Not so Final Exams

Just finished my second of two finals. My final for Le Midi (20%)was yesterday and went pretty well, my Convo class' final (60%) was this afternoon..... on verra. I still have my final project in Le Midi, 8 page paper for my Paris through film class, and whatever my Business French class requires. All that being said, Im done with 2-a-day classes. All throughout July I will be done at 11:30. Let the relaxing in the South of France begin! But first: Paris. We leave on Sunday. Get pumped. In preparation, Debbie got us all personalized book gifts (turns out she is nice, despite what she says), mine was some wine literature. Hopefully I wont remain wine ignorant with all these people helping me. Movie night tonight. Anyone seen "Paris, Je t'aime"?
Below are my notes on L'Auberge des Lices (the Carcassonne Restaurant), I understand these arnt cohesive, but if you want to know what I ate...

Entree
Ratatoulli served cold, pressed into 4" circular mold 1/2" high. Topped with 4 anchovies layed perpendicular to the top of the plate. Grape/cherry tomato halved. One face down, one leaning up against the other with green cavear place on the left. Fresh radish flowered on right/top, fanned cucumber on the bottom right. A black olive tapinad in four lines forming a square in which the circle was inscribed. Slightly under-salted. Well cooked, still firm but not crunchy. The anchovies and tapinad overpowered the vegetables in proportions. The freshness of the Cucumbers didnt mesh with the rest of the plate.
Plat Principal:
Entrecote: I wasnt impressed with the cut of meat. The meat was unevenly cooked. a 1" disc of dijon butter on the steak. Served with eggplant and chive compote/ medly. over-salted and way to overpowering by itself. Paired with the stake it worked. The star of the meal was a potato souffle served in a 4" cube. The cheese was unidentifiable yet satisfyingly strong and creamy. At the head of the plate, a cherry tomato with the pristine leaves still attached. It seemed tagged on.
Dessert: Soupe de Fruits. A assortment of: strawberries watermelon, pears, apples, pineapple, cherries, and grapes served with a mango sorbet. Very refreshing and the sorbet was delicious.
Wine: a Cabernet Franc from Tentation. 2008. Soft mouth feel without clinging to the sides of your mouth. Mellow red fruity flavor with tanic after-tones.
Coffee.
Awesome meal, if you're every in Carcassonne definitely try it. People say the Casoulet is great, if you're into that kinda stuff.

What a Wonderful Day to Besiege a City

So I briefly went surfing around the blog-o-sphere today to see how Matt in France stacks up against other blogs. They might have cooler layouts, profound messages and correct grammar, but I have a photo of a cow wearing a beret. (I also have others of things Im talking about in the blog, but for those you have to check the last post and go to Picasa)









As alluded to, we went to Carcassonne on Saturday. It was really really cool. The gloomy, overcast sky as we approached the walls of this Medieval city made us (or at least me) feel like a perfect day to besiege a city. Our train dropped us off in the "New" city (its only like 400 years old) and we had to walk up to the old walled city. I couldn't help but imagining being back in the day, on a horse, with armor on, and someone yelling attack. Seeing as the city is on top of a very steep hill, in encompassed by a 15 foot wall, and Im just generally a nancy-boy, that order would quickly be followed by "Run Away!!!!" Just upon getting in the city we churched it up. Not really my thing, but it was a cool church and there was a Russian vocal quintet that was quite good.
Next we lunched. Dr. Bell told us she knew a good restaurant, and if there's one thing I learned on this trip, it's listen to DB when she talks about food. I took extensive notes on the meal and even tried my hand at being a food critic; unfortunately, the only piece of paper I had was the back of my homework i had to turn in today. Ill be sure to post it when I get that back. All I'll say now is: "BON"
After the 2hr lunch, we decided to take the Museum of Torture. About as pleasant as it sounds. Sometimes I find the atrocities against humanity incomprehensible, and this museum was truly a testament to the damages of hate and intolerance.
We left Carcassonne after some light meandering.

Enough of the heavy stuff, and time for a new "In France" feature: How to ________ like a Frenchman.
Every post, Im going to pick something I've learned how to do like a Frenchman and explain it.
How to Strike Like a Frenchman
The short answer would be prolifically. The tramway workers strike every weekend, but its not a "Everyone get your picket signs, we're going to hold this city at it knees by denying it tram service", its more of a "half of us will strike from our houses while the trams operate but less frequently." When I tried to explain to my host Mom that their annual wage-loss exceeds what they are demanding out of the strike.... well lets just say it got lost in translation. Annick herself is striking tomorrow because the retirement age was raised from 60 to 62. She doesnt know where the assemblance will be, but she already has an plans to go out with her friends. Even the French soccer team went on strike (my original idea was "How to be a fair weather soccer fan like a Frenchman") from practicing DURING THE WORLD CUP. Still angry.

Sunday we went to Saint-Guilhem le Desert. I think this wins coolest experience in France (so far). As we walked into this beautiful small town, I noticed there was not to much to do, but by hazard, I noticed some ruins on the top of the mountain. The man at the Tourism office said it would take 1.5 hours each way. I had 2 hours until the bus left. Bring it. I start at breakneck speed up this mountain. With a little help from other hikers, I found the little path that led there. (This is where Dr. Bell and anyone associated with UGA insurance should stop reading) and the sign that said it was closed. About 5 minutes down that path, the shrubs start to get a little more dense, but I endure. (This is where Mom should probably stop reading). Then the path stopped, so I dropped my pack and kept on going. After a few minutes of bushwacking, I decided to turn back, found my pack, took out my waterbottle for a drink. Behold the ruin, about 20 feet from where I had set my pack. It was spectacular from the top, the pictures dont come close to doing it justice.
Next we went to this cool cave. It was Way too touristy for my taste, however the lightshow (especially the music) was AWESOME (sarcastically, check out the video on Picasa) Yazz and I were super-disappointed that DB didnt let us go back through a second time.

Yesterday was the Montpellier Music Festival. It occurs in every French city on the summer solstice. It was really really cool. Bands everywhere; literally everywhere. I was a little bummed that it was on a Monday (class the next day) but it was really culturally relieving that such a huge event (the streets were packed) could happen on a Monday.

I hope you enjoyed my manifesto,
A bientot

Lunch from Heaven

"Mega Superstar Kabob 2"'s kabob sandwich is one of the most delicious things ever made by mortals. There are new pirated pictures up. That is all.
http://picasaweb.google.fr/matt.passarello

The Birth of Picasa

So who knew I had a picasa account already? Huray for horizontal integration with google. Thanks charles for the Idea.

France

I dont think they are in any decipherable order. Sorry about that. Think of it like a puzzle mixed with where in the world is Carmen San Diego.

So yesterday as our Wednesday excursion we went to a chateau (oh wow Matt chateau in France how original). So we took the tram to the correct stop and there was a huge shopping mall. With a 5 minute walk we were at the Chateau de Flaugergue. The cool part of this place is a) it fit in our time budget b) it's still inhabited (and they have two daughters....might have to make a return visit) and c) they produce their own wine here in Montpellier. After a quick tour of the gardens and Chateau (it was about the size of 4030 Regency Lake. I motion we rename it "Chateau de Choquettesse") we tried their wines. Remember, swirl to smell, sip and spit? We learned to See, smell, swirl to smell, sip, and get really drunk (just kidding about the last part but we didn't spit here, bizarre). It was a good step towards total wine enlightenment but I wasnt a fan of the wine (all the bottle were screwtop for starters), so didn't add to the mini-cellar I have in my closet.

Grab-bag of thoughts:
the cats have accepted me as one of their own. As a result I woke up to a very large dust-mop on my face. Dogs rule.
I've decided to do my final project on cuisine, Im going to try to cook the same typical Midi dish (Ratatouille?) with 4-5 different host families and video tape it.
First wave of grades just got returned, A's on everything, maybe there's hope yet! Still have the final exams (60% each) in 1 week. Yikes!
Debating on whether to take up Emmanuel on his Paris dinner offer (see first post) what do you guys think? Meet the gay guy I met for 5 hours on a plane for a meal? Perhaps with a group of several people?
Also, who all is following this? Im trying to leave inside jokes for everyone I know is reading, let me know if you want to be included in the fun! (2)

This weekend is going to be very very tiring but hopefully very fun and educational. Carcassonne on Saturday (google it, its cool) and Saint-Gueomme de Desert on Sunday (sp?). Two full-day excursions, and both are already paid.

Shout out to the Passarello family reunion. Love ya'll and wish I could be there.

Brain Vomit

Dont have time for structure or cohesion. Stealing Charles blog style. Is that enough citation to avoid copyright infringement?
Who'da guessed 7.5 hrs of class would be this exhausting. Current schedule: Wake, eat, class, eat, class, nap, eat, HW sleep repeat.
Wednesday went to nature lodge with TAs. Quite boring (sorry TAs). Were supposed to see flamingos. Didnt. Were supposed to read all the posters. Didnt. Were supposed to be astonished by its beauty. Wasnt. Was supposed to get better at French. Might have.
More class. Had our first quiz, Aced it. Turned in our first essay. Didnt.
Reading famous authors travel journals to learn about citys. This week Dumas. I like his French writing style. Might try to read 3 musketeers in French.....might.
French soccer game. Watched it downtown where there was a big screen (read: huge). Nothing really happened. Cant wait for a better game. Allez les bleus. Went out after that. Saw some creepy guys. Rule #1: if you dont want creepy guys to creep on you dont in your strong American accent ask if you can take a photo with them and then let them buy you a drink. Hopefully they learned that.
Saturday optional excursion to Aigues Mortes. Talked with Yazz (TA) in French all the way there. Usually can convey any thought and be understood when speaking French. Couldnt.
Got to AM, first thing river tour. Was told of the particular beauty of the country; other students saw it. Didnt. This post is sounding a lot more negative than I meant for it to. Im having a blast. Promise. Lunch. At bull cooked in wine. Pretty good. Nothing to extreme. Went art shopping with artsy girls. Cool paintings but au meme temp..... Crabby lady didnt let us on the wall around the city without paying. Others said it was the best part of their trip. Walked around more. Saw the salt mines from afar. Cool. Back on the bus. Half bus driver, half comedian. Unexpectedly took us to a wine emporium. Wish I was making more progress on the "become knowledgeable about wines" goal. Back on the bus. Yazz ran out of things to talk about. Wish I was a better conversationalist (across languages). Came home. Ate alone.
Sunday went to the beach. It was an awesome beach. Wish I liked the beach more. Dont worry mom, I wore sun screen. Got burned anyway. Dinner with Annick, she was late so I "cooked." Sauteed potatos and garlic and added left-over Ratatouille. It was ok but she was overly complementary. Homework. To much. How do they expect us to do anything but study? Easily 6 hours worth of work. Did it (granted poorly) in 3. Talked with parents. Going to only speak in French to the other students, even if they respond in English. Hopefully it will catch on and the others wont thing Im a giant tool. Might be too late. Might be the reason for my rambling.
Monday was long. Started bringing my lunch, saving money wherever possible. Ham sandwich with cheese and mustard 3 Eu for 2 days. Pas mal. Bought a french knife. Useful and a souvenir. Wait, do we say that? Souvenir?....Is it a good sign that I just had to google translate into English? Hello language fatigue, my name is Matt.

Im sorry about the last few minutes of your life I just wasted. As you might have guessed Im pretty fatigued, but you know what they say: "shut up". Also Im sorry that I havent taken any pictures while in Montpellier. Goal for the rest of the week: take 50 photos and create a flicker account. Someone hold me to it. I might try to come back and make the above rambling comprehensible. Might. If you want any clarification or further descriptions let me know and Ill be happy to oblige (we say that right?). Also, if this sounded at all negative I might just be following a "" journal style. That is to say: negative. I am having the time of my life and feel so blessed to be here. Shout out to SARC Lwt 4+ 3rd in the Nation. So proud of you guys. I'd like to think I played a small part, and you guys absolutely deserve it. Revel, it fades quickly to black and white.

The First day of Classes

I feel like today was just like every other first day of classes: exciting up until the actual act of sitting in class then realizing it's not as fun as you'd thought. This june I'm taking two classes: French 4120: Le Midi, and French 3010. The first class (a 9:00AM ugh) is a special topics class, the topic of this one is the geographic and cultural region of Le Midi. A slight misnomer, the midi encompasses the south of France (save Basque) and has an accent, cuisine, climate, and general state of being much different than the north. This class should be somewhat like my maymester course on Le Pays Basque. Everyone is taking this 2hr30 class and it's with Dr. Bell (our UGA Prof). After a 2hr30 lunch break (in case you haven't already realized they take lunch VERY seriously in France) we go to our "french" class (3010). This is the one where we actually learn french. This is with an instructor from the foreign language school (Accent Francais), and we're split in half (9 and 9) with a TA in each. Before we got here we took a written placement test, and we took an oral exam the first day; based on our performance on those, they placed us in one of the two classes. From what I can tell I'm in the more advanced group, (take THAT guy in Toulouse) but it kinda scares me. From what I can gather I am definitely the youngest member of our group and I think I'm the least advanced in my French studies. In this class and the other class I'm a little worried about keeping pace with these other more seasoned students. The idea of a 6 page term paper in French by the end of the month really scares me. I'll yield to Coldplay on this one and say "no body said it was easy, but no one ever said it would be this hard." I guess I'll just have to put that much more into it (and hopefully get that much more out?) Anywhoo, the afternoon class meets Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday. On Wednesday we go forth and conquer with the TAs (we go use French in the city). After June we start a completely different regiment; we'll get to that later.

The One Where He Travels A Lot

Wow, its been a whirlwind the last few days, rather than breaking apart by days, it might be easier to break it down by city:

St. John de Luz: As mentioned in the last post, after our stay in Larrau, we all loaded up into the VW Transporter (I unsuccessfully tried to get this to catch on as a nick-name for Dr.G) and drove to the beach town of St. John. Located on the Atlantic coast (picture above on right). Now comes one of those stories that make traveling worth it. We had a day to rest in SJL and Dr.G and I heard there was going to be some Basque singing in a square downtown so we decided to go check it out. Alas there was no singing there. We asked a street artist about it and she said there may be singing on the other side of the bay. What the heck, it's an off day. We walk up to the bay ferry just as its about to leave, and it drops us off on the other side. Just as we get off the boat, a full marching band pours out of a bar, lines up, and starts to play. What the heck, it's an off day. We follow these pide pippers (sp?) for a half mile to a giant circus tent. Just as we get there, another band starts playing, and waiters pour into the tent with trays of snacks, wine, and champagne. After about a half our of this, the band stops and directs everyone to another tent for the continuation of the fete. What the heck, it's an off day. Dr.G and I sit down to a four course meal of a potato and garlic salad, tuna, cheese, and apple pie. Through talking to the people around us we found out that we were crashing the town's annual party, and that in fact we were not crashing, but in telling the director of the "Party Committee" that we were American, had practically become the guests of honor. People came and said hello and made small talk after that including this cute French girl who asked if I wanted to dance. What the heck, it's an off day. It seems appropriate at this point to mention that all basque people seem to be born with this innate ability to dance. I tried to hold my own, but after two songs of being shown-up by everyone on the floor (including this 70 year old guy who kept flipping his wife [yes, like feet off the ground 180 flipping]), I decided to call it a day. Dr.G had made friends with some locals, so after a prolonged good-bye, we headed back to SJL. Not to bad for an off day.

Brassempouy: This was really and intermediate between SJL and Pau but it was pretty cool. There was this kickin church, and a cave where la dame de brassempouy was found. Turns out, much to Dr.G and our chagrin. They dont keep the real one there, it's in Paris. So the whole musee (and thus town) was for this replica.

Toulouse: I didnt spend much time in Toulouse, seems like a pretty cool city (picture to left). The two things I will talk about are the food. First, after getting excited about a hyped dish called Cassoulet, I was disappointed in its grandeur (the photo on wiki does it justice). Also, I got a pretty funny joke played on me: as I was walking along looking for somewhere to eat, I stopped and asked someone where a good, little known restaurant is. After going through several questions about the type of restaurant, he pondered for a moment and pointed me to a yellow building at the end of the street. It was a foreign language school. I was mad for a little then realized how funny it was. Instead, I pulled a Nick and grabbed a kabob and walked along the river.

Montpellier: Not much to report at this time. I arrived at montpellier around 2 yesterday got lost for 4 hours, at diner, got shown around, got a briefing on living in france, and ate diner tonight. Im glad that in our walking as a group, most people agreed that we should speak in French amung ourselves, both to pratice and to blend it. That should do great things for my French but it leaves you guys as my only English outlet. Rumor has it that tomorrow a big group is going to the beach, hopefully I wont be the only one not in a speedo. If you guys want to hear about anything Im not mentioning, please let me know!