FRANCE, part 2: my first week in Avignon

6.16.2007

We got up early this morning, finished packing, and had one last meal together. Then we made our way to the train station in Toulons—to his credit, dad does a remarkable job of driving like a Frenchman—where the fam saw me on the train to Avignon. It was bittersweet having them there because I’m so awkward with goodbyes, and I didn’t really want to leave them. Once on the train, a nice English chap helped me find a spot for my suitcase and I found my seat. It was a short trip, so after I finished my lunch of cheese and crackers, I had arrived. Barbara, a secretary from the Institute, met me at the station and introduced me to my “hote d’acceuil,” Mme Françoise Tutiau. She is an older lady, in her 60’s perhaps, who lives alone and hosts students throughout the year. Françoise drove me to her 5th-floor apartment (which is really the 6th floor because they don’t count the ground floor in France), just outside of the city walls. I got settled and unpacked my things a bit before she took me for a long walk around town. We came back and she prepared dinner: salad of lettuce, tomato, egg, and tuna; plain noodles with some grated cheese; a cheese course; and fresh strawberries for dessert. I was a little disappointed when she served me about one ounce of red wine, but then I tasted it and was glad not to have to drink more than that. It was definitely in the “cooking wine” category! Before turning in for the night, I watched a little T.V., but didn’t understand much.

6.17.2007

Today is Father’s Day, and for the third year in a row, I will not see my father. Unlike the past two, however, I can’t even call him. I went to mass this morning at L’Église de Saint Didier and the priest kept talking about “la fête des pères.” That, combined with feelings of loneliness and estrangement, pushed me over the edge, and I felt hot tears rolling down my cheeks. Shoot.
I am getting better at understanding Françoise, but it is when I try to speak that I have trouble. It takes me forever to think of how to form the correct verb tense, and I’m always choosing the wrong genders. Françoise is very nice and non-critical, but it is very frustrating for me. I find myself smiling and nodding quite a bit! I miss my family. I miss my friends. I miss the Black Hills. I miss my bed. I miss speaking English. All this French has given me an eternal head-ache. This evening, Françoise had a migraine, so I watched The Bridges of Madison County. It was very bizarre because I would see Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep speak, but hear someone else’s voice.
Tomorrow I have orientation. Then on Tuesday I begin my classes. I am nervous for them, but I’m looking forward to meeting the other students. Only 42 more days. Shoot. I shouldn’t have counted…

6.18.2007

Orientation went slowly. There are 17 other students coming from all sides of the US, but I am the only one from SD or MN. There are 16 girls and 1 guy (I leave an all-girls school to come here!?) and I think at least four students are from Chicago. They all seem pretty nice, and, though I think I’m the youngest, they are at about the same level in their French studies as me. It was relieving to speak some English again, even though we are “highly encouraged” to speak French at all times. We ate lunch at a restaurant on the Rhône before having a walking tour of the city. This evening I spoke with my parents for the first time in two days. I know that’s not a lot, but God, how I’ve missed them! It is weird because this is the first time they have been on vacation without me. After dinner I showed Françoise pictures of my family, friends, and the Black Hills that were on my computer. She seemed to enjoy it, as did I.

6.19.2007

Today I began my classes. The theatre class was very difficult, and I had a trouble understanding the professor. I was a little disappointed because it is much more of a “literature” class than a “theatre” class. We are studying four plays about post-colonial French negritude and analyzing their political, historical, and social contexts—not exactly my idea of fun. I then sat in on the history class and found it to be very interesting. The professor described it as a basic history class for American students to learn what the French are taught in grade school, and this course covers post-WWII French History. The professor was very easy to understand—not to mention nice to look at!—so I am considering dropping either my theatre or archeology/architecture class and taking this one instead. I guess I will wait and see until tomorrow when I have my first class in archeology/architecture. This evening I made myself dinner because Françoise had a late dinner meeting. Then I watched Grey’s Anatomy on the télé. It had been re-dubbed in French, but I got to see some of the episodes I had missed this past year.

6.20.2007

I attended the Archeology and Architecture class this morning to see how I’d like it. It was three hours long, with an hour break for lunch in between. The prof was a rather boring and seemed disappointed when he found out how few of us had any background in ancient history and/or architecture. In the afternoon, I had a meeting with the director of the Institute, and I decided to take the Theatre and the History courses. While the archeology/architecture one would be cool because you get to go on 3 “excursions” to ancient ruins in the area, I knew it would be a real struggle for me, as I know nothing about Roman history or that of the Middle Ages (the areas of focus for this class).

6.21.2007

Today was the “Fête de la Musique.” Throughout the city, there were over 50 free concerts in the streets, playing all genres of music. I heard everything, including classical French opera, ska, techno, reggae, and even Native American tribal music. It was peculiar to see the influence that the American culture has had on their music. I heard really bad covers of “Hey Oh,” “Play the Funky Music White Guy,” and several Zeppelin and Bob Dylan songs. I went to the festival with two other girls in the program, and we had a fun time. Unfortunately, they were not the dancing types, and since they were very tired, we decided to turn in early. I got home around 11:30 pm—about an hour before my 60-something-year-old hostess. Wow, I am SUCH an old lady.
Because I decided to take the History class and Theatre class, my schedule is rather wonky. On Monday and Tuesday I have class for 4 hours straight. Ugh. At least there’s a gap between the two on Wednesday and Thursday, and on Friday (tomorrow) I don’t have class at all. That will be nice.

6.22.2007

I slept in a bit this morning and got to the Institute around 10 am to do use the internet and to do some reading form my theatre class. Since I do not have class on Fridays, I could potentially take the three-day weekend to travel. However, I have no contacts in France, other than André and Danielle, and I’m a little hesitant to just hop on a train without having any plans. Not to mention, the train tickets aren’t so cheap, either. Part of me feels like I am not making the most of my time here. There is so much to see and by staying in Avignon, I am “missing out” on everything else. But then again, simply being in France in the first place is sort of a spontaneous adventure.
This afternoon I went for a walk through the centre-ville and decided that I really enjoy being by myself sometimes. It’s nice to be able to go where I want and pass as much time as I care to spend. After dinner this evening, I turned on the télé, but none of the 5 channels caught my fancy. Ergo, I did a bit more homework…and this is how I spend my Friday nights?!

6.23.2007

This Saturday, I went to Cassis, a little sea-side town east of Marseille. It was organized through IAU, and we took a bus for the 1.5-hour drive down. Once at Cassis, we took a boat out on the Mediterranean to see the “calanques.” All along the coast are large, white cliffs which form little inlet/cove areas (the calanques) where the water is incredibly clear. It was beautiful. The boat ride was quite enjoyable as well, the sea breeze in my hair and the sun in my skin! After lunch, we lounged about on the beach. I got some color while reading my book, although I wasn’t gutsy enough to go topless like several of the French women there!
When I returned to Avignon, I came back to Françoise’s apartment and had dinner. She made chicken and said, “Now you Americans eat a lot of Chicken, right?” I explained to her that growing up in the Midwest, my family ate more red meat because we would raise our own cattle. She then told me that she never bought any meat that was not raised in France. While I haven’t been eating much meat recently, anyway, I was happy to learn this.
Later in the evening, I met some of the other students at the Irish pub. Now, I’m not one for Guinness, so I ordered a glass of red wine instead. We sat outside talking and then decided to play 10 Fingers (aka Never Have I Ever…). It’s kind of like truth-or-truth. Each person holds out their 10 fingers, and then takes turns going around saying something he/she has never done. If you have done it, you put a finger down. Well, as the night went on, I began to learn more than I cared to know about some people! I didn’t stay out all night, though, because I had to walk home, and we live in a somewhat sketchy area outside the city walls. I walked back with a girl who lives a couple blocks down from me, and within that 15-minute walk, we were whistled at, honked at, yelled at, and waved at. And we were both dressed very modestly too. What has become of this world?!
It is strange to think an entire week has gone by. In 5 more weeks I will be done with school and making my way home. Nothing makes me appreciate home more than being away. Finally, I will be able to sleep in my own bed …for a couple weeks, anyway. (The mattress I’m sleeping on now must be 100 years old—not so comfortable for my rigid, old back!)