Cézanne, Conference, and Cathedral

Something tickling to think about-- I know in my last post I talked about how I was worried that my French wouldn't improve that much because I haven't been speaking as much French as I would like. I've discovered that writing journal entries to myself in French also helps me think in French. And I've discovered that most people (American students) like practicing their French, so if I just start speaking to them, they'll try to respond (or they'll just respond in English, which is fine with me. Have you ever tried to conduct a conversation in two different languages?). Also the French Honors program at IAU has students who basically signed a contract saying they would only speak French here, and some of them are in my writing class, so I get to talk to them a lot! :)

Honestly, I wish my Art History class was taught in French too. It's taught by a professor who actually IS French, but he is teaching it in English. I know I've said it before, but I think it's actually easier to understand people when they speak in their native language as opposed to accented English, which is funny because I obviously speak better English.

Anyway, on to the adventures! Monday, I went to an art-sy sort of class... It was a group tour of Paul Cézanne's painting studio and a visit to the Terrain des peintres (the little mountain hill where he painted the view of Sainte-Victoire). We technically weren't allowed to take any pictures of Cézanne's studio, but I snuck in a picture from outside the door of his ladder and some other unsuspecting victims.

Here is the view of Sainte-Victoire. It has a cross on the summit. One of these days, I'm gonna hike up that thing!

When we visited the Terrain, we had a chance to paint/draw/color the mountain ourselves. It was pretty cool because that place is so serene. I totally understand why artists would spend hours recreating this thing. Here I am, modeling my baby version of Cézanne's beloved mountain.

For reference, here is one of (I'm pretty sure he painted it more than once) Cézanne's creations. Clearly it's like, way better than anything I could ever have the patience, creativity, or skill to do.

On Tuesday, Lucie and I were supposed to see Jurassic World at the cinema, but unfortunately she was feeling sick, and I also had a conference that I didn't know about, so we didn't go. I don't have pictures of us not going to the cinema, nor do I have pictures of the writing conference because honestly it was sort of boring and not something I would ever go to even if it were in English (which, by the way, it wasn't). But it was mandatory for class. I mean, clearly I'm a little disappointed that I didn't get to see the movie at my first French cinema, but I'm sure there will be other opportunities. 

On Wednesday, I did something pretty cool! There's a cathedral right across from my school, so I went inside today to look at the artwork. I tried to apply what I learned in Art History class to identify the paintings. Now that I'm home and looking up the actual eras of art, I'm pretty sure I got it all wrong. So I should probably study some more Art History... Anyway the cathedral was beautiful, and there was a "Salle de Silence" (room of silence) for praying and meditating, so I went in there and sat there for a couple of minutes. There was this tiny Jesus hanging from his cross on the wall. It was supposed to be silent, but they're doing construction in the cathedral right now, so... there I was, kneeling on the little chair/pad thingy in a position of Catholic prayer, and [bang][bang][creeeeeak] the construction goes on in the background. Kind of funny, in a sort of ironic way.

Anyway, I'm gonna share my food now! Not actually, because I ate it... but here. This week, I bought a baguette, some spreadable cheese with garlic and fine herbes, and a tomato from the market, so I made sandwiches!

I also visited this shop that sold salads. I feel like I always end up trying the wrong things to eat--the shop that I went to is famous for potatoes, and I didn't even get potato salad! Ugh. But that's okay because Marie-Claude and I have been having potatoes as part of dinner for the past couple of days, so I've had my fair share of patates. 

My unfortunate pasta (not potato) salad with sausage/pepperoni, pasta, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and vinaigrette

I also tried my first éclair ever! I had to because Ben got Leslie an éclair on Parks and Rec, so I knew I had to try one too.

The trip to La Ciotat was rescheduled to this Friday, so this weekend I'll be going to La Ciotat, St Tropez, and Marseille :) So lots of pics for that! Keep sending love, I miss you all and love hearing from you.

-Cindy