I know I'm behind by a few days but I have a cold and I've been trying to recover from that. Here's an update.
2nd day: we met our theatre director who seem very interesting and talented, but spoke in very rapid French and I only caught a few pieces of what he was saying. Basically, we're going to do several excerpts from different French comedies and he wants us to let our American culture reshape them a little, I don't know why. Then we went to a mime class with a very funny and sweet man who actually studied with Marcel Marceau! I had a bit of trouble trying to mime anger because I kept choking on my own breath. As we were walking back from mime class we stopped in front of Notre Dame and went inside. Im not religious but that church would have been worth joining the catholic church. It was so beautiful. I have pictures which I can't post yet but as soon as I figure that out I will. It had high vaulted stone ceilings with intricate carvings in the stone, statues of lovable looking saints, and stunning stained glass. The carvings on the outside of the building were a little graphic, especially the ones of demons taking people to hell, but It was amazing what the stone carvers, architects, and builders of Notre Dame had accomplished. Finally we went out for dinner and I tried escargot! It's actually very good, a bit like mussels. And from our restaurant we saw the Eiffel Tower light up and sparkle. Oh, and I also walked over an air vent wearing a dress and did a Maryland Monroe.
3rd day: we went to the Louvre! It was spectacular and I really wish I could post the pictures. I think my favorite part was Napoleans apartments. They were preserved just as they were and are ridiculously lavish. I also saw his throne which just screams power hungry. I saw Greek and romain statues, paintings and tapestries. I saw Egyptian sculpture and a whole hall way of Da Vinci and similar artist's paintings. I saw the Mona Lisa. It's very small, and truthfully I dont think it's the most amazing painting I've ever see. I think the technique which was used to paint it is masterful but the painting it self isn't stunning. At the Mona Lisa Is where it all went wrong. We had divided into two groups and were supposed to leave Louvre and begin a city wide scavenger hunt. Two of my group wer still in the Mona Lisa's room so another group member and I though we'd look at the rest of the paintings then return for them and start the scavenger hunt. Because of the Mona Lisa, that wing is the most crowded part of the Louvre so we couldn't find them again. Finally we decided to start the scavenger hunt and see if they were doing the same. We got within six blocks of the replica statues of liberty, but once we called are group leader she said to go back to the Louvre to meet our other members. So back we went not to find they weren't there. By then it was to late to do any of the scavenger hunt so we went to the finish line which was l'Arc de Triomphe. We finally met up with the rest of our group and we all went on a boat tour down the Seine river. We got to see the Eiffel Tower up close as it sparkled.
On Saturday I woke to find the day of wandering the metro had given me cold. Most of the day was a miserable train ride and then the nerve racking introduction to my host family. My host mother and my host sister, Valentine, met me at the station. I felt my stomach sink as I realized two things; one, my host mother and sister spoke very fast French and hardly any English, and two, I was a foot taller than both of them. They took me back to their house and thankfully gave me cold medicine and put me to bed.
The next morning things weren't so bad, I was still sick but well rested and I'd discovered that my host father and older sister both spoke English. My host mother, as it turns out, is a naturopath and had a variety of natural cold medicine for me. I sat and talked with my host sisters, Valentine and Alice, and the longer we talked to more I began to understand them. I began recognizing certain fraises that were usually lost on me in conversation. Valentine showed me the dance game on her wii which was actually fun and then we showed each other the favorite music on YouTube. I went to bed not as terrified as I had been.
Today the experiment had a kayak trip planned. My throat and chest no longer hurt but my nose running nonstop. I didn't want to miss the trip though, so I packed several packs of tissues and headed out the door with Valentine. The Kayak trip was actually very fun, but the water was very cold and that might not have been the best thing for my cold. The town where we kayaked was so old and quaint that I could see Napoleons armies marching in any minute. We walked a ways up to the base of a stunning cliff which reminded me of my class trip to Yosemite. We looked down into, now empty but usually underwater, caves. Then we hiked back down to the kayak rental place and got our oars, life jackets, and kayaks. I shared a kayak with Valentine and together we paddled our way down the long, beautiful, and very cold river. Valentine, though she won't admit it, is strong for her petite size and very brave. Several times, to prevent me falling in the water, she climbed up of the kayak and waded knee deep in the freezing river to dislodge our trapped vessel. The entire group reached its destination after only one wrong turn and one particular kayak tipping over several times. We changed our drenched clothes and caught the bus back to Avingon.
Well that's what's been happening, and tomorrow I'm going to explore Avingon so I'll keep you posted on that. Sorry for the post delay but fighting a cold while abroad isn't a fun experience.
Sincerley,
Drama Queen
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