Pictures, College Professors in France, and What Does Maintenance Think of My Pajamas?

First, les photos.

This is the detergent I use to handwash my clothes. Smells so good! I kept sniffing the box after I bought it, ha ha ha.

At Comédie.

Banner for the festival we attended on Friday evening.

A fountain inside the festival area. Looks better in person.

This is the lit-up sign at the entrance of the festival. The "r" has burned out at the end of "Montpellier." But you're not looking at that, are you? You're totally looking at the guy who's at the bottom center of this picture. He will never know he's on someone's blog. Isn't that lovely?

The vendor we bought crepes from She was also selling waffles (seen at the far right). Just look at all that Nutella.

Fresh, piping hot Nutella crepe with a bite already taken out of it. I've fantasized about this crepe so hard since then.

Julianne (left) and Marisa posing in hats that a vendor was selling. Marisa liked hers so much (and looked so great in it!), she bought it.

Lauren in her jaunty cap.

Perla, Julianne, and Marisa in more hats.

Random English graffiti on campus. There's also one that says (in French) "Never work."

 I need to start updating this everyday again, because I've got so much to share, and I want to get it down while it's fresh!

Yesterday, I had class for the first time. It was very laid-back and enjoyable. I had a grammar class, and then I went to literature in the afternoon. It's an optional class, and so many of us showed up, the professor had half of the room leave and come back in 40 minutes. I hope I can get into it, since it's part of my major.

I have to discuss my professor for my morning grammar class, since she was my first impression of French professors. First, she was late. Second, she was definitely dressed like she was going to a cocktail party. Her black dress had ruffly straps and sparkling details on the front and back of the bodice. She was also wearing open-toed high heels and had styled her hair up kind of fancily.

This is perfectly appropriate to teach in. No one will be distracted or confused.

I was thoroughly entertained by it, I hate to admit it. Maybe she was, in fact, headed to some sort of party once she was done. For cocktails. At noon. Who knows?

We were given very, very easy homework (3 problem sets spanning one page of our workbook by Tuesday). She dismissed us early.

In the literature class, we were simply introduced to what the course would be. It sounds like we'll be reading a lot of stuff I've already read, though.

She was describing a work by Moliere, which I immediately recognized as Le Misanthrope. I've already read it. She also mentioned Balzac and Zola, who I've read, and Madame Bovary, which I've also read. Hopefully there will be at least one thing I haven't.

In order to register properly here, we have to look over our room with the floor of our building's cleaning lady and fill out a sheet. You have to track the right cleaning lady down, and I happened to stumble upon mine at an opportune time yesterday (thank You Jesus!), so we went over my room together. Wow, if I could just talk to her everyday, I'd be fluent by October. She speaks SO rapidly. I just nodded and said "Oui" and "D'accord" a lot. Surprisingly, though, I could understand what she was trying to get across. I must be improving already!

The cleaning lady looks like this, NOT like a French maid.

Today I didn't have class, so I slept in as best I could since I haven't been sleeping well. Which is why it makes so much sense that maintenance would come charging into my room at 9:30.

"Bonjour!"

Groggily speaking French and being reprimanded for being in bed at 9:30, all while in my pajamas, was fun enough, but what was even better, when that guy had left after doing some work on my closet door and kitchenette, was 10 minutes later when ANOTHER guy came right when I was about to take a shower. He waited patiently while I repeatedly exclaimed "Un moment!" at the door.

Then, at the grocery store, the photo booth I was using to take yet more ID photos with ate my money, and small children tried to interrupt my photo session.

So overall... pretty eventful morning.

I still feel pretty good about everything, though. All I can be is amused by it all. Time is going by quickly, and I have a ton to look forward to. For instance, I found out today that one of my French professors from Beloit College is coming next month to check on the program, and he wants to come to some of me and Julianne's classes. I clapped and jumped like a little girl when I found out.

Next post, I'll try to talk about some culture shock and several things I've experienced for the first time. Thank you so much to everybody who reads my blog! I wish the comment option was easier to use so that you could leave comments (but maybe you don't even want to, which is fine). Please keep checking my blog; I promise to make it more interesting. :)