Day 11

Day 11:

Tuesday, March 31, 2009: Today was my long day. I have six hours of classes. We started with grammar again. Christophe has a good way of explaining grammar; he made it seem easier. We read and discussed the first part of the play and that was class.

We met Monsieur Boura for history next. Lots of students were overwhelmed and scared because he speaks quickly and with a Provencal accent. I did not think he was too hard to follow. We will be discussing the Hundred Years’ War between England and France. We also talked about Joan of Arc (Jeanne d’Arc, en Francais). French professors do not give syllabi of book lists.

After a cafeteria lunch for 3E, it was internet time! I started by Skyping with my Dad at 8:30a.m. Ohio time; 2:30p.m. in France. It was good to talk to him and then I called my Mom and Grandma. I updated this blog and checked my lifelines – Facebook and email – then it was time to go back to class.

The next class was literature with Monsieur Bory. We began by talking about Charles Baudelaire and reading one of his poems, Le Vin. He was pretty easy to understand as well. We ended class by indulging in the wine and cheese he brought to welcome us.

I returned home for dinner and the news once again. Bernard left to go skiing in the Alps with a friend so it was just John, Jacqueline, and me. After dinner, we went to the Pub again because we don’t have class on Wednesdays!

Note: My name is extremely hard for native French-speakers to pronounce. Introducing myself if extremely difficult. I need a French name (thanks parents! JK!). Ninety-five percent of the time, it becomes Blad; not Brad. The French ‘r’ is really different and it’s placement in the middle of my name causes the difficulty. I have to say: “My name is Brad, like Brad Pitt!”

(Google proper nouns that you do not know.)