well, i've decided that, at least for the moment, i'm going to write in english here. i figure most people looking at this are english speakers, and if everything's lost on them except the pictures, then what's the point?
anyway. classes started at the fac this week. so far, this is what i'm taking:
monday: italian literature of the 20th century (overview) & introduction to provençal
tuesday: nothing! i went to a third-year french grammar and style class and was scared out of my freaking mind. [in france, undergrad is three years instead of four.] nothing like analyzing novels through a linguistic/grammatical lens... something i actually enjoy, because i'm weird, but i would have performed so poorly in that class it wouldn't have been worth it.
wednesday: a class on french créoles & french phonetics (at night, with the other americans)
thursday: a class on semantics
friday: italian literature of the 20th century (analysis of an italo calvino novel) & expression écrite (with the other americans)
this equals 14 hours at iu. oh, and my monday italian class is at 8:30 a.m. i know i swore off classes that start before 10:10 a.m., but i didn't really have a choice, and i need those italian credits for my minor. by the way, walking one way to or from the fac to my apartment takes roughly a half hour. now i might start going to pastry shops more often....
so that's pretty much what's gone on this week. last weekend saw our end-of-intensive-course party at our apartment (which then devolved into a trip to ipn, a dance club which i don't want to go back to -- it suffices to say that drunk guys unloading their bladders on dancefloors really puts me off) and faketoberfest/okposerfest, a beer night with some of the wisconsin lovelies. this weekend, who knows? it's unbelievably cold here, and it was cloudy today. and the wind! exercise caution when planning your wardrobe in this town. you'll have more than a few marilyn monroe moments if you don't watch out. or someone might pull a michel poiccard on you. you never know.
guys here pretty much suck. i mean, the ones at the fac are good-looking, but i never see them in my part of town. i got mauled by a high-schooler on my way back from class yesterday -- to which i yelled "casse-toi!" ("fuck you!"). in what country is it appropriate to grab onto the arm of someone you don't even know? god. and i haven't succeeded in meeting many french people at this point. i hate the fact that every time i open my mouth in this town, i get the old eyebrow-raise with the accompanying "oh, you're american?" but i'm trying, dammit.
we're hoping to get internet in the apartment, so hopefully my updates will be a bit more regular. i'll post some pictures next time i get online -- so, you know, tomorrow, or a week from tomorrow, or something. bisous!
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2 comments:
As I am subscribing to this among other blogs, and this is the only one belonging to someone I am actually acquainted with to some small degree, I would like to voice my opinion: French or English suit the travelogue well enough.
I am intriged (?) by what you are doing.
peeing on the floors - i would have stuck their noses in it, like a dog.
like the french of fuck you.
the only way I'll see France is through you.
After a while i'm sure you'll like it so much, you may not want to come home. I doubt it. Maybe I'll get to see you when you come home for the holidays. I haven't gotten my french/english phrase book yet. hopefully soon.
haven't been feeling too good lately, but i'm getting better.
busy at work as always.
email anytime, nothing like seeing everybody's email names, and then the DARK SIDE shows up in the middle. pretty cool.
talk to you later.
Betty Glover
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