Some reflections...

I am very tired today, and need to go to bed soon, but I feel I should write a little bit. After looking over what I’ve written so far on this blog, I notice that what I’ve been writing is lacking in reflection. Part of this is because when I’m writing I have so much I want to share about what I’ve been doing and I feel if I were to include real reflection, the posts would be a lot longer (and considering the lengths of the entries thus far, I doubt anyone would still be reading my blog) and would take even longer to write. So in this post I’ll try to do less recitation and more musing.

Last time I wrote I was getting ready for my trip to Paris. As I’m sure you could tell, I was feeling really good when I last updated. I can’t decide if most of that excitement was because I am truly loving Dijon, or simply because I was so excited for my trip to Paris. Paris is, naturally, one of my favorite cities. It’s beautiful no matter what the weather and regardless of the day there are countless things to do. Our weekend in Paris was great. Friday we saw Notre Dame, the Latin Quarter, the Musée d’Orsay, and walked a lot. Somewhere in the middle we had a great lunch at a restaurant on the Seine (it’s very famous but the name is escaping me). Saturday was the Conciergerie (the prison for the royalty, where Marie Antoinette was held before her execution), the Louvre, the Champs-Élysées, the Eiffel Tower, good food, and reuniting with friends. Sunday was Montmartre, Sacre Coeur, the Marais, shopping, wandering, the Jewish Quarter, and falafel.

Me on the Seine

It was a very full weekend and I enjoyed every minute of it, but on my way to the train to return to Dijon I couldn’t help but feel reluctant. Until this point, I’d been so grateful for the chance to live in a place completely free of tourists and the English language--I was even pleased with the size of the city. But this weekend in Paris gave me a taste of how wonderful it would be to live there, even just for the semester. On the way back on the train I just thought about what I was returning to in Dijon and I couldn’t help but keep thinking, “there’s a reason tourists don’t go to Dijon.” Sure, Dijon is charming and has a few great things to see, but you really can see them all in a few days, if not one. I feel like I already know my way around this city completely. Thinking back to my semester in Venice, there was always more to explore, and even after my 5 months there I still felt like there was more to see.

The nice thing about my situation in Dijon, one could say, is in knowing a city that well it is easier to really feel at home in it. But the ability to enjoy that kind of comfort is hindered by living with a host family. I’m realizing now that I am never going to really feel at home in this house. Talking to other students on my trip, I realize how different my situation is from theirs, and I envy their ability to go, sit in the living room with their family and watch the news or a French game show on TV. In my house, they don’t heat the living room in the winter, so it’s always empty and dark (and at a very uncomfortable temperature for lounging), and, as far as I can tell, there is no TV in the house. These kinds of activities not only act as more exposure to the language, but also add to the ambience (French word!) of the household, creating a warm atmosphere to come home to.

I’ve just been feeling down the past few days but I’m trying buck up. I’m not homesick, and I wouldn’t rather be at Colgate right now (though I do miss you guys!), I just wish some things were different. But, c’est la vie!

I’ll end on a happy note. Things I’m looking forward to:
Feb 12: Leaving for a week on a romantic getaway to Normandy with two girls in my group.
Feb 26: Tentative trip to Geneva to visit MaryBeth.
March 6: Jim comes to visit!

Ihaven’t thought much past those dates yet. I need to focus on my work right now (my translation class is HARD!), but if any of you other abroad-ies want to meet up somewhere or go somewhere together, let me know!

Some Pictures!

My house:

My room:
Chocolate cake in Beaune (yes that chocolate is oozing):

Decorations at the wine festival:

Wine festival!:

Me and Pooh:

Me, Maddy, and Julia

Du vin, vin, vin, et un peu du pain

That rhymes.
But isn't entirely true. Du vin, vin, vin, et beaucoup du canarde, du fromage, du beouf, d'escargots, et d'autres choses is closer to what's really been going on over here. I have many, many things to fill you all in on, but first I want to respond to earlier comments:

Jim--More pictures are coming. As for the package, I like chocolate!
Mom--Cat's name is Margot. We're getting along better. She jumped into my lap a few days ago...it didn't last long. I think she likes me more than Ozzy (if that's possible?)
Nancy--Thanks for the advice! I keep forgetting to pick one up at the store. They're not exactly compact.

I also want to apologize for not updating sooner. I really have been incredible busy and I'm barely at my computer. Updating this blog is already becoming a burden, but I'll try to keep it up. I didn't think anyone was actually reading this thing (other than my family, who sort of has to) until I started getting e-mails and messages from people are actually reading! Yay for that! But now there's actually some pressure on me to update regularly with interesting news. I'll try my best. Let's see what I can do for now...

I guess I'll start with Wednesday night. After I updated my blog, I had a delicious dinner with my family (leftover pumpkin soup, pastry filled with goat cheese and roasted red pepper, salad, and a fruit tart) and then ventured out on the town. I met up with a bunch of people at Flannery's (so far my favorite bar à Dijon), some Colgate people, some French people, and I made acquaintances with some Holy Cross people who are here for the year. The night was full of French speaking and cheap beer and I had a great time. I got home very late (3am!) and was VERY tired the next day. Thursday we had the tour of the Musée des Beaux Arts (which was pretty incredible, and free!) as well as the reception I mentioned in my last post. That was lots of fun, and since I wasn't having dinner with my family that evening, I went with Julia (a girl on my trip) and bought a bottle of wine and drank it over some good conversation. We then met up with some more people, and another fun night ensued. Again, did not return home until 3am. (Not to worry, I am certainly not making a habit of staying out that late, but they were my first nights in Dijon and classes hadn't started!).

Friday we took a trip to Beaune, a village nearby, to see Les Hospices (old hospitals), enjoy a 3 and a half hour lunch (courtesy of Colgate), and go to a wine tasting (again, Colgate's bill). It was a great day, no doubt. The lunch was probably the highlight. I had a four course meal (at a fixed price) consisting of a dozen escargots, duck with potatoes, a cheese plate, and finishing with a delicious chocolate oozing thing (pictures to follow), accompanied by both red and white wine. Can't really complain. The wine tasting was also fun. We then returned to Dijon for dinner and an early night (for once). We needed a break because...

Saturday we went to St. Vincent Tournant de Bourgogne. Now, this may mean nothing to you, but this is the event of the year in this region. Basically, it's a wine festival (fête du vin) and each year it is hosted by a different town. When your town gets picked, it's kind of a big deal and you go all out (decorating everything in sight. again, pictures to follow). We paid each 12euro for 6 glasses of wine and a souvenir glass. Not a bad deal. Suffice it to say, the day was pretty great. We spent the day outside wandering around Chassagne-Montrachet, drinking lots of tasty wine, and exploring the town. It might have been cold. I can't really remember.

That evening we returned to Dijon and I met one of my host brother's friends, Dimitri, and a few of us went to a bar and chatted. Again, a night of speaking French, but this time I made it home by 1. Sunday was a lazy day, spent mostly planning for our imminent break (starting a week from today!) and preparing for our first day of classes the following day. Monday we had 3 classes, Thèmes, Civilisation, and Poésies. Mondays are going to be exhausting with 3 classes at two different campuses (at opposite ends of the city from each other). After classes I came home and ate another great meal with the fam: Spinach soup, a cheese fondue-type thing with potatoes and prosciutto, and a different fruit tart.

Tuesday we only had one class in the morning (Thèatre) and the rest of the day was spent finalizing plans for the break. Last night we went to the theater, and yesterday afternoon we met with one of the musicians in the play and some French students to discuss the play. The play was bizarre. It was a very avant-garde version of Tristan and Isolde, with bits of opera and rock mixed in. Not for me, but the performances were impressive. After the theater, we all went to a bar, but I left soon pretty soon because I need to rest up for our trip to Paris this weekend!!

So, tomorrow morning we're catching an 8am train into Paris with the group to do all the touristy things and eat more good food (once more, paid for by Colgate). I'll also get to see my friends Kristen, who is there for the semester and Alexandra, who is studying in Madrid for the semester but coming up to Paris for the weekend. I'm very excited. The following week for our break I'll be going around Normandy to Caen, Bayeux, Honfleur, Mont St. Michel, St. Malo and other small towns in the area. I'll get to see the D-day beaches (again) and visit one of the best WWII museums in the country. I'm going with two girls from my group and we found the cutest and cheapest places to stay, so we're excited for our romantic getaway.

This post is far too long and I doubt any of you actually got through it all, but to those of you who are actually reading, thank you! I'm about to put up an entirely separate post with some pictures. I'll try to update again soon, but don't hold your breath. I'm very excited for all my upcoming travels, but they don't leave much time for blog-updating!

P.S Forgot to mention--I'm kind of having the time of my life... :)