Sunday, October 3, 2010

Partie 1 - Bon voyage!

September went out with a bang. Our intense, intensive month-long course ended with a flurry of assignments and tests. On Monday we had a big exam, which was hard but not impossible. I found that my ability to write it and to remember most of what we'd learned was a good indication that I had improved over the course of the month. My listening comprehension is stronger, as is my ability to speak French. Still not fluent, but more fluid. My grammar has not improved significantly, but I now know a wide variety of verbs, expressions, and conjunctions that allow me to have more interesting conversations.

On Tuesday we celebrated. The two conversation class groups of level 8 combined for one large fête with the monitrices. They supplied various goodies to eat, and we played some games. Relaxed, fun. For our langue class we did one last listening comprehension exercise. But rather than the brutal tape-recorded conversations we normally suffered through, this time each student read out a sentence from "Le chercheur d'or", by Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clézio. The passage had such calming imagery that the exercise turned out to be a really nice way to end our class. Monsieur Langlois brought a homemade mushroom cake that he had baked the night before, and passed around glasses of wine. He taught us a French drinking song, and then dismissed us for our final lunch with Sodexo (domage). Oh, and on Monday afternoon we watched a movie called Welcome. It's in French, despite the name, and it's about a boy from Iraq who tries to get across the English channel from France, illegally. He becomes close with a man who lives in Calais, and the man tries to help him immigrate. It's a beautiful movie, quite sad, but worth seeing. 


Tuesday night was the Soirée International, where all the students were supposed to put on a performance that represented their country. Canada did a remake of the I Am Canadian commercials, but en français, and with a few added points. We dressed up in toques and red plaid shirts (as apparently over here, the stereotypical Canadian is a lumberjack). Unfortunately Matt, a couple of the Americans (Vince and Jessica), and I had to leave part way through in order to catch our train to Paris. We ran to the station and got there with a few minutes to spare. The train ride was uneventful, but more entertaining than usual since I was sitting with friends. It arrived in Paris Montparnasse after 11, and we were greeted by Laura and her mum, who had a stopover in the city that night. We dropped our bags off at the hotel where we were staying, and then headed out to the streets of Paris. Jimmy was in Paris, and so we were to meet him at the Arc de Triomphe. Once we found him, off we headed to the Tour Eiffel. Did you know that when it was built, the French thought it was a monstrosity and wanted it taken down? When we stopped to ask for directions, we were told that the lights would go off in 15 minutes. At first, we just walked faster. But at 12:55, Laura and I ran! Through a park, down one street and then another, across a highway and over a median. But we made it, just in time to see the lights explode into a thousand sparkles. The tower glittered for about 10 minutes, leaving me speechless and Laura crying. I have never, never seen it like that before. The rest of the group caught up minutes later, and we spent some time running around the base of it, drinking it in. 


Wednesday morning, Matt and company left to catch their flight while Laura and I were still sleeping. There was no need to rush, so she and I had a leisurely morning. Her mum had given her a voucher for a free breakfast at the hotel, and we told a teensy white lie that "neither of us is very hungry, we'll probably just have a coffee. Could we split the voucher?" And bless her heart, the woman at the desk said she would make an exception. So, we ate like kings. Full breakfast buffet with all the fruits, eggs, bacon, and baked goods you could hope for. We casually stuffed a pile of food into our bags for our lunch and strolled out of the hotel. We walked down the Champs Elysées and found a pleasant park in which we could have our picnic. I find that food tastes better when it's free. Once finished, we went to the Grand Palais to see a Monet exhibit. We had to stand in line for about an hour to get in, but oh my goodness was it worth it. I've been a fan of Monet my entire life, and to see over 100 of his greatest works displayed together like that was unforgettable. The colours, the colours! He had such a way of showing light and shadow. I snuck a couple of photos - I wasn't supposed to, but I had to. 


At 4pm we were running late. Laura and I were supposed to meet up with Ben, my friend Steph's boyfriend who lives in Paris. A few minutes later we were in his neighbourhood, the Place de la Madeleine. It's a beautiful area, full of elegant stores, restaurants, and people. And right in the heart of the city! Ben took us up to his wonderful one-room apartment, a 'penthouse' if you will. We spent the afternoon relaxing there, chatting with Ben and his friend Sammy. The four of us went out for dinner at a tiny Thai restaurant just a few streets away. Everyone's meals were so, so tasty. Afterwards we walked over to the Louvre to Laura could see it. Even at that hour of the night it was bustling with tourists, but the buildings absolutely glowed golden. The boys had to leave for the night, but Laura and I continued walking around. We really, really wanted a crème brûlée for desert. We asked one man if he knew where we could go. Turns out he is part of the Blue Man Group, lives in Japan, is from California, and lived in Paris 20 years ago. He said he would show us where to look, so we walked with him a ways. After a while we weren't sure quite what to make of him, so we invented plans and stopped at a little restaurant for a tiramisu. We said goodbye to the man, and went back home. On the way, we weren't quite satisfied at not having found a crème brûlée, so we stopped at a different restaurant where it was on the menu. September was our 'fat month', our month of eating all the delights that France has to offer, without guilt. We've still got 8 months to work it off. Exhausted, but happy, we returned to our little home. 


Thursday morning, we woke up in good time, packed, and made our way to Ladurée, which has got to be the best tea room in the world. Back in grade 11, when I went to England/Scotland with my school, we had high tea at Harrods in the Ladurée tea room and I remember it being the best I've ever had. My memory did not fail me. Laura ordered a white coffee, a pistachio croisant, and an apple macaron. I had a caramel tea, a haselnut/chocolat croisant, and a caramel macaron. I could have died right there, and been utterly satisfied. Ladurée claims to have invented the macaron, that most delightful of all baked goods. Here's a link - http://www.laduree.fr/public_en/produits/macarons_accueil.htm. Whether or not they invented them, they certainly know how best to make them. And the tea room is eye candy as well. Gold leaf, painted ceilings... it's a sensory experience. Our fat month could not have ended more successfully. After that, we rushed to the place where we would catch a bus to the airport, drove off, and in no time, we were flying to Barcelona!


To be continued...

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