Picture slideshow for last French class

Here is a short photo slideshow I did for our last day as a Groupe 2 de français (students in the class sent me pictures from their foreign exchange experience in Lille or other parts of Europe):

Au revoir Groupe 2!

C'était vraiment génial d'avoir être

ensemble dans le cours français à la Catho!

Wine tasting in Lille

Wine tasting/dégustation du vin

What: Salon des vins des Vignerons Indépendants

When: November 19-22

Where: Lille Grand Palais

Being a student at La Catho, I got a free entrance billet to go to a wine tasting (my first one)!

This particular dégustation du vin is one of two big wine exhibitions or salons in France during November (the other one in Paris).



I went with two of mes copines, Lalie and Kendall, whom I had a nice time tasting wine from various regions in France and interviewing some independent wine producers...

Interviewees:

1. Jean-Luc Tissier, Domaine des Crais, Leynes

2. Pierre-Charles Dartier, Château Cailleteau Bergeron, Bordeaux

Merci pour les interviews! Thank you for the interviews! :)

Tuesdays: Soirées entre Filles

BON APPETIT LES FILLES!

What: soirée entre filles or girls' night

Who: girls from all over the world

Where: my apartment

When: every Tuesday

Why: to have a great meal
in an agréable atmosphere

Every Tuesday evening I host a soirée entre filles with some of my new girlfriends. They are international students, just like me, at La Catho. The ones who attend are from Canada, France, Germany, Korea and the United States.

It all started from a girls' night I had with my girlfriends back home in Arizona. We had it every Tuesday actually, and it was such a success (thanks to Ikram, Kafiyah and Jessie) that I decided to start a tradition here in France.

We all meet at my apartment and take turns cooking different cuisines (to experience different cultures). The first Tuesday, I cooked a mélange of turkey, squash and corn with a side of Spanish rice. I was going for the Latin American touch... The rest of mes amies brought Camembert cheese, baguette, red wine and for dessert pain au chocolat.

Then, it was Julie and Lisa's turn to cuisiner, and they made a delicious pasta with a thick, milky sauce and salad on the side. We all have a wonderful time polishing our French language while we enjoy a hearty meal. I think that one needs a support system like this sometimes, especially in a different country where one stays for half a year.

I am very happy to share every Tuesday with my international friends learning from each of them every time!

Merci pour les soirée entre filles à tous!

Did the room number change again?

I knew something would happen to me today, and in fact, it started this après-midi on my way to class.

I had to print five newspaper articles and press releases before my two-hour journalism course so I went to la boîte à copies close to my school, Universite Catholique de Lille (or La Catho for short). Once I printed and paid the lady two euros for my copies and for using the Internet, I crossed la rue to begin my favorite class so far with Monsieur Visse. I had 10 minutes to spare, but it still was not enough.

I went to the original room number as the first week (because last week that room was occupied by another class so we all, as a group, looked for an available one), but there was no one there. I checked the schedule outside the room, and bien sûr, my course was nowhere on the list. I could not remember last week's salle number, so I went to the information d'accueil on the third floor.

Madame Aviez gave me the right number salle 144.

By this time, however, I was five minutes late but descended the stairs as fast as I could to the first floor. I vérifié the schedule outside the door, and it was the right one.

I thought I could possibly not be the only one confused by the change, but as it so happens, I was.

I turned the knob to go in, but it did not budge. Yes, I got locked out.

How ironic, I thought. Last two classes we started 30 minutes late, and this day when I happened to arrive five minutes en retard, the class started on time.

I found the nearest chair and started reading the articles and looking up words I did not understand. I decided to wait until the end of class to talk to le professeur.

My waiting episode. . .