Katelyn a la mode

Sunday, May 10, 2009

Weekend of FETES!

This past weekend was a bit of a celebratory one!! On Thursday, my group at the university had a picnic together to celebrate our last day of classes. In our group, we have people from China, Japan, Nepal, Sweden, Norway, Spain, the US, England, and more!! It is quite an interesting mix of people and cultures and we had a great semester together!!
This weekend was also the HUGE surprise 60th birthday party for my host father, Christian. We threw the party at a beautiful house with a GREAT view of the city. It was a party that lasted well into the next day and from which I have some WONDERFUL memories.
My roommate, Kate, left today to head back to the US. On Thursday night, we had a family farewell dinner at a great little restaurant in Old Montpellier. Last night, the girls all took Kate out to her favorite—Indian!! We received another roommate today who is called Juri. She is 28 years old and comes from Japan but doesn’t speak a word of French. It is a marvel to see how quickly she learns! It was sad to say goodbye to Kate but all good things must come to an end. I will be heading home on Saturday…I can’t believe it all is ending so quickly!

GROUP B2-4

The entire group before our picnic/Jenna and I with the Chinese guys who LOVE Americans!

60TH BIRTHDAY PARTY

The three roomies/Three roomies plus Jenna

Beautiful gardens at the house/POOL!!

Gals chillin by the pool/After Molly lost her balance and fell in the pool (no alcohol in her system)

Singing a song to Christian/THE CAKES!

GOODBYE KATE!

Roomies plus Colette at family dinner/The gals (minus Molly) at the Indian restaurant

Monday, May 4, 2009

The King of Cheese

This past weekend, I had a day that would please any truly French man or woman—I visited the Roquefort caves. For those who don’t know, Roquefort is a French cheese well-known throughout most of the world for its strong taste. It is a bit similar to blue cheese but, in my opinion, far stronger and tough to swallow. Roquefort cheese, by European law, can only be produced in the town of Roquefort, about an hour and a half west of here. The process of making the cheese is quite disgusting and is as follows: The producers make the cheese using the milk of ewes. Next, they add mold (yes—green, smelly, icky mold) developed from burned yet doughy aged bread left in the caves. Then the cheese ages a couple of months longer in the caves and, VOILÀ, the moldy cheese is ready for consumption.
The last I heard, the US was “at war” with Roquefort cheese because of a European Union ban on imports of American beef due to the presence of hormones in the meat. The import rate for the cheese into the US spiked up to about 300% and, according to my host father, the price is sky-high in the US. It might be a good idea to keep an eye out for it and see how expensive it is. But you have been warned—it has a VERY particular taste, which is why my host father calls it “The King of Cheeses.” Eat at your own risk!

One of the tallest bridges in the world

La Couvertoide (OLD city built by the Templars during the Cruisades)

Look at all the cheese!/Someone got hungry and now the cheese stands alone...

Look at that DELICIOUS looking mold/Cheese wall painting

Friday, April 24, 2009

Preschool Fun

Hello again! I know that this entry is a bit soon after my Spanish adventure one but I wanted to write it before I forget. I only have two weeks left of classes, a week of exams, and then I will be homeward bound! It’s all going by so quickly and I am getting ready to leave JUST as it is starting to get warm here. Oh well, can’t have it all, I suppose.
This entry is to show you the little ones that I have been working with since the beginning of January. Every Friday I go to school with Colette (my French host mother). She teaches a preschool class of 2-3 year olds at an elementary school about ten minutes from where we live. It is an area of Montpellier that many inhabitants, sadly, do their best to avoid. This area is where the majority of North African immigrants come to live, most of whom are from Morocco. These children come from large families living in small houses, often knowing only how to speak Arabic. Many mothers who don’t speak French can’t communicate with the teachers, a sad sight to see. A number of fathers are unemployed and seeking employment but, unfortunately, the prejudice toward immigrants still exists here. This coupled with the economic crisis leaves many of these families desperate. Despite these hardships, the children still come to school and learn French. Hopefully their futures will be a bit easier than the lives of their parents. Enjoy the pictures—today we had a fairy visit and give us the gift of an Egg Hunt!!!

Amine/Some of the class

Jasmine/Rosalie and the fairy telling us about the hunt

Hunting for those eggs/Nabil bringing back the victory basket

Snack time/Some of the boys

Maryam and Soufiane/Yasmina

Chahid!!

Monday, April 20, 2009

Uh oh, we're not in France anymore!

Hello there everyone, or should I say HOLA! That's right, I just got back from my 2 week vacation in Spain with my dad and my brother! It was a wonderful trip and we saw so many great places! Aaron and I spent several days together in a small town called Cadaques on the Costa Brava before heading to Barcelona to meet up with my dad. Barcelona was quite a city to see! Unfortunately, I fell very sick with a stomach bug for the last 2 days of that visit, but from the day and a half that I had there--I LOVED IT! Then my dad and I experienced the Spanish high-speed train and to go to Madrid, where we picked up the rental car (deep breaths, dad) and drove to Toledo. Toledo was an old, fortified city with cobblestone streets and an irresistable charm! After Toledo, we spent a couple of days in Cordoba where we were able to watch a very long, interesting religious parade complete with caped men, women, and children. After Cordoba, we set up camp in Ronda, a cute little old town in Southern Spain. We did day trips to Gibraltar (complete with the rock, monkeys, the english language, and fish 'n chips!) and Grazelema. Afterwards, we had ONE more UNESCO site to hit--the Al Hambra (sorry if that's the wrong spelling) in Granada. Then we made our way up the coast and back to Barcelona, where my dad flew home and I took several trains back here to Montpellier. I hope that you enjoy the pics--it was an AMAZING experience!