At the Institut de Français, there is a prof responsible for extracurricular activities. One such activity was offered for the first time Friday morning. We were invited to have breakfast a little early and then if we were interested, meet in the grand salon to watch and discuss the news. Julienne, the prof, showed us a couple of short news clips and then he asked us to tell him about what we saw. As usual, I understood a little, but not much. However, the exposure to French news is good especially when you have an opportunity to discuss the context. It made much more sense following the discourse, in French of course.
Friday night, the school hosted a social evening for all students with a buffet, sangria and a dance. We were even given permission to speak in English without a financial penalty. People dressed for the occasion including the chef, Natalie, who usually wears her white chef's uniform.
Quiche, smoked salmon, cold cuts, crudités...
These are some of my fellow students. The gentleman is from Canada and this is the 9th time he has come to the Institut!
The fellow on the left is my neighbour Larry, a lawyer from Boulder, Colorado. Frederic Latty, an Executive at the Institut is in the middle and Jackie, on the right, is another lawyer from the States.
Yours truly with Frederic
Students dancing and playing a game. The girl you see waving is from Chile.
There were flowers and white tablecloths, silver bowls for the sangria, glasses and china. It seems that this school goes "the extra mile" to create an environment where students feel special. They also provide opportunities for students to get to know one another while having some fun. When I got home and into bed, I heard the sounds of fireworks. Sure enough, I opened up my shutters and door and stood outside on my porch to watch a beautiful fireworks display over the harbor. I have no idea what the occasion was, but it was another pleasant experience nonetheless.
The next morning, I awoke early and enjoyed the most delicious orange plucked from the tree outside my door.
Afterwards, Larry and I walked down to the main street to meet our fellow students for a guided tour of Villefranche. Our lovely tour guide Rita, took us to the Citadel and the Volti museum, down to the harbor and through the old city. Along the way, she provided us with some of the history and the highlights. She spoke in French so I certainly didn't catch everything. However, once again it was a chance to train my ear to listen to the language and see some of the sights. Here is a view of the port from La Citadelle.
This small church is called La Chapelle Saint-Pierre. If I understood our guide correctly, the church dates back to the 14th century, but was restored in 1957. What was most interesting to me was the fact that Jean Cocteau painted both the interior and the exterior of the church to celebrate the patron saint and the life of a fisherman.
After the tour, I was invited to join a couple of other students for "smoko" at a restaurant by the sea.
To top off a great day, Maija, my friend from Montpellier and her husband Jean-Philippe, once again made the effort to drive here and meet me for lunch. It was so nice to see them both. Here they are in the courtyard in front of my apartment.
It is now early evening so I am going to sit down and enjoy a glass of wine from the bottle they kindly gave me as a gift. Life is good!
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