Je me suis bien installee a Montpellier

I am finally in Montpellier (ok, actually I got here on Sunday afternoon), and I'm all settled into my French home. I absolutely love my family. They are so sweet and ridiculously generous. Unlike in the United States where it is common to open your pantry and fridge to guests, the French don't really like to share. However, that is not all the case with my family. Even though they are only required by their host contract to feed me two dinners a week, they feed me all the time, and when they leave before I do in the mornings, they leave me breakfast waiting on the table. My French mom is also always giving me little cadeaux (presents); like today, it was really hot, so she gave me a water mister to spritz on myself. Then, the other night, my French parents and two of their friends sat around for an hour and helped me edit my project for school. I just can't say enough about how nice they are, and their friends really liked me, which made me feel good. They kept making jokes, some of which were at my expense of course, but I understood them, so I was able to joke back, which they absolutely loved.

My room is great. It's on what the French call the rez-de-chaussee (the ground floor), so it's very cool. And that's quite important over here where air conditioning is so rare that establishments that have it advertise in the window that they do!! It is also ridiculously hot here - tomorrow the high is supposed to be 35 degrees Celsius!!!! I melt whenever I go outside, and I drink upwards of a liter of water a day. My house is in a nice neighborhood, and I only live 2 minutes from the tram station and 3 minutes from the bus station on foot, so it's really easy to get around.

I start school tomorrow at the University Paul-Valery in Montpellier. I took a placement test this morning and placed in the highest niveau (level), which I hope turns out well. I'm a mixture of nervous and excited about class tomorrow. I know absolutely nothing about what the class is going to be like. I don't know if I'll have homework, what we're studying, or even really what I need to bring to class! Actually, that sort of thing has been a constant struggle for me here. There is very little in the way of information, directions, etc. and it's frustrating for me. I am the queen of color-coded planners, lists, and coordinating school supplies, so when people don't have plans or their plan is to just do whatever feels good, I sort of flip out. It's definitely a learning experience for me, but you can pray that I will learn to be flexible and keep breathing when there isn't a plan!

So, that's that for now. I'm slowly learning my way around the town and made my first trip to the supermarche this evening. It was challenging to read the labels and even to get a shopping cart - tip for the wary, you have to insert 50 euro cents into the cart before it unlocks and you can push it. I am getting much better at riding the tramway around town and plan to attempt the bus for the first time tomorrow!

Derniers Jours a Paris

On Friday morning, a sizable group from William and Mary went with Professor Fauvel on a guided bus tour of Paris…and by guided bus tour, I mean we hopped on and off the slightly unreliable Paris bus system at various destinations around the city, marveled at them, and then took pictures. We went down the Champs-Elysees, saw the Arc de Triomphe, climbed the steps of Montmartre and toured Sacré Coeur. I really loved Sacré Coeur especially because of the reverent feeling that it gave off. Unlike at Notre Dame, you aren’t allowed to take pictures inside, and you’re not allowed to talk at anything higher than a whisper. After Sacré Coeur, we went further into Montmarte, avoided being accosted by the artists who desperately want you to buy their paintings, and saw the café from the movie Amélie. (not that impressive or interesting frankly). Our little group split up after that, and I went with several others to the Louvre. On the way over, we stopped at a little stand that sold crepes and sandwiches, where I got another crepe jambon-fromage. The lady was really sweet and wrapped mine in aluminum foil and then put it in a bag since I wasn’t going to be eating it right away. Since I had already been to the Louvre and seen the Mona Lisa, I went with another girl to see the Egyptian exhibit, which was really impressive. It just astounded me that a civilization from so long ago was so sophisticated and that their things have lasted for so long. At the same time, I was just so impressed with the Louvre itself, which used to be the royal palace, and how elaborately decorated it was.

That evening, we took a river cruise down the Seine, which was very cool…except for the typical American tourist teenagers sitting next to us who were very loud, very obnoxious, and wearing “I <3 st="on">Eiffel Tower!!! And I mean climbed…we decided that since the top floor was closed and that it was less expensive to use the stairs that we’d try it. I am happy to report that I made it safely and that there were no fainting sessions this time around! The view was spectacular, and we got up at just the right time to watch the sunset over Paris. It was just gorgeous. We also got down just in time to watch the Tour twinkle at the top of the hour.

Almost all of Saturday was spent at Versailles, which is even more ornately decorated than the Louvre. I must say, though, that there were far too many other tourists! I wanted to wander slowly and just take in all of the exquisite details, but I felt like I was being pressed on all sides by other people snapping pictures. Tout de meme, it was very cool to see it in person, and mom, you’re going to love the gardens!!

We sort of split up after Versailles, with some of the group staying to tour the gardens and some of the group returning to Paris to do other things. I went back to Paris where two of my friends and I went to the Centre Pompidou – the Parisian modern art museum. We really wanted to see the priceless Picassos and Matisses, but alas, two entire floors of the museum were dedicated to feminist “art”. And I mean to put that in quotes, because the last time I checked, a black and white video of a woman eating her dinner isn’t art, neither is a kitchen sink or a 3-piece bathroom…Happily, we were able to find the art that we came to see, tucked away on the top floor, but nonetheless, we were very glad to escape the feminist section…

I had more of an adventure than I bargained for when I went out for a crepe after dinner…it turned out to be Gay Pride Day in Paris, and good gracious do they go all out for it. There were men in drag everywhere as well as very scantily clad men in shiny tight underpants, and people were making out left and right. The other people I was with thought that it was a fascinating cultural experience, but I definitely did not see it that way. It was all I could do not to walk around with my mouth open like a little fishy.Woooooooo…..

Anywho, Sunday morning we took the TGV – the superfast train – from Paris to Montpellier where we met our host families at the train station! Ouais!!

You should check out my pictures up to this point : http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2122048&id=7610744&l=75fc548a47