Un cafe creme... please

For some reason, it is easier for me to speak French here than in the United States... I am much more hesitant in class at HWS, but I think that I have accepted that the only way to learn is to make mistakes and practice. Bon. So on Tuesday, we had more orientation activities and then some classes. I had two political science classes in a row... in a room that is pretty much a cave that is attached to a 5th century cathedral. Amazing. My classes, Geopolitics of the Mediterranean Basin and the European Union seem really interesting and I can't wait for a European view and perspective! Anyway, after my classes, a friend and I decided to find a cafe and have some coffee. We walked in, making sure to say, "Bonjour Madame" (very very necessary) and then figured out what we were going to get. I said, "Un cafe creme... please." Oops. I immediately laughed and said, "pardon, s'il vous plait." Haha typical American? Well at least I tried. And yet, today, I was talking in English to a friend and I was inserting French words into our conversation without realizing this. This is going to be entertaining!

As I was saying before, I have really been trying to speak French, especially at dinner with my host mother and her daughter. First, I need to explain something. This is how dinner usually goes: my host mother begins cooking around 7:15, while singing opera loudly and of course, in French. My room is located right next to the kitchen, so I can hear this very well. In fact, last night she was singing so loudly and it was very entertaining for me and I was laughing because it was so funny, and suddenly I hear, "Désolé Amanda... I sing comme une vache" (I'm sorry Amanda, I sing like a cow). Not so, she actually sings well. Anyway, around 8:30, after my concert, she calls us to the table and tells us to eat. Now, my housemate, Leslie, and I are never sure what to start with. She usually has four different things on the table at a time. For example, one night there was a bowl of soup, salad, cous cous with veggies in it, fish, and a plate of cheese. Now one would think that we would start with salad... nope. Soup first. Then cous cous. Then fish and then salad and cheese. Huh. But this changes every night. Last night, we had salad first... then green beans and potatoes and Alsatian sausage then a quarter of a pineapple each (no joke, it was actually a quarter... but it was the best i have ever had) then cheese. So my housemate and i decided it was best to let them take the lead. Dinner usually lasts about two hours and it delicious everytime! Our conversations are quite hilarious though. My housemate and I speak only in French, but when trying to think of a word, we often ask each other first. When we cannot think of the word, we then try to think of similar words. This can go on for some time. And this is in normal conversations. But then, when, for example, we start talking about President Sarkozy's healthcare policies and localisation policies, things get interesting. As well, the accent of the people of Provence is heavy and different then anything I have heard. It is not noticable sometimes, but then there are some people, like my host mother, who has a very strong accent. I wonder what we will discuss tonight!

So this is a picture of my friend and I in front of la Rotonde, a gorgeous fountain that is at the center of Aix-en-Provence!