Relaxing weekends...finally!

The last 2 weekends have been very relaxing and a total change of pace. The weekend of Nov 4-5th we took a college excursion to Aix en Provence. It was really cool to go to the market and then see Cezanne’s studio. The best part about the studio was that it was set up with all the stuff from the paintings still in it. The guide flipped through a portfolio of paintings and pointed out where each vase, chair, table, basket, etc, were at. It wasn’t the most exciting place and we didn’t spend a lot of time there but it was still a pretty good time.

Sunday was a nice day of homework and hanging out. I started my day with mass and then a nice long brunch. Afterwards I did some homework on the terrace (which looks out on the water). Then Amy and I did a short workout because we haven’t done that in awhile. After that I took a nap for most of the afternoon. I went to dinner and then watched a movie with Cody. We watched Asterlix and Obelix which is a French cartoon. It’s about these 2 guys who live in a small France town during the reign of Caesar and in each episode they have to fight against the evils of Rome (or something like that…it was in French, I didn’t understand all of it).

The big event of the week was the play; Quelque Chose (“Something”). I couldn’t give you the plot line if I tried; one girl finds something (it’s a red dot, made by a laser) and that’s where the story stops making sense. It was so much fun to be in the play. I am amazed at how far I came from mumbling the lines to getting up on stage and “fluently” speaking. We did two shows and the first one was probably the best because a bunch of students came and enjoyed laughing at everyone. I couldn’t believe how fast the shows actually went. We spent so much time preparing and it was over so quickly. Now, I’m excited to watch the second show (the first week in Dec) and see how much I can understand.

Last weekend I went out on Friday night to a dance club in Cannes. We had really wanted to go to Karaoke but the place was really crowded. Then Saturday after a late and leisurely brunch I ended up with an allergic reaction (swelling of the eye). I did a little homework and started planning my trip to Italy. I ended up taking a 2 hour nap and then I hung out with Cody while he tried to solve the world’s problems. After dinner we watched a couple of movies (I slept through half of one). At 1 we went to bed.

Sunday morning I had a quick brunch before being picked up by my echange-langue. I went to their house and we ended up going for a walk in the mountains before having a lovely picnic on the side of the mountain. I spent about 5 or 6 hours with them and got back to the college at 4. At 5 I went to the SJU director’s house for cooking lessons. She gives a lesson to 6 people every Sunday night. We made aioli (garlic mayo dip), tomato basil soup, quiche and chocolate mousse. It was amazing. We didn’t get back to the school until 9:30 and then I talked to Mom and Dad for awhile before going to bed.

I’ve started to try and incorporate more French into my daily life in hopes that my ability will improve and also in hopes that more of the language will stick with me when I leave. I watch movies in French occasionally (the college usually offers 1 or 2 per month), and last week I started reading the French paper, Le Figaro. Usually I just read the headlines and then pick one or two articles to read since it would take me all day to read and comprehend the whole thing. I’ve also started to concentrate more on memorizing verb tenses and expanding my vocabulary. When Caitlin, Sharon and I went to Monoprix this week we spoke in French the whole time which is something I didn’t think I’d ever be able to do. Only 5 weeks until Italy!