I'm Halfway Done!!

So as of today, I am more than halfway done with the semester here!  I thought the day would never come, haha.  And Carl is coming in 12 days!  It's so close I can't stand it!

So I haven't written in a while, I know, but not much was going on.  I've just been doing schoolwork, which isn't fun.  I also somehow got myself into doing more work than is actually necessary: my Anthropology professor mentioned to the class about signing up for some paper in class the other day, so I caught her after class and asked what she was talking about, as I didn't recall her ever mentioning this before.  She told me to come to her office the next day to discuss it with her.  It turns out that the paper she mentioned is the Memoire that all the License 3 (final year) ethnology students have to do to be able to graduate.  They hand in a dossier/CV in December and then write the paper throughout next semester.  My professor decided that it would be a great French cultural experience if I handed in the first part of the paper.  Good job Heather, for trying to be a good student and getting yourself messed up in all this business!  So I'm doing a bilingual dossier for her.  Awesome.  I don't really have much to do, she even admitted it.  She gave me the name of some book to read and said I should just interview American students about their motivations to study in Montpellier (the topic of my Memoire).  She actually said the most difficult part would be to find American students to interview.  Little does she know I know about 40 of them and have 2 other Americans in my hallway....  So I basically just have to write down important quotes (in English, without translating), explain them and compare them to what other students said, and then write summaries about different topics I will be discussing (that part is all in French).  She finally put up a little outline online, but it's confusing.  So luckily I have to hand in a rough draft in the middle of November so she can let me know what I have to change.  I guess it will give me something else to do beside read because I feel like that's all I've been doing lately.

On another school note, I have to find out exactly what is expected of me for this Shakespeare sonnet expose (with accent mark on the second e)/commentary.  The British gal and I are both so confused because all the French students have done this before and know exactly what is going on.  So we are both planning on emailing him within the next day or so to figure that out.  As soon as I figure it out, I'm doing the whole thing in a couple of days, as my 'expose' (if I end up having to do one), will be December 2nd.  I don't know if I have to also do a commentary or what, so we shall see!

I also get to find out the topic of my Ronsard dissertation this week, and that will hopefully be almost finished by next weekend, as that will be due December 9th.  And honestly, after Marsha leaves I won't have much time at all!  And I'm thinking the Athropology dossier will take up more time than the two literature assignments, as I'm used to papers for French literature, but not Anthropology.  I'm also expecting my Anthro prof to tear my format apart, as I really don't know how these things are done in English, much less in French. 

Now for the fun stuff!  Last weekend, Friday to be exact, Emily and I took the train to Carcassonne!  Can I just say that it was one of my favorite places in the world?  It's like a fairytale land!  I will have pictures up soon (hopefully tonight or tomorrow), so that everyone can take a look.  Honestly, I didn't want to leave!  It was just absolutely gorgeous and medieval and terribly romantic.  I would love to go with Carl for a weekend if we ever get to travel around Europe for a couple of weeks.

The train station is in the newer section of town, so we set off in search of the tourist office, which of course was closed indefinitely.  I feel like that's the story of our life: it's either closed or we can't find it.  So without a map to guide us to the Cite (accent mark on the e), which is the old fortified medieval city, we set off in what we hoped was the right direction, wandering around and peering down side streets until we saw towers.  We crossed a bridge, from which we saw the most beautiful scene in the world (beside the Buffalo skyline, obviously).  There was a little river below us, and across the river was the gorgeous fortified city, with a park full of trees below it!  And since it was raining lightly, there was the faintest mist in the air, making it absolutely romantic and fairytale-esque.  My pictures can't really capture the full beauty of the moment.  All I can say is, if you ever get yourself to Carcassonne, make sure it is on a misty morning in the Fall.  You won't be disappointed.

After crossing the bridge and trying to figure out how to actually get to the hilltop where the Cite is, we ended up following an older British couple.  They were so adorable.  They were maybe 5-10 years older than Mommy and Daddy, and held hands the whole way up to the entrance, where we lost them.  The woman had a slight limp, and had to walk very slowly, especially since we were walking uphill.  But the man was so patient- he just held her hand and walked beside her.  It was so cute.  Once we got to the hilltop, the view was wonderful!  You could see everything!  And inside the walls, the city was so cute!  We walked around the ramparts (I was terrified!), then toured the castle, and then wandered around town for a bit.  We ate at the cutest little restaurant, L'Ecu D'Or, where Emily and I both had Cassoulet.  It was perfect for a chilly, wet Fall day in France!  I want to find a recipe when I get home to make it for everyone!  You'll all me very happy with it, especially the dog.  I know Daddy would have just loved it!  We also had the best chocolate mousse for dessert, and my starter was a chevre chaud salad, which was absolutely amazing.  However, I would have to say that the most memorable part was hearing Moby's big hit from years and years ago.  It was called "Southside" or something, and I think it was on the Now (insert number here) CD that was always advertised for on TV.  It was just so strange and funny because all the other songs were typical French restaurant songs, very mellow and relaxing, and then all of a sudden Moby came on!  I haven't heard that song since I saw one of those dumb commercials!

Another highlight: La Maison Hantee (accent mark on first e), aka Haunted House.  A bunch of highschool-aged students were standing outside waiting to get in, it was quite funny.

Also, there were a TON of British people there.  If you want to see Brits in France, just go to Carcassonne.

So that was Carcassonne, and also the only thing of interest from last week.  This weekend, yesterday to be exact, Emily and I took a bus for only 1E50 to a tiny village called Clermont-L'Herault.  We never would have heard of it, except for the fact that on Friday after lunch Emily took out a Southern France tour book she found in her hostmom's house and we saw something about it.  It seemed cute enough so Emily found the bus routes (she's amazing at that, if you ever need a train/bus route, just ask Emily for help), and we left around 10am yesterday.  It was only an hour bus ride, through the mountains and some cute small towns.  The town itself was so adorable.  It's a perfect place for a romantic, peaceful weekend away from it all.  There are mostly just locals, but still things to do, such as shops, a gorgeous church, a feudal castle (which was closed, but maybe we'll go back as it was so cheap), and beautiful streets to wander down.  It reminded me of day trips while on vacation in maybe Saratoga Springs, when we went to a little town and had breakfast or lunch at a little diner.  It was Fall, so it must have been during that trip. 

Anyway, we both decided that it would be a great place to live someday, as it's near the countryside but close enough to the city, is soooo quiet and peaceful, and is absolutely gorgeous.  We also decided that someday, even if it's in 50 years from now, we are going to get together and backpack/bike/rent a car/whatever seems most convenient at the time across France, mainly to check out all the tiny villages in the countryside and in the mountains.  We made a pact, and we won't break it!  I'm excited for that, maybe I should save it for a mid-life crisis!

We got back to Montpellier early, at 3 or 4 and wandered for a bit.  Then I came back here and made myself CHICKEN NUGGETS with MIKE'S HOT SAUCE!!!!!!!!  Amazing!!  I'm so excited I found his hot sauce, it absolutely made my life!

Today I've just been sending facebook messages to Carl and reading for Anthropology.  Sooo much fun.  At least it's cooled off here: it's only been in the low-mid 60s for the last couple of days, and it's not supposed to get any warmer!  Yay, it kind of feels like Fall (finally!)! 

I hope all is well at home!  I'll post another blog soon and hope to have pictures up asap!  I love you all, please send my love to the Grandma's and Mocha!