Tours Week 3

Week 3 passed by in such a blur! My friends and I are just starting to get to know Tours— even though it is a village about half the size as my hometown, it has a lot more to offer than meets the eye. This week the sun came out for the first time since I came to Tours, and the village under the sun looked like a completely different city. It was as if all my worries melted away with the clouds, and the nice weather brought a new kind of vitality to the classroom and the dinner table alike. I went out more and explored restaurants, chocolate stores and patisseries. I welcomed challenges in the class and outside, offering to order for my group of friends at restaurants and participating in the excursions. During this week’s excursion, we went to the Cathedral at Tours. The architecture was amazing, even better than that of Notre Dame in Paris in my opinion, because it combined the works of different artists from different generations. Because the Cathedral experienced destructions and reconstructions, and the length of the construction allowed different fashion and techniques to form with the old. Listening to the guide was no trouble at all, especially since the guide, who was also our art history professor, was extremely passionate about the Cathedral and the story it tells about Tours and France.

Our main professor, who teaches writing and grammar on Mondays, Wednesdays and Friday, impresses us each afternoon on those days with his knowledge of history and culture in France as well as in a lot of other countries. His lectures are always engaging and intriguing. My French improved tremendously these days—I can read stories which I never thought I could understand in such a short amount of time, and communicating with the locals is much easier. Whereas before, my attempts to speak french in restaurants and shops were often met with strange looks and shrugs, now the locals are able to understand and interpret exactly it is I needed. On Wednesday I had to buy allergy medicine at a pharmacy, and while I stumbled over some words, I could communicate my needs to the seller without major hiccups.

At home, I am starting to learn french traditional cuisine with my Madame. Each night we prepare a three course meal for a total of three people living in the household. I have begun to recognize common herbs, the names of the most typic sauces used in dishes, wine and types of cheese. While preparing the meal, Madame is always very helpful in explaining the new vocabulary and demonstrates the simple procedures every time for me. The conversations we have over the kitchen sink have greatly boosted my confidence and oral skills, which have proved to be more than useful every day!

Tours, Week 2

It’s hard to believe that it has been two weeks since I have arrived here. At times, it seems as if I have just gotten off the train yesterday, and yet at times it seems to have been months. The start of this week rolled out smoothly, with only tiny hiccups such as the malfunction of the trams which my roommate and I take each morning to go to the Institute. At first, we all thought it was a strike, which so typical in France that no one bats an eye if the train workers are calling for a strike; in fact, Air France has just announced a strike for next week and all the planes originating from CDG airport may be canceled or delayed—a real inconvenience for the people who are coming for the Euro cup. However, the trams next to my house has stopped due to an accident further south and would go back to work after three days.

At school, I am getting used to the weekly schedules, the amount of homework and the different methods each french professor adopts. It has became a habit for me to read the textbook and list general questions for the professor beforehand, and surprisingly, the classes became a lot more easier. After a while, I learned the each professor’s distinct way of teaching, which makes participating in class much easier. Once I knew the sequence of activities and what the teacher expects from me in terms of participation, the class became more enjoyable and fruitful.

Back at home, Madame Remion is very helpful in assisting our adaption to the French lifestyle. Every day at dinner she would explain the origin and tradition of each dish, and also practical things such as how to buy the various ingredients at the markets. Soon as I cooked up the courage to venture outside my room and initiate conversations with my Madame before and after dinner, I found out a lot more about her life, the history of the old house we live in, and the stories of other international students learning french who have stayed in her house before. I still find it hard to carry out a conversation without stopping now and then to search for a specific word or phrase. But I think I’m more open to speak in French with native speakers and I can understand a lot better compared to when I first arrived.

Tours Week 1

Reportage pour Ville de Tours. Tours-sur-Loire 2012. Photographie Cyril Chigot.

Reportage pour Ville de Tours. Tours-sur-Loire 2012. Photographie Cyril Chigot.

It has been exactly a week since I have been in Tours, and I have seen 3 hours of sunshine, ate 7 whole baguettes, and more cheese than in all my life added together. They say I have experienced France in the most authentic way so far. Yet while not feeling like a tourist, I’m not feeling completely in my element either. The fully immersed experience is also a scary and difficult one. From the moment I arrived at the train station, I was a fish out of water, reading the foreign signs, tripping over my tongue trying to speak French, and looking for my host family in the grand train station. Estranged in an unfamiliar city by yourself, even just for a few minutes, leaves a bitter taste and a hollow feeling in your stomach long after finding your place. The first few days in my host family was also tough. Like a kid, I observed and imitated each daily activity; assembling the different silverware for a five-course dinner, cutting the cheese and baguette, and strangely, wearing formal attire at dinner tables, even if only family members are dining together. Navigating Tours to get to class is easy enough. There is a long pedestrian street with a distinct tram track down the middle that cuts straight down the village, and whereas the Intitut de Tourrain is on the south of the street to the west, my home was north of the street and two Rues eastward. I could easily walk for 20 minutes to get to the Institut or take the tram. Finally, the courses at the Institut is intensive indeed, with classes from 9 am to 12:30 pm, writing and oral workshops in the afternoon from 1:30 pm to 3 pm, and then extracurriculars until 5pm. I’m taking gastronomy and art history, all taught in French and aims to strengthen one’s writing and presenting skills. There are students from all around the world in my class of nine students– Japan, India, Paraguay, Korea, China, The United States, and England. Only one other student apart from myself is from the United States. Even though we fly through grammar concepts and readings, we always pause when there is a question. Thus, when come a situation when the professor needs to explain or demonstrate a concept, s/he would use simple french and gestures instead of English. At noon, classmates often head to local restaurants or the Institut’s cafeteria in groups, and small chatter in french can be heard all over the place. The restaurants in Town center are simply amazing; situated in the historic part of town, these restaurants serve all kinds of cuisine with student-affordable prices. The Chocolatiers and Patisseries boast their historic heritage and proudly display their products in their polished windows under the ebony frames. The city center is also quite lively on weekends; known for its huge population of students, the heart of Tours hosts happy hours from early afternoon to well past midnight, where under the string lights and evening stars all kinds of languages can be heard.