Work, Work, Work...

Hello all!

Not much has happened this past week, so this will be a fairly short post. We have just finished our last official week of classes, which is both exciting and odd considering we are here for another 6 weeks. The upcoming week is when we make up any classes that were cancelled and not rescheduled during the regular school year. So although the 'last week of classes' is past, all but one of my classes will be meeting this week, one of which will meet twice.

As for the past week, it was mostly spent studying and attending class. I gave my fiche presentation on Jean-Paul Sartre on Thursday, which went pretty well overall. I think the professor disagreed on a few points with the author but to be honest I'm just happy that I am almost done with her course. I also had my exam for my French course, which also went pretty well. There were one or two parts that had me stumped (like subjunctive conjugation of recevoir...) but overall I think I did well and will end up with a good grade. I also did a lot of work on my paper for Sociology, which is due tomorrow and I finished and had corrected by my student mentor last night. I tried doing more work on my Centre Pompidou expose but a plan still eludes me. I don't know if I have mentioned this before, but she has a very specific requirement for the format of these exposes. Basically, they must be in the following format:

Problematique (Pose a question)

Introduction

A.
   i.
   ii.
B.
   i.
   ii.

Conclusion

Aside from allowing you to occasionally add a third major section or subsection, there is almost no wiggle room. In addition, whatever topics you choose for your sections have to follow a general chronology of the topic, which makes mine difficult because the entire project of the Centre covers about 8 years at most and the topic is actually the revolution of the Centre (but not after its construction, just how it in and of itself is revolutionary). Essentially, I currently feel like I know a lot about the Centre Pompidou while actually knowing little of what she will want me to say. But, now that I am finished with my Sociology paper I can give most of my attention to this expose. In addition to this, I also have a 5 page economics paper due on Friday, so it will be a busy week.

Despite all of my work, I am getting very excited about the following couple of weeks. After my class on Thursday (and turning in my paper to the office Friday morning) I will be officially on vacation for two weeks. So, on Saturday the 23 I am leaving for a trip to Amsterdam, where I will live with a friend from Beloit for about 5 days and then meet up with a couple people in Paris for two days before heading back to Rennes. I have already been told of several places I have to see while I am in Amsterdam including the Ann Frank house, the Van Gogh museum, the Red Light District (if only for a moment just to say I was there) and a park the name of which I am unsure how to spell. If you have any suggestions, let me know! Since I have already done most of the touristy things in Paris, I am going to try to visit some of the less popular attractions such as the cemetery where Oscar Wilde is buried and maybe just wander around and enjoy the city.

Once I get back from this trip, it will be back to work. Exams start the 9th of may, when I will have two more papers due. After that, I will take my last 5 exams and be completely done by the 18th or 19th of May (one professor does not know when his exam is...). Actually, I am not entirely sure because the system is somewhat confusing. Basically, each professor just chooses a 2 hour time slot in which they want to have our exam and send it to the office which coordinates that. Then that office posts the information. As it turns out, two of my exams are at the same time on the same day, and one of them is written so I cannot simply give my oral exam and proceed to wait my turn for the other course. This is apparently common because this happened with multiple courses, but I am just hoping that I will still be done this early so I won't need to drag out my stress for only one course. If I am done by the 19th, I am hoping to make a short trip (just a couple days) to the south of France to get some sun and see a different part of the country. We were thinking of doing Bordeaux or Aix-en-Provence, but again, if anyone has any (affordable) recommendations feel free to let me know.

So that is about all for this week. Something interesting has come to my attention recently so I will leave you with this fun anecdote. When I first arrived in January, I had to validate my visa through an office called the OFII. While there, they told us they would send us first a confirmation that our visas were validated (which came about 3 weeks later in the mail) and then eventually a letter telling us when we would have to go see a doctor for a chest x-ray (which would cost 55 euros, despite the physical I was "required" to get at home, and was never asked about), which I believe is to ensure that we do not have TB or some kind of deadly virus that would wipe out the country. As you may have already guessed, this letter has yet to come (knock on wood...). At this point, I don't think it would matter if it did come since I am leaving in 6 weeks, so I imagine I will not be getting any x-rays.

Anyway, I think I have filled my quota of complaining, French bashing, and updating for this week so I will leave you all for now. I will try to get a post in before I leave for Amsterdam, because I doubt I will be bringing my computer with me. If not, you will definitely hear about my trip following my return. Until next time, best wishes and happy easter if I do not get a chance to update you again before then!

Tom