I feel like a kindergardener on her first week of school.

April 1, 2009

Excuse my absence from the blogging world for the last few days. Unfortunately, my little Spring Break came to a close, and I actually had to go to class on Monday. Hence, my time has been taken up primarily by actual schoolwork. Ew.
As it is a new quarter, I suppose I’ll talk a little about my classes.

1: Grammar.
Believe it or not, grammar is not that bad. In fact, it’s kind of easy (which is great). Right now we’re learning about the difference between direct and indirect discourse in French and how to transpose the two. That sounds hard, but it isn’t. Plus, M. Corbin is very patient with bad grammar. We’re also reading a series of plays by Marcel Pagnol, a Provencal playwright. I’ve only read like 60 pages of the first play, so I can’t really say anything about that, but so far what I’ve read has been remotely enjoyable (unlike last quarter’s Volkswagen Blues).

2: Resistance.
I’m taking a class completely dedicated to the French resistance in World War II against the Nazi occupation of France. Thus far it’s been quite interesting. We talked a bit about the psychology of submission to authority, and we’re reading a book by Lucie Aubrac, a WWII French resistant.

3: History.
FML. History kind of sucks. It’s very difficult to understand his train of thought, especially when he’s speaking quickly with a Marseille accent. Maybe it will get better? Hopefully? If not, at least my doodling skills will improve.

4: Literature.
I am a nerd, and I actually really enjoyed Literature. We talked a lot about Charles Baudelaire (M. Boury’s fav. author) and the historical context in which he wrote. I don’t know how much I would have enjoyed the class if I weren’t a literature nerd, but I definitely enjoyed talking about Baudelaire’s “Le Vin” for two hours. It’s kind of hard to express symbolism when you don’t know the vocabulary in French, but I’m hoping that will get better.

5: Oral and Written Production.
I can’t say a thing about this class. I have not yet taken it.

Er, that’s all for my classes. I guess I’ll give you all more details when I myself know them. In the meantime, I’ll talk a little about my week thus far.
Monday, after slowly dragging ourselves out of bed, Shawna and I took the 25 minute walk to school. Fortunately, there were no major accidents and we did not get lost. Altogether, it was a success. We joined the rest of the Avignon group for an apperitif (a luncheon with wine, basically) before class. For some of the group, having wine before grammar was not necessarily the best idea. Fortunately, no major faux pas were made, and we made it through the first day of classes without any serious problems. Oh, interesting side note (well, it’s not exactly a side note...it’s actually relatively pertinent). L’Université d’Avignon is currently on strike. That doesn’t affect the international students, but the remainder of the actually French students have not had classes for nearly nine weeks. Certain doors are blocked off, classrooms are locked, technology doesn’t all work, and a lot of university services are closed. Like I said, the strike doesn’t directly affect international students, but it’s still very interesting to see how it’s all working out.
Tuesday started much the same was as Monday. Shawna and I took the same long walk, but this time at 8:30 in the morning. At least it wasn’t raining. Tuesday’s class load is completely overwhelming. We have two hours each of grammar, history, and literature, all taught entirely in French. M. Corbin and M. Boury understand that we are international students and speak appropriately, but M. Boura (our history prof) apparently did not understand that. It was entirely exhausting. Fortunately, it was a lovely day on Tuesday. We had a bit of a break (a much needed one) in between history and literature, and we all sat outside chatting, doing homework, and enjoying the sunshine. Since we don’t have class Wednesdays, we of course decided to get together on Tuesday night. I won’t go into detail, but it was an enjoyable evening, and a wonderful first Tuesday.


OU friends (and Jonathan, my Swedish housemate, hiding in the corner by Shawna)!

Wednesday morning (this morning) I woke up to rain, and again, Shawna and I had to walk in it. Although we don’t have class on Wednesdays, we did have a guided tour of the Palais des Papes (the Pope’s Palace). In the late 13th and early 14th century, Avignon was home to nine popes. Starting at the end of the 13th century, Rome was facing a significant amount of turmoil. In an attempt to get away from Rome (and also as a diplomatic gesture), the first “Pope of Avignon” moved to Avignon. As it were, nine popes in a period of nearly 100 years became “Popes of Avignon.” The third and fourth Popes of Avignon had the Palais constructed beginning in 1335. Despite the fact that the Palais is the largest Gothic structure in the world, its construction only took 18 years. For comparison, Notre Dame in Paris took over 100 years to complete. Relatively speaking, 18 years is a very short time, especially given the size of the Palais. At the beginning of the 15th century, order had been restored in Rome, and there were no more Popes of Avignon. However, the Palais remained a very diplomatic location and until 1789 was technically the property of the Pope and the Catholic Church. Because of this, it was very influential to all French churches, and often considered the religious center of France. Our tour took us through certain parts of the enormous palace, including several banquet halls, the Pope’s bedroom, the Pope’s personal study, one of the several kitchens, and other rooms. Unfortunately, much of the interior of the Palais was severely damaged in the French Revolution as it was seen as a symbol of absolute power. (Side note: due to the pillaging of the French Revolution, many sculpted door decorations were decapitated. I found this relatively humorous). The Palais was further damaged as it was used as French barracks in the late 18th and 19th centuries. Today, the interior of the Palais is quite bare, but it was interesting to see certain tiles and frescos that still remain.


Le Palais des Papes.


(Déjà.)


A view to the North (I think) of the city.


Avignon, je t'adore.

Our tour next led us the the Pont d’Avignon (the bridge of Avignon). The bridge was constructed in the 12th century and served as the only connection between the Mediterranean Sea and Provence and France (at that time, Provence and France were two separate kingdoms). The Pont is known for two reasons; 1: for one reason or another, many popular French songs have been composed about the Pont, and 2: it stops in the middle of the river without connecting to the other side.


Le Pont d'Avignon.

After our tour we were starving, so we headed back to the Rue de la République to find some food. Adam and I stopped at this little place on the Rue Rouge where I ate a spectacular and greasy cheese crepe. I will definitely return. Adam, Sakinah, Katie, Catherine, Kyle, and I ate like hobos, sitting on doorsteps on the street. Our yummy lunch was definitely worth it, though.


Sakinah et Kyle mangent.

After lunch, we went separate ways. While the rest of the group napped, I attempted to be a good student and do some reading for my Resistance class. I did end up doing some reading, but only after a significant amount of people watching and a short walk to find a market where I could buy a grape fruit (I was craving grape fruit...I ended up buying two). Eventually, I got a little chilly from sitting out in the park, so I walked back to my house, encountering Shawna and Jonathan on the way. So here I am, again avoiding my reading. Before dinner, I should probably try to get some of that done (as it is due tomorrow...). Ciao!