More catching up . . .

Goodness gracious there is still more to tell . . . I guess that I'll start with Sunday?
I suppose that I could have gone to Mass in my four-day old airplane clothes/pajamas, but I chose not to. I slept a lot and then walked around Dijon with the dog, Valentin, for three hours. I walked to the University (about 45 minutes) and then just went wherever the dog wanted to go. So I circled around a bit. Which was fine with me because I still don't have a mental map in my head yet.
Monday, Jim, the professor, treated us to breakfast at his place (pain au chocolat et croissants et Counter Culture cafe) and we filled out paperwork for the school. His apartment is old and beautiful, with a large renovated kitchen and lots of seating :). After breakfast and an introduction to the program and the university resources and Dijon, we went out to lunch, Jim's treat again. I had a chicken and cheese tartine (basically chicken and cheese on bread - kind of like a homemade pizza without sauce) and two kinds of wine. I promise that we do actually accomplish more things than just eating - we couldn't have actual classes this week because the French university forgot to send the bill to UNC, so UNC couldn't pay the bill! But next week we actually will have classes and placements tests and all sorts of unfortunate things like that. We next visited the university and learned our way around a little bit (it really makes me appreciate how lovely UNC is - because while Dijon is a lovely city, Universite de Bourgogne a Dijon is UGLY!) and talked about academic stuff. After Jim and Natalie left to do battle with the administration, all but one of the girls went shopping and then we headed to Jim's place for dinner (all right, maybe we haven't done much more than eat so far, but we will, I promise!). Preparation took quite a while, which was fine by me. I'd never seen a salad spinner before, but they are so fun and practical that I hope to purchase one when I return! I haven't really liked salad very much (the preparation - so much washing! - or the actual food itself), but French/Jim's salads are so good that I think that I will actually like them when I return. I do look forward to learning how to make all sorts, as they truly are good for you. We also had chicken (which I ate and enjoyed) and wild rice and a cheese course with *7* cheeses and a chocolate cake for dessert. There were also three different kinds of wine over the course of the night, which were also delicious. We arrived at Jim's at 5 to help with prep, started eating around 8, and finished after 11. Whatever else I eat during the week, Monday nights I will definitely eat well.
To be honest, I haven't really been wowed by my host mom's cooking. Perhaps it is because I have such a talented cook for a real mom. And perhaps because Jim spoils us with his wonderful dinners and restaurant meals. Nathalie (my-host-mom-not-the-TA)'s salads have been excellent and varied (my favorite has been tomatoes and hard boiled egg and olive oil and maybe balsalmic vinaigrette), but for the main course she usually just slams some meat down and some pre-purchased side dish. Maybe someone who actively enjoys meat would like the meat, but I kind of don't like it so much. One night, she served some very gristly and fatty ham. Another night, she took ground beef, fried it in butter, and then plopped it on our plates. I've been able to manage to eat about 1/3 to 1/2 of the meat that she serves, but it really does not appeal. The chicken and fish that I've eaten since putting the vegetarian thing on hiatus has been okay, but I guess this meat is just too rich for me. I think that after a little bit I'll tell her soon that I prefer chicken and fish or even meatless meals and maybe I won't have to eat as much ham. I had a delicious omelette the other night - made with pasta of all things! I think that the trick to the French omelette is not too much egg, a dash of milk, and various herbs that I have yet to identify. I need to find some good French vegetarian cookbooks so maybe I can cook a little bit for the family . . .
Although my host mother doesn't really cook very much, we do have a pretty traditional French meal every night. That means salade to start, then the plat principal, then some sort of fromage, then finally a dessert (fruit, so far). Sometimes one or more of these elements is missing, but that is the basic pattern. Plus bread on the side. And I mean this literally and figuratively. The French don't put bread on their plate, but on the tablecloth where it makes a big crumby mess. Don't ask me why. But they do.
I feel a little bit like I have stepped into a fairy tale. Every moment I'm like, wow, the French really do have excellent public transportation. Wow, the French actually do use "connaitre" and "savoir" in different senses. Wow, they really do have a basic framework to their meals. Wow, they really do put the bread to the side of the plate. Wow, that building is really old and people still use it. It's been a lot of fun.
After spending so much time with Jim, Natalie-the-TA, and the other students on Monday, the next two days were signficantly more quiet. I got my luggage on Tuesday, which was a terrific thing, so I spent my time unpacking, changing clothes at long last, navigating emails, posting blog entries :), working on the zillions of applications that are due in the next little bit, watching the snow, taking pictures, doing my homework, reading, napping, talking with my host family when they are in, and making a little simple food for myself. Its been a while since I spent that much time by myself, and it was really nice. At home, I try to spend time with my family and at school, there are always classes, meetings, people in the lounge :), and people in my room. All of these are fabulous and worthy pursuits, but it is also nice to have some time by myself and retreat a little bit. In the months leading up to the program, I was really afraid of spending this much time by myself because I thought that I had forgotten how to be alone since I never really was, so it has really been a pleasant surprise that I've enjoyed myself.
We (Jim, Nat-the-TA, and the students) all reunited today to run some errands: picking up discount cards for the bus and train as well as purchasing cell phones. Plus a two-hour lunch of course :-P. I had a vegetable and cheese and pine nut crumble, salad, tarte chocolat, and a tea scheherazade (which I mostly got for the name). We all shared our food and desserts and everything was wonderful. It was good to get some decent food after tramping about in the cold - it has really been chilly and I am without a hat or mittens (been using scarf/pockets as substitutes). I was foolish enough to not check the weather and then walk outside with wet hair, which promptly froze in the cold morning air. Je vais aller au marche demain acheter un peu de laine alors je peux trichoter ou crocheter un chapeau et des moufles toute de suite. http://www.freetranslation.com/ :).
Whew, I think that I'm finally caught up, eventswise at least. I will post musings about family, alcohol, the French people, and other stuff after I am done with some of my other work. Like reflecting on Kant. Who literally did put me to sleep yesterday morning :(. I can see why Madeleine L'Engle reads German philosophers when she is plagued by insomnia . . .
Love,
Rachel