A few more Things I have done and Places I have seen in Montpellier

Generally, life has fallen into a comfortable rhythm here. I get up around 7:15 and head to school on the tram about 8:15. School begins at 9:00 and ends at 12:30. After school, I usually have  lunch with fellow students. There are so many restaurants and cafés within close proximity to the school that we have never been to the same place twice and this is the end of my fifth week. After lunch, I might go exploring (more about that in a minute), run errands, shop or head home to do my homework and study. Dinner is usually somewhere between 7:15 and 8:15 and it takes us a good hour to eat and chat. Domestic chores like the dishes or ironing follow and by then, it is time to think about getting ready for bed. I spend an inordinate amount of time in my bedroom. This where I keep my iPad so that I can call people using FaceTime or Skype, work on my blog, respond to emails and of course work on my French. Keith told me about an app called Duolingo that I downloaded and have been using regularly. I also purchased a couple of grammar books with exercises that one of my profs recommended. Regardless, I don't feel at all confident about my ability to acquire this language despite my efforts. Enough whinging! 

Back in my blog from Sept 24, I told you about the Jardin des Plantes. It had been closed that day, but I recently went back on a lovely afternoon. It was very peaceful and pretty. As I wandered through the gardens, I came across a prof giving a lecture to a group of students. What a great spot to have a class!

I also noticed, as I have in many places in France and in Europe, that people take advantage of green spaces to "just be". They sit on park benches and watch the world go by. We could learn something from them.

It's hard to believe it is October here - many plants are still in bloom.

On another afternoon, a few of us went to La Panacée which is the Montpellier Contemporary Cultural Centre. There was an exhibit of works created by artists from around the world including Canadians that explored current-day technologies in the most interesting installations. Afterwards of course, we headed to a terasse for drinks and conversation about the exhibit among other things. Here I am with my classmate and friend Bianca who lives and works in Germany.

This week, I attended another school event "Dégustation du Fromage". During the session I found out that there are more than 1400 different kinds of cheese produced in this country and that the average French person consumes about 24 kg of cheese per year. Apparently only Greece exceeds France in per capita consumption of cheese because of the feta. At any rate, I was able to try 10 different cheeses and they were all delicious - some just better than others. My favourite, as it turns out, was one I had never tried before called Etorki. Etorki is a cheese made with sheep's milk and produced in the region of Aquitaine/Pays Basque in the southwest of France. It is a firm cheese compared to many others like Brie, Camembert and Roquefort. In my opinion, the French really do know how to make wonderful cheese. The only problem is, there are so many kinds to buy and try.

Today was Enio's last day. He kindly took me out for lunch and then I helped him take his bags to the train station. It was an emotional good-bye for both of us. He left for Paris to visit with friends and then hopes to leave for Chicago, his hometown, tomorrow. I will miss his company very much, but know that we will stay in touch. Another lesson learned here is that people come and go - Gemma, Martina, Bianca and now Enio. No doubt, there will be many others by the time I leave next March. Even the profs don't stay for very long. In five weeks, I have had 3 different profs and I was told today that Clara (my prof now) finishes her contract at the end of next week. It really forces you to be flexible and reach out to new people. As a matter of fact, another student, Jan, invited me to join her for lunch on Sunday. Like me, she is from Canada and seems to be about the same vintage. She speaks and understands French better than me, but I found out today, she has studied in a french school in Bordeaux and another one in Nice before coming to ILA in Montpellier. Maybe there's hope or me yet.