French cities, French friends, and French food

Last weekend we had our group trip to Provence. It was an action-packed weekend full of sightseeing, bus rides, and great food. We stayed in Avignon and traveled from there to the Pont du Gard, Les Baux, Saint Remy, Nîmes, Arles, Cassis, and Orange. Les Baux and Cassis were probably my favorites, but all of them were amazing and unlike anywhere I'd been before. I loved it. I'll post some pictures soon.

This past week has been pretty low-key. Monday I took a trip to the Dermatologist on account of a mysterious allergic reaction that appeared on my legs. That visit was definitely something I won't be forgetting anytime soon. In other news, I've been home alone with the cat since Tuesday (my host family is on vacation in St. Tropez with family) and I have grown to hate this cat more and more each day. Definitely won't be missing her after I leave. Wednesday, while walking home after class through a lovely park I frequent, two nice old French men started up a conversation with me and we stood there chatting for a good 20 minutes. It was really just delightful and brightened up my week. At the end of the conversation we did the bises (the kisses on the cheeks that the French do--something usually only used among friends) and exchanged names and I went on my way with a smile on my face and two new friends: Jean-Pierre and Guy. Thursday I woke up to a job offer, which was very exciting, and Friday Brittany and I took a day-trip to Lyon. Lyon is a beautiful city and we had a great time exploring it.
Overall a great week.

Some highlights:
Meeting Jean-Pierre and Guy
Signing a lease on an apartment for the summer (thanks, Jim!)
Getting a job offer
Accepting a job offer
Finding delicious ice cream in Lyon

Lowlights:
Having to walk through the rain every. single. day.
Having an allergic reaction to a mysterious culprit

One last thing: congratulations to all the seniors graduating this weekend! Colgate won't be the same without you. Wish I could be there!

Less than one month remains...

It's been a while since my last update. Dad came and went, as did Edward, and, among other things, I went to Giverny to see Monet's house with Maddy and Julia. Now it's really dawning on me how little time I have left here. It's already May (although the weather has reverted back to its March habits and has been cloudy and rainy in the 40s and 50s the past few days) and I leave 3 weeks from Sunday. It's totally crazy and unbelievable, and I don't know how I feel about the whole thing. On the one hand I'm having a great time here, my French is improving dramatically, and I'm learning so much. On the other hand, part of me misses lots of things from home and is very excited for this summer. There's the part of me that never wants to leave and the part of me that's itching to go.

Most of my friends who were abroad for the semester are already back at home or are currently packing their bags, while I still have papers and finals waiting for me in the coming weeks. I'm incredibly jealous that their work is over with, but I can't decide if I'm jealous of their departure. As I was walking home after class today, I realized that I'm secretly basking in this March weather. The stinging wind and the cold rain make me feel like it's still just the beginning of everything and I still have several months and so much traveling to look forward to.

I only really have one weekend left to travel and I was planning on going to Belgium to see Brussels and Bruges, but it's looking unlikely now. So after our trip with the group this weekend to Provence, my travel for the semester could very well be over. Whether or not I get to travel again this semester, I'm going to enjoy every minute of it. I'm going to delight in French culture and eat as many chaussons aux pommes and pains aux chocolats as I can manage. There are still so many things I want to do here (and still so many things I want to eat!), so being stuck in Dijon wouldn't be all bad.

Now, as always, here are some photos from my past few weeks here:
Edward tickling me at the Rodin Museum in Paris:
Me tickling Kristen at the Rodin Museum in Paris:
Me and Edward in Place Vendôme:
Me in Monet's garden:
Monet's Japanese Bridge:
And now I must be off to my last wine class of the semester. We're tasting 3 aligotes and 10 pinot noirs--one of them being a grand cru. If you knew what that meant (and how it tasted), you'd be jealous.