Anyway, this past week hasn't been extremely fun overall, since I came down with a cold, but fortunately, it was just a little cold, and I'm already feeling better. The weather did get warmer, though! I bought some bread at the bakery and went to a local park for lunch on Wednesday before my examen blanc. It was wonderful to have the chance to simply exist: leaning against a tree, savoring my lunch, soaking in the sunshine, letting my thoughts wander. At home, I think I had become so focused and driven that I forgot it was possible, and not only possible, but necessary sometimes, to stop multitasking and just be. It's not that I don't have work to do here - I do -it's just that it's not being shoved down my throat by someone else to the extent that I feel like I'm out of control. I have the responsibility to decide how and when I need to do it to best prepare myself. That is a freedom I wish American schools could adopt, because I feel so much more human here.
I did finish the examen blanc on Wednesday, something I'm very proud of myself for having accomplished. I took close to 3 of the 4 hours I was allowed to answer the essay question in a fully developed dissertation format: 3 segments, 3 arguments per segment, 1 example per argument. It might sound impressive, but I can tell you right now that mine wasn't. :P I still have trouble expressing ideas in essay format intelligently, because I'm used to using certain turns of phrases in English that you wouldn't use in French. I'm still getting used to the French manner of expression. Verbally, it's getting a lot easier, but overall, it takes quite a bit of time to sink in. It's not enough to just look words up in the dictionary; you have to absorb the structure and the vocabulary at the same time. So, all that to say that I have no idea how I did; I could fail, I could pass...it's all up to how merciful and understanding the professor is.
Generally, I am definitely improving in self-expression. The other day, I was assigned a short story in Expression Ecrite/Orale which gave me some room to be creative, and I was really pleased with what I was able to do with it without very much help from my dictionary or my notes. Even writing in my French study abroad journal is no longer a chore, but rather something I look forward to. Unfortunately, I still get into trouble if I start in on a conversation about some uncommon subject like Native American burial mounds or bizarre weather phenomena or the story of Saint Patrick, because the vocabulary is so unfamiliar. (Yeah, try explaining those burial mounds without a dictionary. I did -- it didn't turn out very well.) But, normal life topics are getting a lot easier to talk about. I'm also understanding about 80-90% of what I hear now, as opposed to about 40-50%, which definitely makes me feel a lot more at ease. My brain doesn't just tune it out as noise now. What's even cooler is that my brain is not actively translating what I hear anymore: it's automatically registering the French as comprehensible communication without going through English first. :) Just the fact that my brain can do that astounds me. I've also had the chance to hear German and Spanish here, and I really want to pick up more languages now. I can actually understand some of the Spanish now that my French is more natural! Believe it or not, I really want to pick up Arabic. I'm disappointed that the only university that offers it in Arkansas is in Fayetteville... :P
So aside from writing and talking and taking exams, I've also been seeing a little bit of France - the part that I've really wanted to see for so long. On Saturday afternoon, my ALP class went on an excursion to the Plessis-Bourré Chateau, which is in the countryside about 30 minutes from Angers (by car). Its history dates back to the 15th century, when it was built by Jean Bourré, the Minister of Finance of Louis XI. It hasn't been altered since its construction was completed in 1473. That means you can still walk across the moat on its double draw-bridges (the larger one for carriages and the smaller one for pedestrians) and view its defensive towers. The moat, drawbridges, and towers all identify it as typical fortress of the Middle Ages, but it's large rooms, gardens, and even the windows show a clear crossover into Renaissance characteristics; thus, it is classified as a chateau in the Transition style.
Voila! Anyway, I couldn't understand most of what the guide was saying, because he chewed his words and couldn't decide how fast he was going to talk. So, I decided I wasn't going to worry about it, since concentrating harder wasn't getting me anywhere at all. I just started looking around for myself and enjoying the chateau for what I personally thought was interesting or beautiful. Oh...there was one other memorable incident: when the guide demonstrated how the counterbalance system of the drawbridge worked. He lifted the smaller drawbridge halfway, and then when he had sufficiently explained the mechanics, he let it drop. Now, there are a lot of birds that fly around the chateau, it being situated in the country and all. Unfortunately, one of them decided to land underneath the end of the drawbridge just as the guide let go of the counterbalance. It didn't take long for everyone to realize what had happened, especially after the drawbridge bounced back up again. :P Fortunately, I wasn't looking, but I got a kick out of the rest of the girls' reactions. They ranged from "Eww!" to "Aww!" to "Meh, c'est la vie!" I just took a picture. :P
We finished the day's field trip with a stop at Collegiale Saint Martin, the oldest church still existing in Angers. It dates back to the 11th century, but of course, it's been mostly reconstructed. You can still see parts of the original structure, though. The original church was established in the 5th century, which means that the archeological dig in the crypt below the church site has unearthed roadways and walls and artifacts from the 5th century occupation of the Romans in the city, when it was known as Juliomagus. We were able to view some of those ancient ruins underground, and some super old skeletal remains upstairs, both of which were pretty stinkin' awesome. If you want to see some pictures of the day's excursion, I've posted them on Facebook. :)
A tout à l'heure!
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