Tektonik

One of the greatest things I've been learning here so far is the side of language you can't learn from a text book. I've been learning slang and the less formal "street talk". One of my favorite things to do here is get together with our correspondants (French university students my age) and trade slang words.

My favorite so far is Tektonik. I laugh even thinking about it. It's a type of dance that at the moment is very popular here. It always goes to techo-style music and it's very interesting to say the least. My correspondant is not a huge fan of it, it's for a very particular group. Sometimes at night walking down the street I'll see a group of teens on the street in a group dancing Tektonik.

Here's an example: Tektonik

Chocolate Chip Cookies avec Isabelle

Today was a really nice day. Sunday is very much a day of rest in France. None of the shops or stores are open, and I think in general families stay home to spend time together. I spent the first part of the day reading and relaxing. Then Nicky left with her cousin and I spent some time with Isabelle.

Isabelle loves to cook, and she's very good at it! She's also very interested in other cultures so today we made an American tradition, the chocolate chip cookie. Cookies don't really exist in France so it was something new for the family. It was also a fun exercise for me to have to translate measurements and words in order to cook in a French kitchen. In the end the cookies turned out great and were even a part of our Sunday dinner.

Another fun thing is Sunday dinner in France. For example we ate crêpes with Nutella, chocolat chaud, chocolate chip cookies, and a sort of apple crisp. So it was all desserts and sugar for dinner. It was also very nice to sit at the table with the whole family.

All in all it was a very nice sunday.

Avignon avec Marie.

Today Marie, 12, the oldest of my host family's children, took Nicky, Justin and I on a tour of the city. We saw the Music Conservatory, her school, the garden by le Palais des Papes, and some of her favorite stores. It was really nice to spend time with her and to start to feel a little bit more like part of the family. I love listening to her talk! Her French is so good (obviously).

Before we left Nicky and I spent a little time playing with Po-po, 3. I'm used to only hearing French spoken by other students my age or older professors. It's adorable to hear such a little person speak French!

Le Mistral souffle.

Before I left for Avignon, France many people warned me about the "Mistral". Everyone who had been there had something to say about this wind that blows incredibly hard and is pretty annoying. I kind of figured it was one of those exaggerations that locals always do about their city. But, for the past three days or so we have been experiencing this Mistral. I'm surprised how hard it does blow, I've had to brace myself a few times to avoid falling over. And unfortunately, it started Sunday night, the night when the town puts its trash out. You can imagine how that went.

I have to write a little about my Litterature professor. He's just like a French Litterature professor should be. He wears a "neckerchief" with a button down shirt, today it was a mauve-y pink, with a black blazer, and black jeans. It's really not that big of a deal but when he's going on about la vie bohème or le romanticisme, it just fits.

Yesterday I saw my first beret, and it made me smile. Sorry to say the stereotype is not very correct, they're rare.