Before the Break

So here is that update that I have been promising you!

Wine tasting with French students:

French students are notoriously difficult to get to know. It's not that they are unfriendly, it is that they are not as open to dialogue with strangers... for the most part. That's a cultural trait that one must come to terms with when studying in France. That being said, I was absolutely thrilled when one of my classes was interrupted by some French psychology students inviting us out to visit some vineyards in the region as a cultural exchange. I was delighted! I anticipated the outing very much. There were about 3 times as many ERASMUS students as French students, but we broke into groups to get to know one another better. I was put into a group with my

Austrian friend Veronika and a native Angevin named Gabrielle, who studies philosophy at the Sorbonne. How cool is that?! That wasn't the only weird coincidence of the day: after I got home from the excursion, my host family told me that they were friends with the man who owned the first vineyard that we visited. Crazy stuff.

Anyways, the first winery was very cool. The man showed us all around one of his fields, and explained the process of how the grapes grew and the labor that was required, as well as how much light, moisture, and soil variation is needed:

The soil has an astronomical impact on the flavor of the wine. As we would later taste, the exact same grape processed the exact same was from two different fields taste nothing alike. It was bizzare. There were so many of us that we had to have the tasting within the cave where he made the wine:

That was a lot of fun. Then, onto a grand international picnic! We found a random field in the middle of the coutry with a great view of a spectacular country house. It was a great time. All of us were gathered together having so much fun! It was unreal. Next, the second place was visited. We were behind schedule so we didn't have that much time there as was planned. That was alright by me. The second winery wasn't as delicious as the first. It was a little off-putting. The countryside was gorgeous, however:

Oh, it was such a lovely day! We were back at the school by 4h30 and took our separate ways. I didn't buy any wine from my day, but I did by some most delicious grape juice from the first vineyard that we visited.

Amazing blues group at Le Wesh...:

The next day, Trey and I agreed to meet at Le Welsh because they had been announcing a Breton blues band would be playing that night. French blues? Yes, we were just as perplexed. And we were blown away by the amazingness of this group!!! Man, did they have swagger. You would think that they were all born and raised on the Mississippi delta as opposed to in the north of France. The head-bobbing, the encouraging shouting (i.e. sing it!), and the gratuitous cheering continued with each and every song. Simply put, they were FANTABULOUS. Despite cramped quarters and less than desirable acoustics, they still managed to rock my world and blow my mind with their amazingness. Trey, from Mississippi, was in agreement.

...and an unexpended jam session:

After the second set, a whole bunch of Africans that had been sitting towards the front began unpacking instruments. Apparently, the whole group was a gang of musicians from Bernike-Faso given a scholarship to study music in Angers. They had come to have a jam session with the blues band! The two worlds of music combined formed amazingly melodious, complex tunes and intriguing rhythms as all the musicians became completly immersed in their spontaneous creation. It was sublime. It was the most magical thing that my ears have ever heard. All too soon, they were done jamming... and half an hour had already gone by. It had seemed like only 7 minutes. THAT was some spectacular music.

Last classes of the semester:

They were over! I was happy... until I remembered that I had one left after break. Ick.

New friends and Irish tunes:

Le Welsh has a group of musicians come in every other Tuesday to play traditional Irish tunes. They are amazing and just complete the atmosphere of the bar (and I much prefer them to the accordion player that comes in on alternate weeks on Thursdays). Trey and I were enjoying their tunes together before vacation, when we stumbled across two fellow Americans at UCO, only in the CIDEF program. Le Welsh is the best-kept secret of Angers, for sure. And these students were enthralled by the bar, as it was their first time there. Trey and I made some new friends that day! It was wonderful.

Now you're caught up!

More things later.

Picnics and Procrastination

So... I haven't posted since spring break.

Woops.

For this, I profoundly apologize. Everything became very overwhelming after my wonderful vacation on the French Riviera. I promise to catch you guys up to speed in the next few posts. But I have had such glorious days recently that I just HAD to share it before everything else.

France has exam month. That's right: they draw out your suffering for a rediculous amount of time. And all of them are in a standardized style. They last 4 hours and have to be in a very strict form. You are not allowed to leave the room durring the first hour. They do not let you into the exam without your personal programme des examens and your carte d’étudiant... as if ANYONE would be willing to suffer through an exam unless they had to. Tant pis. I only have ONE LEFT. And I'll be chilling in Prague in between.

That said: I'M LEAVING FOR PRAGUE ON SUNDAY!!!

My wonderfulness of a week started last Saturday with a glorious picnic with fellow ERASMUS students in parc Balzac right along the Maine. Here is what our view was:

It was GORGEOUS, with the sun setting behind us and hot air balloons traversing the sky, it was as if our wine and cheese party in the grass was a perfect setup by the universe. Oh, it was a glorious occasion. After the sun went down and 10h30 was approaching, we relocated to Falstaff's, a bar downtown, to continue the party. It really wasn't my scene at all (the word "scuzzy" came to mind), but it was still a lot of fun.

Sunday was lazy. Monday was a night at the Welsh with Edgar and Trey. Trey will be adventuring for a bit, then picking up his wife in Paris, so I won't see him for a while. For Edgar, it was goodbye. Tuesday was a desperate attempt to study. Wednesday morning was my final written exam. I spent that afternoon exploring the Musée David d'Angers and the Musée des Beaux-Arts. Both were very cool: the former being located in a bombed-out church with a glass ceiling, the latter located in a renovated palace. Less modern art then I would have liked, but very fabulous collections. Thursday started slow with a liesurly walk downtown to buy some postcards and take in the sun a bit. That evening was my first ever oral exam... yikes!!! I hope it went well. The good news is that I only have one left at this point! Summer is so close, I can taste it!

Thursday evening requires a separate paragraph! Edgar and I agreed to meet up after my oral exam. Midnight in Paris, the new Woody Allen film, was on our list to see:

So we went to a little pasta place near the movie theater that was delicious. The theater is called 400 Coups, which is the name of one of the most famous and amazing French films of all time. It was very much like The Neon, but much larger. Once the film started, Edgar and I were in awe from start to finish. This film is on par with Woody Allen's classics! Oh, it made our hearts sing. And I'm pretty sure every other audience member wanted to kill those obnoxious English speakers who were constantly gasping and laughing and whispering excitedly. It felt so good to watch a film with a fellow enthusiast, which hasn't happened since Paris with Sofia. It really made me miss Bob. Even now, I still laugh at some of the jokes in the movie. It's a gem, and one to add to my permanent collection. After a very satisfying sojourn at the theater, Edgar and I stepped out into the beautiful, brisk night, and made a beeline for The Welsh. We met up with Maria and had an amazing time. Edgar and I said goodnight to her around midnight and began to head home... then ran into a bunch of ERASMUS students hanging out at another bar on the way. We stopped by to say hello and shoot pool. It was a blast! Thursday was an overall successful day.

Now, onto today! I have been in a certain funk lately where I will not greet the day unless there is some motivation that forces me to shower, eat regularly, and leave the house. It's been bad, I admit, but I'm working on it (see above). Anywho, upon hearing my dilema, Maria had invited me to see the amazing tapestry musem we have in town. I greeted the sunny day at 9am and was excited for our rendez-vous. It did not disappoint! I met Anna from Sweden and we all got sandwiches and ate under the shade of a tree in the gorgeous park behind the château. Conversation was lively and wonderful. Then we biked across the river to the little museum. A special thing about this museum: it is located in Europe's oldest hospital, built in the 12th century. On top of that cool atmosphere, imagine amazingly beautiful, innovative, breath-taking tapestries:

It was so glorious!!! I could have stared at some of those works all day. The one above mirrors the great Apocalypse tapestry, which is hanging in the château. Only this one, by Jean Lurçat, is not biblical in nature. It deals with the threat of nuclear holocaust. It's mind-blowing to think that these pieces are tapestries!!! Yeah, someone wove all of these beautiful things together. All that you can do is to simply stand in awe of them. After the amazing 2 and a half hours of admiring the tapestries, we meandered about in the herb garden at the side of the hospital. We left shortly after by bike, and Maria and I went to get coffee and some sorbet. Dinner with the family out on the patio was also fantastic. I have a farewell picnic to look forward to tomorrow evening, as well as packing for Prague!

Life is too fabulous to spend another full day in scrubs.

I promise to catch everyone up soon!

Brief Update

Howdy!

I am now 21!!!

This means that I can continue the French lifestyle in the states without being repremanded.

I am sorry that I have been a lazy bum and haven't posted in a while. I have so much to post that happened before vacation! Alas, I was up to it at the time, so I'll have to play catch-up.

But here's what you have to look forward to hearing about:

Wine tasting with French students

Amazing blues group at Le Wesh and an unexpended jam session

Last classes of the semester

New friends and Irish tunes

Oh... VACATION IN MARSEILLE, CORSICA (BASTIA), AND NICE (CANNES, MONACO, AND OTHERS MAY BE INCLUDED)

Thanks for taking an interest in my adventures and I will be sure to update you all after I have enjoyed every last minute of my vacation in southern France.

All the Hype

This week is the week before vacation starts! 3 of my classes have ended for me already. Only one 3000 page paper really stands in between me and a train to Marseille.

Here's a update on what's been rocking my world since Sunday. My host family invited me to go to the beach with them the first weekend of June! I feel so loved and included. It should be a very fun time. I am really looking forward to it.

Monday went well. Tori, Elvia and I went out for coffee after our literature class. It was a really good time. As usual, we talked about anything and everything. Note to self: have more outtings with female friends back home. Adult women are sooooo much nicer to you on the whole than adolescent females.

Tuesday was my last theater class, and the professor brought us chocolate to share! Unfortunately, I could only stay to grab a morsel before dashing off to see my guidance counselor. I had the unfortunate duty of adding an exam to my schedule. *SIGH* So goes the way of the world. Trey and I went out to (where else?) Le Welsh that evening... even though we both had a paper to write. We played cards and tried new fantastic beers. As we were leaving, the barman James called to us: "A demain!" ("See you tomorrow!"). Naturally, we were obligated to go back the next night... and this time, out of celebration instead of procrastination.

I finished that dissertation an hour before it was due on Wednesday, skipping all of my morning classes to do so. All was well. i missed nothing but reruns of previous lectures and received no new homework. That evening, Trey and I faithfully trekked back to Le Welsh. It was much crowded than the night before, so we were forced to brave the upstairs room alone. James came up and recommended great beers to us. I'd just like to point out that I have never had a bad drink at this bar. And I have never repeated beverage orders, either (except for vin chaud when it was colder out one time). After we finished those, we stole a table downstairs, closer to the action. James came over and recommended our second round to us, and it was just as we were starting in on our final drinks of the evening that a man with an accordion got up and started playing traditional French tunes. Yeah, it was awesome. As we went up to pay, James asked us our first names! Wow, I'm a regular at a bar. That's a strange concept to grasp. It's a great feeling! I went to bed last night feeling very happy, reading emails I had received from people that I love and miss.

Today has been alright. My last translation class ever! And I had a meeting with Robert over lunch about spring break plans. Lunch was at the Restau U, where you can get a mediocre 3 course meal for 3 euros. It's a pretty good deal. We were joined by a lot of other ERASMUS students. It was a good time. Then me and Robert went to print of receipts and purchase train tickets. The blisters from his terrible sunburn on his face are almost healed. He won't dare forget to put on sunscreen with a dermatologist's daughter around. The afternoon has been spent catching up on blog posts! It's a productive form of procrastination.

Now onto the BIG NEWS: I won't be coming home until July 1st. It's official! I called and changed my ticket date with the airline. I will be WWOOFing instead. This is an international program present in over 50 countries that allows you to learn about sustainable living hands-on. I will get to work on an organic farm in France with free room and board and food. As of this evening, I have narrowed it down to 2 options. More news on that as I make my final decision.

Now, I must get my rest. Tomorrow is a big day: wine tasting all morning and most of the afternoon, then off with Robert to talk about our trip some more and to exchange music!

Family is a Privelage

I had a very productive but uneventful Saturday.

Spent the whole day in the library attempting to do work. I may or may not have failed to be as productive as I should have been due to the fact that I may or may not have brought my iPod with me.

When I got home, Benoit and one of Anne's older sisters who was visiting were bottling up the second box of wine. I got there in time to apply all the labels. It was a very relaxing time, with all the windows and doors wide open to let the house breathe and embrace the sweet spring fragrances carried on the gentle breeze. Dinnertime was very lively and delicious. I head out early to meet Trey after his daytrip with ERASMUS. Of course, we had planned to head on over to Le Welsh.

I almost did not recognize him. Trey had a giant red beard that he had been boasting for the past year and a half. Last Thursday, he decided to shave it all off. It was a startling contrast. I still managed to point him out because of his sandals, jacket and backpack that he sported every day. I believe the first words that I said to him were, "Your chin is gone." We had a good laugh, then I asked how his wife reacted to his change of facial hair. He said she liked it alright. Honestly, it took a few hours for me to get used to.

The walk over to Le Welsh was a refreshing one. As soon as we walked in, the barmen recognized me, but were taken aback by Trey's nude face. One thing I love about Le Welsh is that their beer list is endless. I've gone in and tried something new every time. Saturday was the day for me to try vin chaud. This is hot, spiced red wine, and it is absolutely delicious. I'll definitely be making it in the fall and winter for my family and friends. We did not stay very long that night, as both Trey and I were exhausted from the day. Besides, Sunday was a big day, and I needed my rest.

Sunday was the reunion of Anne's family at our house. About two or three times a year, and her siblings all like to get together and catch up. This was the first meeting of the year. Anne is the youngest of 6 children, with 3 older sisters and 2 older brothers. They came from a very Catholic background (Anne is the only daughter that doesn't have "Marie" in her first name... but it is her second middle name). Almost all of them brought their spouses, so we had 9 extra people in the house starting at 11am.

It was a very traditional French gathering: hors d'oeuvre and amuse-bouches accompagnied by apéritifs from the beginning until around 2pm. Then, we all gathered inside for a very large meal and some great red wine with fresh baguettes and delicious cheeses. It was so much fun just being a part of all the conversation and bantering with all the aunts and uncles that had come to visit. Manon and I were definitely the odd ones out, but it was still a great time. After such a luxurious lunch, we retired once more to the patio outdoors for dessert, fruit salad, and accompanying beverages (coffee, tea, rosé, and a very strong alcohol made from plums that I could barely have a sip of). It was such a wonderful afternoon! The whole dining and talking and digesting process lasted until 5 in the afternoon. Anne has such a nice family! They're all amazing, open people. When I told her this, her response was, "Yes, we are very lucky." The next dinner of the siblings is at the end of May... and I was invited!

This is how I want my family to function. Corinne and Andra and I should make a point of maintaining a close connection like that as we get older. It's funny how going away has made me realize how important these relationships really are.

Girls' Night Out

I last posted on Friday afternoon. It was my last Friday course for the semester! So, to celebrate, Elvia, Tori, and I had a night on the town.

We had heard about this AMAZING pizza place right across from the château called Le Napoli that we had been meaning to try forever. We had to make a reservation, which is absolutely unprecidented in France. It's always crowded. And it certainly lived up to the reputation. The pizza was magic on a crust!!! And the spicy oil they had to flavor it up was a gift from heaven, to be sure. That was the best, freshest pizza I have ever eaten. Elvia, Tori, and I hung out in that restaurant for a good 2 hours, drinking rosé and talking up a storm. Oh, it was such a wonderful dinner out.

Next stop: where else but Le Welsh? Elvia and Tori had never been, and I had to introduce them to my favorite bar of all time. We found a nice cozy table in the back of the bar and sipped slowly on our delicious beverages. We talked about everything: relationships, drunk stories, our families back home, travel plans after exams, panic about a shared exam, and the experience we've gained while living in France. It was such a great, relaxing evening filled with laughter, good friends, and great food.

I need to take the time to do that more often here, but especially make it a part of my life back home. What kind of philosopher would I be if I never took the time to live my life and get to know other people?

Geeking OUT!!!

I arrived in Angers just in time to bike from the train station to class. It was the last class for History of Art. We talked about conceptual art and Andy Warhol. I was just glad to have that 3 hour long drain of energy over with. I was also one of the only students who did the take-home exam and I got a 15/20!!! You may be thinking: "Hold up, now! A fifteen out of twenty isn't something to be celebrating." Au contraire, it is great cause for celebration. That, my friend, is equivocal to an "A" in the American system!

*A brief note about the french grading system: it's bizarre beyond comprehension. An 18/20 is reserved for the gods. A 10/20 is the equivalent of a "C" average. Yeah, I don't get it, either.

Now, I don't have to take that exam and I know that I did well in the class. Win-Win!

That evening, I started my concrete plans for WWOOFing. Okay, I know that you're all thinking, "What the crap is this mysterious thing that Teddi keeps mentioning?!" Well, the time has come to explain myself. WWOOFing is an international organisation that encourages a sort of cultural exchange: you get to stay for free on an organic farm in exchange for working. It's a great opportunity to learn about sustainable agriculture, as well as do something useful and easy on your wallet durring the summer. There are over 50 countries with these exchanges (including the United States) and I figured I might as well extend my sejour in France with something I really want to do that is meaningful. Not sure which one I am going to choose yet, or even if it is feasable with my financial situation, but I GET EXCITED ABOUT THINGS!!! More on WWOOFing to come as the month wears on.

Today was my last ever Literature and Philosophy course. My Fridays are completely open now! It was a good last class. We talked about the influences Lettres persanes has had on french literature and the second half of class was a show-and-tell kind of deal. One of the librarians brought in a cartful of books that were published in the 18th century that would be useful sources for some of us. That's right! I spent the second half of class leafing through books that are 281 years old!!! They smelled fantastic and had beautiful prints in them. There was a palpable feeling of geeky excitement as we passed around and leafed through the books together. Oh, it was fantastic. I've never worked with sources that old. It was super exciting.

This afternoon, I had a lovley talk with Anne in the garden and then sat down to do some more research on the whole WWOOFing thing. It's so beautiful outside that I'm going to call it quits and go meandering for a bit. All the windows are flung wide open to embrace the weather. But that just doesn't compare to walking outside.