.
Sat down, ate a quick lunch and headed over to the Université d'Avignon to figure out which class to take starting next week. I had been told to ask at the secretary's office if there was a paper copy I could have. So I did, and the woman told me that because the schedule changes so frequently, they don't bother having a paper copy because it changes too much. So I spent what felt like hours writing down which Literature classes that looked remotely interesting, fit into my schedule. I worked up a sweat. It was a very stressful and frustrating situation. Needless to say, I am making another trip back with a friend on Monday to re-check the schedule, see if she can help be better understand it, and see if they have a paper copy yet.
Met up with some friends around 17:15 to hang out before dinner. I got hungry so we all went and bought kebabs - roll up sandwiches with some kind of shaved meat, french fries, lettuce, tomatoes, and ketchup. Yum!!! Returned home for dinner and had salad, pizza, and a pasta called a "demi lune" (half moon) because of it's shape - it was filled with something, kind of like ravioli, and I put pesto on it. I asked Claudie and Michel where the gelato store was. I've been dying to find it and couldn't. I also told them that I was headed to Carpentras tomorrow and they didn't know why the program would have something in Carpentras, as there is very little to do there - only a few cafés. They also asked me what is the difference between lounges and bars. Apparently it is now the fashion/popular thing to do to name clubs/bars "________ Lounge".
Started watching this movie with Claudie and Michel about this guy who lived in the south of France and got transferred for his job so had to commute to and from the north of France every week (he stayed there during the week). It was really funny. Part way through I left to go meet up with some friends in Place Pie. One of my friends had a friend die recently back home in a skiing accident and today was his funeral service, so we were keeping her busy and distracted.
So tomorrow I'm headed to Carpentras!!!
À bientôt.
I woke up this morning thinking I had class at 930. I rushed to shower and get ready in time for class at 930. I got to school at 925, just as the rain started to get heavier. I walked up to the library to drop my stuff off and head to class. Walked down to class, sat down, looked around, and there were people who I weren't in the class I thought I was in. I turned to my friend next to me and said, "What class is this?" She said, "Translation." -- Whoops, wrong class! :-) That's the first time that's happened in awhile.
Then I actually had class from 11-12:30 - Art History. We were supposed to go to a museum for part of class, but because of the rain we canceled it. Had class for the hour and a half and was done for the day.
Sat down, ate a quick lunch and headed over to the Université d'Avignon to figure out which class to take starting next week. I had been told to ask at the secretary's office if there was a paper copy I could have. So I did, and the woman told me that because the schedule changes so frequently, they don't bother having a paper copy because it changes too much. So I spent what felt like hours writing down which Literature classes that looked remotely interesting, fit into my schedule. I worked up a sweat. It was a very stressful and frustrating situation. Needless to say, I am making another trip back with a friend on Monday to re-check the schedule, see if she can help be better understand it, and see if they have a paper copy yet.
Met up with some friends around 17:15 to hang out before dinner. I got hungry so we all went and bought kebabs - roll up sandwiches with some kind of shaved meat, french fries, lettuce, tomatoes, and ketchup. Yum!!! Returned home for dinner and had salad, pizza, and a pasta called a "demi lune" (half moon) because of it's shape - it was filled with something, kind of like ravioli, and I put pesto on it. I asked Claudie and Michel where the gelato store was. I've been dying to find it and couldn't. I also told them that I was headed to Carpentras tomorrow and they didn't know why the program would have something in Carpentras, as there is very little to do there - only a few cafés. They also asked me what is the difference between lounges and bars. Apparently it is now the fashion/popular thing to do to name clubs/bars "________ Lounge".
Started watching this movie with Claudie and Michel about this guy who lived in the south of France and got transferred for his job so had to commute to and from the north of France every week (he stayed there during the week). It was really funny. Part way through I left to go meet up with some friends in Place Pie. One of my friends had a friend die recently back home in a skiing accident and today was his funeral service, so we were keeping her busy and distracted.
So tomorrow I'm headed to Carpentras!!!
À bientôt.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Day 26: Il y a des nuages dans le ciel./There are clouds in the sky.
After this morning was over with, today was a great day.
I had expected to present after the first 5 minute Current Events presentation, but that was apparently silly of me to assume. Instead, the 5 minute presentation did theirs first and then the professor taught class (finished the lesson) for almost the next hour giving me a little over 25 minutes to present. I did my presentation and it ended up only going for 15 minutes. I think that was probably a combination of nerves (I spoke faster) and because I felt rushed because there wasn't a lot of time left in class.
So, I finished presenting and he asked if anyone had any questions for me. He then told me that I had a few minutes, and I said that it was probably because I spoke so fast. He asked if any one wanted clarification. Finally, one person asked a question (which I was able to answer!) and then the professor added his own answer (which took up the rest of the class time) after I responded.
The professor told me after class that I did a good job besides the fact that sometimes combined between my fast speaking and my in-depth/details, people seemed confused, but that I did a good job.
After that class, I was done for the day with classes. I bought this crazy delicious mustard with Provençal herbs and I also bought pesto, both to go on sandwiches. YUMMMM!
Ate lunch, watched Lost, returned home.
For dinner, we had a "les légumes du soleil" soup (sun vegetable soup is the literal translation, I think it just means the colorful veggies, not sure). Claudie said they were similar vegetables to those used in ratatouille. It tasted to me like a combo of squash and tomato soup, and was DELICIOUS! After that, we had fish and crawfish / crayfish (not really sure, whichever one is bigger is the one we ate). I think that is probably the first type of food that has grossed me out since being here. Claudie asked if I had ever eaten something like this before. I told her back home we have food like that, but it's red and bigger - in my effort to describe lobster. She said two different words and asked which one it was, but I don't know the word for lobster in french (It's "un hommard" in case you were curious.)
While eating, she explained that the little mini forks that we were using, they typically use for eating escargot. Then they asked me if I'd ever had escargot. I said no, but I'd be willing to try. They said it's very delicious. Then they asked me if I'd ever eaten frog (une grenouille) and I said no and made a face. ... I will try escargot, but sorry, I draw the line at frog. After dinner, we ate bread and cheese like we always do. I discovered/made a point to remember the name of the type of cheese: camembert. I like it a lot - and is a great way to end a meal. It is a soft cheese that comes in a "round block".
After that we watched westerns. They love westerns in France! One was with Clint Eastwood (who Claudie loves - she loves watching all his movies!), called the High Plains Drifter (L'Homme des Hauts Plaines). Clint Eastwood must have been a chick magnet in his time - well, he at least got all the ladies in the movies!
Tomorrow, I will be venturing over to l'Université d'Avignon to figure out which class to take that will fit in my schedule. It will be quite the adventure navigating the building. Let's hope the rain we're having now lets up for my walk over there tomorrow.
As Claudie says, bises (kisses) et ciao!
This Morning
I had my 20 minute oral presentation in Poli. Sci. After practicing it twice - one time taking under 20 minutes and the other time taking over 20 mintues- I figured I was set to present and exactly use the allotted 20 minutes.I had expected to present after the first 5 minute Current Events presentation, but that was apparently silly of me to assume. Instead, the 5 minute presentation did theirs first and then the professor taught class (finished the lesson) for almost the next hour giving me a little over 25 minutes to present. I did my presentation and it ended up only going for 15 minutes. I think that was probably a combination of nerves (I spoke faster) and because I felt rushed because there wasn't a lot of time left in class.
So, I finished presenting and he asked if anyone had any questions for me. He then told me that I had a few minutes, and I said that it was probably because I spoke so fast. He asked if any one wanted clarification. Finally, one person asked a question (which I was able to answer!) and then the professor added his own answer (which took up the rest of the class time) after I responded.
The professor told me after class that I did a good job besides the fact that sometimes combined between my fast speaking and my in-depth/details, people seemed confused, but that I did a good job.
End of the Stressful Part of the Morning
~~~
Then I had my Literature class right after. We handed in our creative projects. The professor was really excited to look at them! We then did this exercise where we visualized a French road. Then we visualized an American road. Then we visualized each again deciding what we would like to change in the image. It was really fun! Then we looked at this book that was a compilation of this photographer's candid photos that he took of people's faces on the Paris metro. It was really cool to examine people's facial expressions, eyes open/closed, etc, and to think why I had picked the picture I described.~~~
After that class, I was done for the day with classes. I bought this crazy delicious mustard with Provençal herbs and I also bought pesto, both to go on sandwiches. YUMMMM!
Ate lunch, watched Lost, returned home.
For dinner, we had a "les légumes du soleil" soup (sun vegetable soup is the literal translation, I think it just means the colorful veggies, not sure). Claudie said they were similar vegetables to those used in ratatouille. It tasted to me like a combo of squash and tomato soup, and was DELICIOUS! After that, we had fish and crawfish / crayfish (not really sure, whichever one is bigger is the one we ate). I think that is probably the first type of food that has grossed me out since being here. Claudie asked if I had ever eaten something like this before. I told her back home we have food like that, but it's red and bigger - in my effort to describe lobster. She said two different words and asked which one it was, but I don't know the word for lobster in french (It's "un hommard" in case you were curious.)
While eating, she explained that the little mini forks that we were using, they typically use for eating escargot. Then they asked me if I'd ever had escargot. I said no, but I'd be willing to try. They said it's very delicious. Then they asked me if I'd ever eaten frog (une grenouille) and I said no and made a face. ... I will try escargot, but sorry, I draw the line at frog. After dinner, we ate bread and cheese like we always do. I discovered/made a point to remember the name of the type of cheese: camembert. I like it a lot - and is a great way to end a meal. It is a soft cheese that comes in a "round block".
After that we watched westerns. They love westerns in France! One was with Clint Eastwood (who Claudie loves - she loves watching all his movies!), called the High Plains Drifter (L'Homme des Hauts Plaines). Clint Eastwood must have been a chick magnet in his time - well, he at least got all the ladies in the movies!
Tomorrow, I will be venturing over to l'Université d'Avignon to figure out which class to take that will fit in my schedule. It will be quite the adventure navigating the building. Let's hope the rain we're having now lets up for my walk over there tomorrow.
As Claudie says, bises (kisses) et ciao!
Day 25: Trop tôt ou trop tard? / Very early or very late?
I am writing this after a busy day of full of school work. It was probably the most work I've done and the most focused I've been since being here. I have a 20 minute oral presentation, which in France is called an Exposé, in my Poli. Sci class tomorrow as well as a creative project paper for my literature class tomorrow. Poli Sci doesn't normally meet on Thursdays, but this week we get an extra special, extra class meeting. Now granted, we don't have class all next week because he cancelled it, but right now in the moment, it's annoying to say the least.
On top of having lots of homework, I also have lots of things to do. I know the date keeps changing, but I received the official notice that my University class starts next week. The catch? The university doesn't post the course schedule online. I have to go down to the University, go to the office of the course I think I want to take and find it listed on this massive hall-long bulletin board to see what time it meets. This adventure is being saved until either tomorrow afternoon after all my work is turned in or until Friday. The nice thing is that I can just sit in on the class(es) to see if the level/material interests me and is what I expected, and then just tell my program director, and she does the rest for me!
Some students in our program are complaining that they are not getting enough language experience or immersion. Though at one point in my time here thus far I was equally frustrated, I found ways to change that. 1. I became more inquisitive with my host family. 2. When I thought/think something in my head while with my host family, I say it aloud. 3. I joined a "french only" activity - the Chorale. 4. I am taking a course at the local University. If students don't extend themselves, they can't expect the experiences to just happen to them. I am glad that I figured this out (and figured out a solution) so early on.
I am currently finding it quite amusing that Claudie is still awake. I can still hear her moving around in the house! I am so used to adults going to bed before me, I'm just a little baffled and surprised that she's still keeping busy so late/early!
I enjoy writing my blog each night before going to bed.
I hope you all enjoy reading it!
Ciao!
On top of having lots of homework, I also have lots of things to do. I know the date keeps changing, but I received the official notice that my University class starts next week. The catch? The university doesn't post the course schedule online. I have to go down to the University, go to the office of the course I think I want to take and find it listed on this massive hall-long bulletin board to see what time it meets. This adventure is being saved until either tomorrow afternoon after all my work is turned in or until Friday. The nice thing is that I can just sit in on the class(es) to see if the level/material interests me and is what I expected, and then just tell my program director, and she does the rest for me!
Some students in our program are complaining that they are not getting enough language experience or immersion. Though at one point in my time here thus far I was equally frustrated, I found ways to change that. 1. I became more inquisitive with my host family. 2. When I thought/think something in my head while with my host family, I say it aloud. 3. I joined a "french only" activity - the Chorale. 4. I am taking a course at the local University. If students don't extend themselves, they can't expect the experiences to just happen to them. I am glad that I figured this out (and figured out a solution) so early on.
I am currently finding it quite amusing that Claudie is still awake. I can still hear her moving around in the house! I am so used to adults going to bed before me, I'm just a little baffled and surprised that she's still keeping busy so late/early!
I enjoy writing my blog each night before going to bed.
I hope you all enjoy reading it!
Ciao!
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Day 24: Beaucoup de devoirs / Lots of homework
Woke up this morning to the construction going on in the house. I have a feeling that the same thing will happen this coming morning. I saw rolls of insulation in the hallway and tonight at dinner Michel mentioned something about going "en haut" (up above) which I think means there's going to be work going on in the attic. Whatever.
I had only one class today - Literature. We talked about this "plasticienne," Ernest Pignon Ernest who works with a variety of media, mostly in outdoor areas -walls, sidewalks, trees, etc. At first I thought it was kind of weird, but after seeing each group's presentation about one of his works, he grew on me a little bit.
After that it was time for lunch. We continue to (and much to the delight of my taste buds!) replicate the olive oil-herb/salt mix for dipping our baguette in. Yummy!
I spent the rest of the day trying to get work done. I whipped out my container of Nutella as back up support and started trudging through the Political Science packet that I had to conquer (read AND understand) for my 20 minute presentation on Thursday.
I left the Institute around 17h to go "observe" at a café for my creative project for my Literature class. I lasted about 20 minutes outside - it was too cold - and then left to go home. I am comparing my experience today with my experience this weekend when I went to the same café and sat inside, instead of like today where I sat outside across the square from the café.
Michel asked me how my day was. I told him my classes went well like always but that I have an "Exposé" for my Science Po. class that is very difficult. He told me if I have any questions I can ask Claudie, she can help me with understanding the language, writing up something, figuring out how to express myself, etc. (I don't know why he didn't include himself, but I wasn't about to call him out on it.) I appreciated the offer and thanked him. He explained to me that french is a very hard language to master and that most native french speakers even make mistakes. There are so many silent letters that you don't pronounce but that can mess you up when you are writing.
For dinner we had a mushroom and onion omelette and then pasta (for me, with cheese and tomato sauce - I was also offered ketchup). Claudie's food is always delicious! Claudie was very excited that Avatar was nominated for 9 Oscars. She thought it was "magnifique"!
We then finished dinner and watched the movie, La Horse (came out in the '70s), which is about a large scale farmer/"proprietor" whose son becomes indebted to drug lords in Paris because his father destroyed the package of cocaine that the son was supposed to deliver. The father character is apparently played by a very famous French comedian.
Then I left to go continue working on my Exposé. It's a very tiring process to say the least.
À bientôt!
I had only one class today - Literature. We talked about this "plasticienne," Ernest Pignon Ernest who works with a variety of media, mostly in outdoor areas -walls, sidewalks, trees, etc. At first I thought it was kind of weird, but after seeing each group's presentation about one of his works, he grew on me a little bit.
After that it was time for lunch. We continue to (and much to the delight of my taste buds!) replicate the olive oil-herb/salt mix for dipping our baguette in. Yummy!
I spent the rest of the day trying to get work done. I whipped out my container of Nutella as back up support and started trudging through the Political Science packet that I had to conquer (read AND understand) for my 20 minute presentation on Thursday.
I left the Institute around 17h to go "observe" at a café for my creative project for my Literature class. I lasted about 20 minutes outside - it was too cold - and then left to go home. I am comparing my experience today with my experience this weekend when I went to the same café and sat inside, instead of like today where I sat outside across the square from the café.
Michel asked me how my day was. I told him my classes went well like always but that I have an "Exposé" for my Science Po. class that is very difficult. He told me if I have any questions I can ask Claudie, she can help me with understanding the language, writing up something, figuring out how to express myself, etc. (I don't know why he didn't include himself, but I wasn't about to call him out on it.) I appreciated the offer and thanked him. He explained to me that french is a very hard language to master and that most native french speakers even make mistakes. There are so many silent letters that you don't pronounce but that can mess you up when you are writing.
For dinner we had a mushroom and onion omelette and then pasta (for me, with cheese and tomato sauce - I was also offered ketchup). Claudie's food is always delicious! Claudie was very excited that Avatar was nominated for 9 Oscars. She thought it was "magnifique"!
We then finished dinner and watched the movie, La Horse (came out in the '70s), which is about a large scale farmer/"proprietor" whose son becomes indebted to drug lords in Paris because his father destroyed the package of cocaine that the son was supposed to deliver. The father character is apparently played by a very famous French comedian.
Then I left to go continue working on my Exposé. It's a very tiring process to say the least.
À bientôt!
Monday, February 1, 2010
Day 23: Le premier jour de la semaine et je suis déja fatiguée. / The first day of the week and I am already tired.
Another Monday already?!? What is this craziness. It is hard to believe that today starts our 4th week in Avignon. A little over 3 weeks ago, I arrived in to a snow covered city that was nearly shut down. Now Avignon is alive and bustling (as attested to by the existence of the many cars and buses on the road that I still haven't gotten used to being there).
I woke up this morning planning to shower and get ready for the day. I headed out of my room and down the hallway where the shower is, only to find that the stairs to the attic are down, power tools are out, cords are everywhere in the hall, and Michel was doing something with all of it. - I come to find out tonight at dinner that they are building/renovating a new room up in the attic. So after encountering this road- or should I say, hallway- block, I went to the kitchen, ate some breakfast, went to my room for a little while, did some busy work, and then when I finally heard Michel bustling around elsewher (which meant he was no longer in the hallway), I took a shower... at nearly 11am.
I left the house for lunch after my already eventful morning at a little before noon. The Mistral had let up a little today, and it wasn't nearly as cold as it had been yesterday. After eating some bread with an herb/salt mix and olive oil this weekend at the dinner at my house, we tried to replicate it today at lunch. We couldn't find the herb/salt mix at Carrefour (the grocery store), so we improvised buying an herb mix and salt separately. Needless to say, it was nearly as delicious as the actual herb/salt mix with olive oil.
Every day brings a new encounter/exploration. While at the grocery store today (which is where you buy shampoo/shower & bath products, not at the pharmacy), I needed to buy conditioner. I had bought shampoo upon arriving in Avignon, but hadn't originally seen the need for conditioner. However with this crazy up and down, wet and dry weather, my hair has been crazy static-y and dry, so I decided to invest in some conditioner. With the help of a friend, I determined what was actually conditioner and what ended up being this after-shampoo leave-in cream. Out of the whole half aisle that was full shampoo, creams, and what I thought was conditioner, there only ended up being 1 option for conditioner.
I had two classes today: L'Histoire and Le Science Politique. At the end of the semester for History, we will have group projects. So being ahead of the game, our professor had us sign up for topics and groups today. Myself and two of my friends selected the topic on the European Union. It is very helpful how the history class overlaps with the Political Science class! The history class will be a great way to reinforce the information that I'm learning in the Political Science class. In the Political Science class today I could better understand what the professor was staying, but because of the acronyms that go along with governments/bureaucracies and specific political science terms, the class still sometimes goes over my head.
This week, Political Science meets for 3 times instead of 2 because next week he has to cancel class. So, my 20 minute presentation (called an Exposé) is on Thursday. Luckily, it looks like the reading I have to present is very straight forward, and though I'll probably have to ready it multiple times to solidify my comprehension of the material, I'm crossing my fingers that I'll understand all of it.
Between classes today, we finalized our list of what cities we want to visit on our "Tour de France" on our Winter Break, now we just have to book trains and hostels for those days/nights. We plan on going to the train station tomorrow to purchase tickets.
Last night for dinner, we ate fish (I think salmon) that had the skin and scales still on it (I had a fin on my piece). It freaked me out a little, but at least I knew it was fresh. It tasted great despite my initial confusion/awe at the presentation of the food. Tonight we had lamb, lentils, and rice. It never ceases to amaze me how delicious and filling such simple meals can be. I don't know if it's because they're fresh that they are so delicious, but I think that has got to do with it at least a little bit. Also, probably just the very fact that I'm in France adds to the tastiness of the meals!
À demain.
I woke up this morning planning to shower and get ready for the day. I headed out of my room and down the hallway where the shower is, only to find that the stairs to the attic are down, power tools are out, cords are everywhere in the hall, and Michel was doing something with all of it. - I come to find out tonight at dinner that they are building/renovating a new room up in the attic. So after encountering this road- or should I say, hallway- block, I went to the kitchen, ate some breakfast, went to my room for a little while, did some busy work, and then when I finally heard Michel bustling around elsewher (which meant he was no longer in the hallway), I took a shower... at nearly 11am.
I left the house for lunch after my already eventful morning at a little before noon. The Mistral had let up a little today, and it wasn't nearly as cold as it had been yesterday. After eating some bread with an herb/salt mix and olive oil this weekend at the dinner at my house, we tried to replicate it today at lunch. We couldn't find the herb/salt mix at Carrefour (the grocery store), so we improvised buying an herb mix and salt separately. Needless to say, it was nearly as delicious as the actual herb/salt mix with olive oil.
Every day brings a new encounter/exploration. While at the grocery store today (which is where you buy shampoo/shower & bath products, not at the pharmacy), I needed to buy conditioner. I had bought shampoo upon arriving in Avignon, but hadn't originally seen the need for conditioner. However with this crazy up and down, wet and dry weather, my hair has been crazy static-y and dry, so I decided to invest in some conditioner. With the help of a friend, I determined what was actually conditioner and what ended up being this after-shampoo leave-in cream. Out of the whole half aisle that was full shampoo, creams, and what I thought was conditioner, there only ended up being 1 option for conditioner.
I had two classes today: L'Histoire and Le Science Politique. At the end of the semester for History, we will have group projects. So being ahead of the game, our professor had us sign up for topics and groups today. Myself and two of my friends selected the topic on the European Union. It is very helpful how the history class overlaps with the Political Science class! The history class will be a great way to reinforce the information that I'm learning in the Political Science class. In the Political Science class today I could better understand what the professor was staying, but because of the acronyms that go along with governments/bureaucracies and specific political science terms, the class still sometimes goes over my head.
This week, Political Science meets for 3 times instead of 2 because next week he has to cancel class. So, my 20 minute presentation (called an Exposé) is on Thursday. Luckily, it looks like the reading I have to present is very straight forward, and though I'll probably have to ready it multiple times to solidify my comprehension of the material, I'm crossing my fingers that I'll understand all of it.
Between classes today, we finalized our list of what cities we want to visit on our "Tour de France" on our Winter Break, now we just have to book trains and hostels for those days/nights. We plan on going to the train station tomorrow to purchase tickets.
Last night for dinner, we ate fish (I think salmon) that had the skin and scales still on it (I had a fin on my piece). It freaked me out a little, but at least I knew it was fresh. It tasted great despite my initial confusion/awe at the presentation of the food. Tonight we had lamb, lentils, and rice. It never ceases to amaze me how delicious and filling such simple meals can be. I don't know if it's because they're fresh that they are so delicious, but I think that has got to do with it at least a little bit. Also, probably just the very fact that I'm in France adds to the tastiness of the meals!
À demain.
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