An American Girl in Avignon

So my last day in Paris was short and sweet. Rachel and I, the insomniacs, woke up early to pack and go exploring in our quarter. Not wanting to eat the pitiful breakfast offered by the hostel, we found a Jewish, yes I said Jewish, bakery in town where we bought croissants…and witnessed our first fight in French! I didn’t catch the entire conversation, but I got the jist. Basically, someone owed someone money, and they were not happy about it (and felt the need to let the entire shop know). We split quickly with downcast eyes. We next visited an expensive fruit stand and our favorite café au lait place (again) for sentimental reasons. Returning to the hostel was nice, because we discovered that we had more time than we thought, so we piddled around en ville before going to buy our tickets (entirely in French, if I may add). Not wanting to tote my ridiculous amount of luggage around the metro, Adam, Katie, and I decided to take a taxi to the train station (and it was only 5 euro…which we split three-ways!). Unquestionably the best money I spent in Paris!
At the train station, we learned that all of our tickets were split, except for mine and Adam’s. Must have been my lucky day, because my luggage was big and heavy. We watched Euro-trip, listened to music, and talked the whole way there while enjoying the French countryside.
The weather in Avignon was gorgeous. It is much warmer and sunnier here than in Paris, but there is this killer wind called the Mistral that will nip you if you don’t have a jacket on.
We arrived at our hotel, still jet-lagged, (well, train-lagged) and settled in. Kyle and I went exploring to find a converter and an internet café (I was feeling isolated) without any success, but at least we familiarized ourselves with the city.
The sidewalks here are ridiculously small. It is impossible to walk alongside a friend without getting side-swiped by a passing bike, moped, or car. The town, although beautiful, has a few graffiti-covered rough areas that we were instructed to avoid. There is also the occasional pile of dog poop that one has to dodge while walking on the street. I wish the whole obligatory pick-up--your-pooch’s-poop rule was in effect in France.
We rested before our meeting with Katy and Christophe, where they gave us the 411 on our classes in Avignon. I didn’t feel scared or nervous until this point. I am not that confident in my French abilities yet, but I am trying to think positively in the fact that the reason I am here is to improve…
Our dinner that night was with the entire group of students participating in the program. I believe that they are twenty of us. The five freshmen: me, Sakinah, Kyle, Adam, and Rachel stick together, while the older sophomores and juniors have their own groups. These “clique” walls are quickly breaking down though as we all share the same experiences together, which in my opinion, is a good thing. One can benefit and learn new things by expanding their circle of friends.
The restaurant’s dinner was excellent, but so long! Three hours to be exact. The evening commenced with an appetizer of nuts and excellent red wine. After that there was a salad with some strange hummus-like concoction on top (which was nasty, but we were all starved by this point, so we ate it anyway…the French eat dinner so late!). The choice of entrees was long and complicated, so I decided to be safe and try the fish. To my surprise, my dinner was stringed zucchini with some cheesy-sauce like puree with sword fish mixed inside. It was so weird, but good, nonetheless. The sides were potatoes, one carrot, and a head of broccoli. Odd indeed. Thank goodness the dessert was big! The rich, chocolate slap of yumminess was accompanied by a vanilla crème sauce and whipped crème. Needless to say, I slept very well that night with my full stomach.
Tomorrow, Kristina (my roomie for the quarter) and I meet our host family! I am feeling a little nervous now; I am going to be living with these people for three months after all. More later…