Sorry I’ve been unable to update for so long! Unfortunately, my laptop broke since my last entry, and with class, homework, excursions, and a week of vacation, getting on the Internet for something other than homework has been nearly impossible.

Since my last entry, I’ve been to Carcassonne with the program, Prades in the Pyr�n�e mountains with my host family; I’ve celebrated Halloween and my two-month “anniversary” in France. We’re at the halfway point. I’m trying not to think about leaving (or all the stuff I’m going to have to try to fit into one suitcase).

Carcassonne is sometimes called the prettiest Southern French village and houses a medieval fortress and castle. We took a tour of the castle and learned about the different defensive strategies built into medieval towns. We were lucky that the day we had chosen to visit, there was a medieval faire going on– like the Renaissance Fair! There were people dressed up as knights, medieval peasants, ladies-in-waiting… It added a lot of character and ambiance to the city as we toured it! We also ended the tour with a brief visit to a small Museum of Torture displaying instruments from the Inquisition.

One of the stained glass mosaic windows in the chapel of Carcassonne. The rose frequently symbolizes time as a circle. Here, Time is stopped by two smaller circles, symbolizing Eternity.

Pillories were used to punish people who, for example, spoke poorly of their neighbors. Contrary to popular belief, neither tomatoes nor rotten stones where thrown. It tended to be garbage or stones. Ouch.

For the week-long Toussaint vacation, all of the American students were scattered to the four winds. I, however, didn’t go to Greece or Norway– I had the FRENCHEST vacation ever had by any American. I’m 99% sure.

I went with my host family to their vacation house in Prades near Perpignan, about a two hour drive to the oriental face of the Pyr�n�e mountains, where Anysia’s father, Jacques, has a French villa. The villa is nicknamed the “chateau” by people in the village because it is so large, on the side of the river, and was the very first building built in the small town of Prades. It is largely furnished in the style of its era– it’s over 100 years old and has been a “family house,” owned by their family, for 4 generations. It belonged first to Jacques’ grandfather.

We ate lunch every day on a huge stone terrace outside at a large table. Lunch was a huge production, bigger than dinner, and frequently the cousins who own the neighboring villa came to join us. I learned of the French tradition of “l’apero,” which is short for “l’aperitif.” L’aperitif is when you drink liquor and talk before the meal, and it can sometimes last longer than the meal itself, anywhere from half an hour to an hour and a half. Since we were in the Catalan region, there were lots of Spanish olives, Spanish whiskey, Spanish wine.

For lunch, we ate two whole roast chickens with vegetables; one day, we ate a leg of lamb that was the best thing I have ever eaten in my entire life; the third day, we had roast guinea-fowl cooked with oranges and fresh-picked figs from a nearby tree; and finally, our last day, Anysia’s mother (both of her parents come from Strasbourg, the border of France and Germany) made Alsacien food– sauerkraut, sausages, roasts, potatoes, and Alsacien white wine. On the edge of the terrace was a persimmon tree and once, for dessert, we plucked fresh persimmons from the tree and ate them. Don’t even ask me about the cheese; I tried so many different kinds, Spanish and French, that I can’t even recall them all. It was AMAZING. 

Finally, at the end of the week vacation, we celebrated a cute little Halloween in our house. Mila dressed up as a little witch. Anysia made her a witch hat out of black construction paper and she made a paper magic wand with golden ribbons and a star on the end. They even carved and lit a pumpkin for me. Then, last night, with friends over for dinner, we broke out the champagne to celebrate my “halfway anniversary,” as yesterday officially marked two months in my host family.

Before dinner, I talked with Anysia in order to have a little “debriefing” on my stay so far. I confirmed that I was not an insufferable bore, unknowingly impolite (“No, you haven’t made any grand faux pas,” she told me in French), or otherwise a burden to live with. I also asked her what she thought about my language skills so far. She said I was already at such a good level when I arrived that the only things that had changed are an increased vocabulary and that now, speaking French was less tiring for me. It’s true that when I first arrived, speaking was a little bit exhausting for me. Now, I can hold extended conversation in French with ease and– this is new– a great deal of confidence. In fact, I successfully mingled at the debut of her father’s art expo in a restaurant, talking about literature and France with complete strangers. I’ve been told that my accent is distinguishable as anglo-saxon but not definitively American. And, at every turn, I meet people who express surprise at my level of French. Last night, a friend of the family’s who was over for dinner told me that it was incredibly impressive that I understand everything everyone says. So, to debrief, I am more confident, more at ease, and at an advanced level in listening. I’d say I’m still at an intermediate level in reading, and am fast approaching an advanced level in speaking. All I’m missing is vocab.

So, now you’re all debriefed, too. I’m going to come back and add pictures of the Prades house, the castles and cave I saw while I was there, the delicious food, and our Halloween hijinks. Au revoir!