Bonjour � tous!

                It’s really rainy and gray outside, so I figured I’d stay inside and write. The directors of our program had talked about a ‘monsoon season’ here and I think it’s hit- it’s been raining pretty much constantly for three days now and there are flood warnings in the area.

Another side effect of the rain is all of the escargots (snails) that come out when it gets wet. There were two enormous snails hanging out on our porch yesterday and I had to be a tourist and take a picture. I’ve eaten one in my life, the last time I was in France during high school, but my host mom promises she’ll make me eat more (not sure if I’m happy about that but I’m trying to be open to the culture!). Apparently it’s really common here to just go out and collect wild snails after it rains. You put them in a big tub and make them fast for a few days so all of the gross stuff they’ve eaten comes out, and then you feed them herbs to give them flavor. Then they’re good for cooking, usually served in a buttery garlic sauce.

Anyways, everything is going pretty well. The students at the university have been striking off and on, barricading the campus buildings with tables and chairs, so that’s been interesting. We’ve missed some of our integrated classes, but our classes for foreign students have continued at a different campus. In essence, the students are mad because of the lack of government funding for the university- next year, there’s talk of randomly drawing names for the freshman class, and the closing of a nearby campus. College is supposed to be free and available for everyone who passed the baccalaur�at test after high school, which is a basic principle that’s really important to the French. There are too many students applying to the university, and not enough space or money to accommodate them all, so there’s been a big uproar.

The French are striking all over the country right now because of new taxes that are being put into place- one thing I’ve learned during my time here is that they love to strike. The current president, Fran�ois Hollande, has an extremely low approval rating and even got booed at an Armistice Day ceremony last week. Today, mid-wives were striking in the Place de la Com�die, last week elementary schools were on strike, and there was even a strike on horseback (500 horses parading through the streets of Montpellier!) protesting a tax aimed at equestrian centers. The region of Bretagne in the northwestern part of France is especially upset about the taxes and les Bonnets rouges have been destroying highway radar systems in protest.

Things are still going well with my host family, and I feel like my French is definitely improving. Random French phrases just pop into my head now, and whenever I’m speaking English with my American friends, I’ll accidentally say words in French.

I feel really settled in here and comfortable with the city. I know my way around the smaller streets and alleys, I’ve figured out where the cheapest and best bakery is, the layout of stores in the Polygone and Odysseum malls, the single stop on my tram line where the doors open on the opposite side than you think they should (that was embarrassing haha). I know more about wine than I ever thought I would, and I guess I at least appear French because I’m constantly asked for directions.

This past Saturday, we went on a class trip to the ruined castle of Qu�ribus, which was about two hours (and a horrifying bus ride) away from Montpellier. The castle is perched high up on a rocky peak, and we went pretty much the entire way up in our huge tour bus, whipping around wet narrow roads, sharp turns, and switchbacks with no guardrails. This is the same bus driver who drove us to Barcelona, where he rear-ended a taxi.

The castle itself was in really good condition despite being in ruins- there were still rooms you could go into, a restored tower, and a pretty little chapel. It was one of the strongholds of a religious group called the Cathars, who had branched off from traditional Christian beliefs and developed different ideas, and who were mainly concentrated in southwestern France. The Catholic Church tried in vain to convert them, but they resisted and were thus persecuted, falling victim to crusades and massacres. One by one, their castles fell to the Catholics, and Qu�ribus is said to have been the last to fall.

The view from the castle was gorgeous, and you could see the valley spreading all the way to the snow-dusted Pyr�n�e mountains. It was especially pretty when it started raining, because mist rolled in and you could see clouds blowing over forests below.

The rain meant we couldn’t go to the other Cathar castle we were supposed to see, so instead we went to the town of Narbonne, walked around, and had hot chocolate (chocolat chaud). We walked along a canal stretching past a park of orderly plane trees, a m�lange of colorful boats lined up beneath their gold-green leaves. I love even just the simple, seemingly universal color scheme here in Southern France, warm like the climate. Terracotta roof tops and gradations of ochre, sienna, sand; earth-inspired and rose-tinted buildings reflected shimmering in the water.

I’d like to go back to Narbonne when it’s a little less miserable out, and I think I might get the chance to because my ‘host grandmother’ lives there.

Hope all is well and I’ll write again soon!

~Julia

Location: Montpellier, France