Alongside re-reading The Outsiders (haha) in order to prepare for my 7th graders this upcoming semester; I am reading/thesis-writing on Kate Chopin for grad school, whose stories take place in the Victorian era, Southern Louisiana.
I've had massive writer's block for this thesis paper, and am writing it probably two sentences at a time. Love my girl Kate Chopin, but I hate pilfering through scholarly articles. Bleh. So anyway, while I'm reading some Cajun French all about some Fais do-dos and Tete-a-tetes, I'm also trying to comprehend the torrent of French French around me. Yes, I admit I'm that jerk American who goes to another country not knowing the language; who relies on "Parlez-vous anglais?" for the majority of the time. However, the spoken French is so quick and blended together (especially in the country, where I am); that it is tres impossible to decipher-- true cultural immersion. I've picked up a few words/phrases here and there, and have to try to tone down my Southern accent as best I can so the family can understand what I'm saying (sometimes).
The family I'm staying with, the Sabatiers, is absolutely wonderful. They live in a large Mediterranean-style house in very rural village (at least eight centuries old) about a twenty-minute bus ride outside of Salon-de-Provence, and close to an hour from Marseille. On their farm, they have a pool, horses, hens, fresh fruits and vegetables, and another accommodation house (a "gites") which Caroline rents out to boarders from around the world wishing to experience the French countryside. Last week, there was a family from The Netherlands staying there. The village is set along the Luberon Mountain Range; and looks like a place from The Garden of Eden (The Hemingway novel, not the Bible story :)). They are known for growing lavender, olives, apples, and lemons; and the Provence-area is associated with traditional soap-making. Yesterday, I went to a soap factory that has been in operation since the early 1800s.
On Thursday, I'm headed up north with another girl from my program: we are spending two nights in Paris, one night in Zurich, and one in Geneva. There is a country-wide music festival across all of France that begins next week, so we will be back in Paris in time for that. I have to say, it will be nice to be able to speak English at my usual speed for four days! :)
I've had massive writer's block for this thesis paper, and am writing it probably two sentences at a time. Love my girl Kate Chopin, but I hate pilfering through scholarly articles. Bleh. So anyway, while I'm reading some Cajun French all about some Fais do-dos and Tete-a-tetes, I'm also trying to comprehend the torrent of French French around me. Yes, I admit I'm that jerk American who goes to another country not knowing the language; who relies on "Parlez-vous anglais?" for the majority of the time. However, the spoken French is so quick and blended together (especially in the country, where I am); that it is tres impossible to decipher-- true cultural immersion. I've picked up a few words/phrases here and there, and have to try to tone down my Southern accent as best I can so the family can understand what I'm saying (sometimes).
The family I'm staying with, the Sabatiers, is absolutely wonderful. They live in a large Mediterranean-style house in very rural village (at least eight centuries old) about a twenty-minute bus ride outside of Salon-de-Provence, and close to an hour from Marseille. On their farm, they have a pool, horses, hens, fresh fruits and vegetables, and another accommodation house (a "gites") which Caroline rents out to boarders from around the world wishing to experience the French countryside. Last week, there was a family from The Netherlands staying there. The village is set along the Luberon Mountain Range; and looks like a place from The Garden of Eden (The Hemingway novel, not the Bible story :)). They are known for growing lavender, olives, apples, and lemons; and the Provence-area is associated with traditional soap-making. Yesterday, I went to a soap factory that has been in operation since the early 1800s.
On Thursday, I'm headed up north with another girl from my program: we are spending two nights in Paris, one night in Zurich, and one in Geneva. There is a country-wide music festival across all of France that begins next week, so we will be back in Paris in time for that. I have to say, it will be nice to be able to speak English at my usual speed for four days! :)
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