An American Girl in Avignon
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
The Calm Before the Storm
April 28
I apologize that is taken a year and a half for me to update my blog, but things have been busy lately (except for the day I am writing about now). Here’s my second attempt at some serious catch-up:
Well the last few days have been pretty quiet, but there’s always calm before the storm. Tonight is the big b-day bash for both Nina and Sakinah at the Cadillac Club (pronounced Caddy-ack Cloob by the French). I have been looking forward to this all week, so the night should provide some interesting stories for future blog entries. I am also anxiously awaiting my trip to London this weekend with Kyle and Kristina. It always seems when you are looking forward to something that the day or week seems to drag by like those long weeks before Christmas. I find it hard to believe it is only Tuesday. Yet, my misconception of time seems to be a double-edged sword: the week may be going by slowly, but my study abroad seems to be slipping away. It is hard to believe that I am already half way through the program and have been in France six weeks!! Six more to go. I’m over the hill, and coming into the home stretch, so I really need to keep in mind that I am in the second half of my program: time to get down to business and improve my language, learn, have fun, and travel as much as possible.
Although the university is still technically on strike, this week is their official vacation. No cafeteria, no library, and no opened campus gates this week. It is bizarre to me that they can continue on with vacation when there hasn’t been a regular week of school for months. We are meeting for classes at the same place we did last week, which means a farther walk for Kristina and I, but we don’t mind, because the weather is beautiful. The flowers are in bloom and the sun seems to shine every day. As long as the nasty Mistral and April rain stays away for our last few days here, we should be good to go.
Well, the university being on vacation is causing more problems than a closed cafeteria. Classes have been at a different time and classroom every day, and today, our professor showed up an hour late to class and continued on with the regularly scheduled two hour class. One of the many examples of the problems lack of communication can cause. No one knows what time the building will close each day, because it is constantly changing. Our class schedule seems to change form day to day, or even every hour on the hour. The problem with this is, of course, communication. The phone tree has failed numerous times, and not all students have internet, therefore, there are always glitches with each “pass-it-on” method we try. It reminds me of the game telephone in grade school. Funny how the message that one started out with was always twisted in some way by the time it reached the last person’s ears.
Since we don’t have classes this Friday, we have them tomorrow (Wednesday), a day we normally don’t have class, and the decided hours have changed three times as well. A little frustrating, but you just have to be willing to go with the flow and accept change. Stuff comes up, and I am in France, so I could care less if classes are changed an hour before.
Speaking of communication issues, things have improved with our host family ever since we expressed our concerns. It is amazing what a little honesty and open communication can do. If you talk about things, and are open and honest with people, a lot of problems can be solved. We seem to have found some form of a solution, and things are going much better. Honesty really is the best policy.
On a sad note, the sick guinea pig, who had not been able to eat for a week, died peacefully yesterday afternoon. I felt really bad for the kids. I could tell at dinner that something was wrong, and I asked Claire Montine if she was tired, but she just shook her head and looked down at her plate. She asked to be excused early, and as soon as she was an earshot away, Madame informed us that Zephyr was finally out of his misery and they were going to bury him at the country house the next day (today). I felt really sorry for them. To me and Kristina, Zephyr was just a stupid, smelly guinea pig, but to these people, he was a pet and friend. I really admired how much they took care of their pet while he was sick. I respect them very much for this. It was touching. They really loved their pet, and although a replacement guinea pig will never take his place, I hope they get something to cheer up Claire Montine.
I apologize that is taken a year and a half for me to update my blog, but things have been busy lately (except for the day I am writing about now). Here’s my second attempt at some serious catch-up:
Well the last few days have been pretty quiet, but there’s always calm before the storm. Tonight is the big b-day bash for both Nina and Sakinah at the Cadillac Club (pronounced Caddy-ack Cloob by the French). I have been looking forward to this all week, so the night should provide some interesting stories for future blog entries. I am also anxiously awaiting my trip to London this weekend with Kyle and Kristina. It always seems when you are looking forward to something that the day or week seems to drag by like those long weeks before Christmas. I find it hard to believe it is only Tuesday. Yet, my misconception of time seems to be a double-edged sword: the week may be going by slowly, but my study abroad seems to be slipping away. It is hard to believe that I am already half way through the program and have been in France six weeks!! Six more to go. I’m over the hill, and coming into the home stretch, so I really need to keep in mind that I am in the second half of my program: time to get down to business and improve my language, learn, have fun, and travel as much as possible.
Although the university is still technically on strike, this week is their official vacation. No cafeteria, no library, and no opened campus gates this week. It is bizarre to me that they can continue on with vacation when there hasn’t been a regular week of school for months. We are meeting for classes at the same place we did last week, which means a farther walk for Kristina and I, but we don’t mind, because the weather is beautiful. The flowers are in bloom and the sun seems to shine every day. As long as the nasty Mistral and April rain stays away for our last few days here, we should be good to go.
Well, the university being on vacation is causing more problems than a closed cafeteria. Classes have been at a different time and classroom every day, and today, our professor showed up an hour late to class and continued on with the regularly scheduled two hour class. One of the many examples of the problems lack of communication can cause. No one knows what time the building will close each day, because it is constantly changing. Our class schedule seems to change form day to day, or even every hour on the hour. The problem with this is, of course, communication. The phone tree has failed numerous times, and not all students have internet, therefore, there are always glitches with each “pass-it-on” method we try. It reminds me of the game telephone in grade school. Funny how the message that one started out with was always twisted in some way by the time it reached the last person’s ears.
Since we don’t have classes this Friday, we have them tomorrow (Wednesday), a day we normally don’t have class, and the decided hours have changed three times as well. A little frustrating, but you just have to be willing to go with the flow and accept change. Stuff comes up, and I am in France, so I could care less if classes are changed an hour before.
Speaking of communication issues, things have improved with our host family ever since we expressed our concerns. It is amazing what a little honesty and open communication can do. If you talk about things, and are open and honest with people, a lot of problems can be solved. We seem to have found some form of a solution, and things are going much better. Honesty really is the best policy.
On a sad note, the sick guinea pig, who had not been able to eat for a week, died peacefully yesterday afternoon. I felt really bad for the kids. I could tell at dinner that something was wrong, and I asked Claire Montine if she was tired, but she just shook her head and looked down at her plate. She asked to be excused early, and as soon as she was an earshot away, Madame informed us that Zephyr was finally out of his misery and they were going to bury him at the country house the next day (today). I felt really sorry for them. To me and Kristina, Zephyr was just a stupid, smelly guinea pig, but to these people, he was a pet and friend. I really admired how much they took care of their pet while he was sick. I respect them very much for this. It was touching. They really loved their pet, and although a replacement guinea pig will never take his place, I hope they get something to cheer up Claire Montine.
posted by Catherine at 12:27 PM
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