So, after two and almost a half weeks here in Montpellier, I have learned some things. They are, in no particular order:
1) L'Université Paul Valéry is quite possibly, no scratch that, is the most disorganized organization that I have had the dubious and/or mixed pleasure of dealing with. And I am being dead serious about this. I found out why I couldn't sign up for classes before I left the States. Turns out, nothing is concrete until classes start, if then. And that's only the beginning...
2)Whoever told me it doesn't really snow in the Midi (or at least not in the Montpellier area)? Yeah, totally lied. It's snowed at least twice by now. Twice. Granted, it didn't stick, but still. Twice. Plus, it's more than a little chilly. It's out and out cold. Like Oxford gets cold in January, actually.
3)I take psychotically good notes in most of my classes that really require them. I have been trained to do this. It's all a matter of writing down a summary of everything that the teacher says. Yeah, my notes here in France? They're considered lousy, because they don't have absolutely everything the teacher says. Hopefully, this doesn't mean I'll be toast for the exams....
4)As always, public transport is a lovely, lovely thing. Living close to bus stops is also a plus.
5)Heating isn't as good here as it is in America. I believe this is because France is more concerned about energy conservation than we are, but I can't be sure.
6)When one is hiking in the Garrigue in the middle of winter, it is a good plan to keep moving. Because your toes will start to lose feeling after a little while if you don't. Also, when someone tells you to 'dress warmly' for the hike, they don't mean 'coat and sweater'. They mean 'coat, sweater, sweatshirt, gloves, thick knit cap, thicker socks, oh, and if you can manage to wear two sets of pants at once? I'd recommend it now'. Trust me, I know.
7)I am not a mountain goat. I am a human of meager athletic skill. The scampering over rocks portion of the aforementioned hike? Yeah, going to be tricky.
8)The French apparently don't like wasting money on two lanes of road in the mountains. One lane can function for both directions! Guard rails are also a waste of money.
9)Walking is good for you. Expect lots of it here.
10)Chinese sellers go for good quality, no mark, good price.
11)When in doubt, take the cell phone with a flash light built in. You'll thank me later. Also, don't buy prepaid minutes. There's a better way.
12)Everyone above the age of 16 smokes, with few exceptions. Deal with it.
13)In America, if you're getting a group of college students together for social drinking, most of them will be drinking beer. Here? Just go buy a bottle or two of decent wine. It's not like it's expensive, or anything. And no, that actually wasn't sarcastic. Good but nothing really special wine can be had for about five euro a bottle here. And it's what students drink.
Other than these eleven things, I present to you la Garrigue ( for which my host sister kindly corrected my spelling in the last post)
Other than that, life moves on more or less as expected. I've become a fan of the tv show Once Upon a Time, courtesy of my host family's affection for it. I have yet to see something like the first half of the first season, though, except for completely random episodes, much like I have yet to hear the actual American actors say their lines instead of the dub. My host family, by the by, remains great. I feel very much at home here, and everyone's been extremely nice and helpful.
And.... that's about it, really. I'll let you know what happens when something happens.
1) L'Université Paul Valéry is quite possibly, no scratch that, is the most disorganized organization that I have had the dubious and/or mixed pleasure of dealing with. And I am being dead serious about this. I found out why I couldn't sign up for classes before I left the States. Turns out, nothing is concrete until classes start, if then. And that's only the beginning...
2)Whoever told me it doesn't really snow in the Midi (or at least not in the Montpellier area)? Yeah, totally lied. It's snowed at least twice by now. Twice. Granted, it didn't stick, but still. Twice. Plus, it's more than a little chilly. It's out and out cold. Like Oxford gets cold in January, actually.
3)I take psychotically good notes in most of my classes that really require them. I have been trained to do this. It's all a matter of writing down a summary of everything that the teacher says. Yeah, my notes here in France? They're considered lousy, because they don't have absolutely everything the teacher says. Hopefully, this doesn't mean I'll be toast for the exams....
4)As always, public transport is a lovely, lovely thing. Living close to bus stops is also a plus.
5)Heating isn't as good here as it is in America. I believe this is because France is more concerned about energy conservation than we are, but I can't be sure.
6)When one is hiking in the Garrigue in the middle of winter, it is a good plan to keep moving. Because your toes will start to lose feeling after a little while if you don't. Also, when someone tells you to 'dress warmly' for the hike, they don't mean 'coat and sweater'. They mean 'coat, sweater, sweatshirt, gloves, thick knit cap, thicker socks, oh, and if you can manage to wear two sets of pants at once? I'd recommend it now'. Trust me, I know.
7)I am not a mountain goat. I am a human of meager athletic skill. The scampering over rocks portion of the aforementioned hike? Yeah, going to be tricky.
8)The French apparently don't like wasting money on two lanes of road in the mountains. One lane can function for both directions! Guard rails are also a waste of money.
9)Walking is good for you. Expect lots of it here.
10)Chinese sellers go for good quality, no mark, good price.
11)When in doubt, take the cell phone with a flash light built in. You'll thank me later. Also, don't buy prepaid minutes. There's a better way.
12)Everyone above the age of 16 smokes, with few exceptions. Deal with it.
13)In America, if you're getting a group of college students together for social drinking, most of them will be drinking beer. Here? Just go buy a bottle or two of decent wine. It's not like it's expensive, or anything. And no, that actually wasn't sarcastic. Good but nothing really special wine can be had for about five euro a bottle here. And it's what students drink.
Other than these eleven things, I present to you la Garrigue ( for which my host sister kindly corrected my spelling in the last post)
More specifically, I present to you La Garrigue outside of Montpeyroux, a little village maybe... forty minutes from Montpellier, where I and three other Occitan students spent a good portion of the day hiking with a local Occitan Language Club. It was.... kind of frustrating, because so much of it was in Occitan, and I was freezing, but it was fun, too. Afterwards, we went and hung out at the house of one of the students, a guy named Remy, as he lives in Gignac, which isn't too far from there, during the weekends. It was nice to get to know people a little better, and I did get to try a couple interesting fruity things, one called Cogne (I think. I'm pretty sure that's how they said it was spelled), and Kaki (no idea on the spelling there. Please, please don't hold me to it.) I prefer the former, honestly, but both were good.
And.... that's about it, really. I'll let you know what happens when something happens.
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