This particular weekend we had an excursion that was organized by the program.  We took a day trip to Arles, which is about an hour east of Montpellier.  What I will most remember about this trip is the wind and the light.   The light in the South of France seems to me a good deal different from the light I’m used to in Northern Indiana.  Not only does the sun make a more frequent appearance here, but it is also so bright that you literally can’t look at it or [...]

It turns out that preparing to live in another country (even while you are in that country) is a bit complicated. Here are the things nobody really talks about beforehand: 1) How to buy a cell phone. I brought my iPhone with me to France. It’s unlocked so that I can join any cell phone provider here. However, finding a plan that is sans engagement, or in English, not on contract, is difficult. There are plans offered by Free, SFR, and Orange, with semi-reasonable prices, but there are restrictions as to where calling, [...]

I didn’t really realize how powerful “home” can be until I had to leave it today. Or yesterday. Or whatever day it was. I don’t even know anymore. Maybe it’s harder to leave people than to leave places. Maybe that’s why I felt like bawling at the airport hugging everyone goodbye (goodbye, see you soon, whatever you call it, IT STILL SUCKS). Also I got a bit teary on the plane ride when I realized I forgot to say goodbye to Kippy (my dog). It probably didn’t help that I [...]

After the lack of a real internet connection for weeks, I finally have my own private network. It’s still a lot slower than my internet at home, but it works and that’s what counts. First bit of news. I am horribly sick. Somehow I caught a cold/flu/strep thing and I don’t want to move from my bed. Second bit of news. I got a tattoo. A really, really awesome tattoo. Now, I was planning on getting this tattoo at some point in my life, I just didn’t plan on getting [...]

Classes have begun! So far I am enjoying all of them. My classes are as follows: Grammar and Methodology- The grammar is completely review and the methodology is sooo boring, but the teacher is hilarious and I am with a lot of my friends so it should be pleasant enough. It is with the Institute of Foreign Students at UPV so there are other American exchange students in the class as well! Conversation- This class is really low key and is with the Minnesota program. There are only six of us so [...]

This saturday marked our second excursion! Our first stop was a town called Aigues-Mortes. It was built during the middle ages as a fortified town in the delta of the Rhone. Then, in 791, Charlemagne built an Abbey there in order to control the production of sea salt, which is still produced there in masses today. Aigues-Mortes encapsulated by walls. Those giant white piles in the background are piles of salt! The water is pink due to the same algae that make flamingos pink. In the 13th century Aigues-Mortes was [...]

After a long search I was finally able to find some quality macaroons! It’s been a few days since I lasted posted, but that is because we haven’t done much recently other than study for a test and write an essay. HOWEVER, yesterday after class, we had a chance to learn about and taste french wine and cheese. We learned about the five types of wine and how each is made. When I get back I can impress you with my knowledge of age and alcohol content of all the [...]

We started off today with the first day of the intensive immersion program, a total of three hours of class. It was 1.5 hours of conversation and 1.5 hours of grammar with a short break in between. As of right now the class is at a good level for me. We started a quick (and much-needed) review of all the tenses and did a quick oral introduction. There wasn’t much time for lunch; by that I mean we only had an hour and a half, which resulted in a rushed [...]

I slept considerably well considering that I had to sleep on the coach and my internal clock is rather deranged. Fortunately tonight i get to sleep on the inside of the couch (It’s a pull out) now that it has been made up for me. After breakfast, we were greeted by 3 of the coordinators who took us from the hotel to the office, which will be our go-to place for the next three weeks and the rest of the semester. There we took our diagnostic tests during which I [...]

Sunset view from take off. Departure was a little hectic. The flight from Boston to Charles de Gaulle in Paris was off to a slow start due to a baggage issue. We had to wait for an extra 45 minutes on the plane, and I was stuck next to a grouch of a flight attendant. My pain was almost made up for when we got to take off into the sunset. Once in Paris I had a five hour layover during which I got to meet some of the girls [...]

This past weekend, I went with a group of 50 CAPA students to Paris! It was a dream come true, literally. When I was in middle school, my groups of friends I would obsess over the Eiffel tower and beautiful cities like Paris. Basically, any city that was not in boring old Wisconsin. It was surreal getting off the metro and walking onto the streets of Paris. Everything is made out of a white stone that makes the city look ageless and you can just feel the Parisian Atmosphere. As [...]

Oh dear. My life has rocked for the past week and a half, and I think it would take me a few hours to write about everything, so I’ll do my best to highlight the most exciting parts. First, FRANCE! My first time flying with Easyjet went surprisingly well. My bag was the appropriate size and I found a seat quickly and easily (they don’t assign seats), and when I arrived at the Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg airport I found Emilie, her mom, and her dog Velcro waiting for me! I was welcomed [...]

I’ve been back for about three weeks now. Often times I find myself wishing I was back in Montpellier. I don’t know if it’s the thrill of the big city or the charm of France that I miss, but there’s part of me that yearns to go back. I want to go back to the country where the tops of my papers were always wrinkled because they didn’t fit into the American binder I brought. I miss being reminded during every food-related publicity that « Pour votre santé, évitez de manger trop [...]

I arrived home last week. After 4.5 months in France and ending with 10 days in Italy, I was ready to come home. On the train back to France from Italy, we passed a cornfield and all of a sudden I got a little homesick (I guess I really am Midwestern). From Venice to Montpellier was 14 hrs by train, then I spent 9 hours in the city, and finally Montpellier to Waukesha was 17ish hours total. The nine hours in Montpellier were spent taking advantage of my last night [...]

Over a month later… (I told you I’d right this, I never said when) If you have heard of the town of St. Remy, you probably associate it with its insane asylum. This is where Van Gogh was treated for one year between 1889 and 1890. It was from his bedroom window that he created Starry Night depicting the city. As a patient, he had a habit of taking walks in the gardens. Some of his other works from the time portray quotidian scenes from this peaceful residence (eg Irises). Today, [...]