Bouquet du Vin, Orange, etc.

Another week beginning after another great weekend. Friday night, I went to dinner at a teacher's house with the other American assistant, Demos. We were at the Blanc residence from 6:30pm-midnight and had a great French dinner (about 4 courses, of course) and met her daughters (both about the same age as us) and her husband, one of the funniest Frenchmen I've ever met. Also present were her older daughter's boyfriend and one of her younger daughters' friends. It was a great night, the whole family is incredibly fun to spend time with. Her younger daughter spoke English with a perfect American accent; when I asked her how long she had spoken English, she explained to me that she never learned it in school, but rather from watching episodes of 'Friends' over and over with the desire to speak like Jennifer Aniston. A girl after my own heart :).

Saturday, I headed to Valence to meet up with Molly and Patrick for the "Bouquet du Vins," a wine exposition for the wines from the Côtes-du-Rhône region. This was an amazing event; we started by walking around trying whites, then took a break in the cheese, meat, and other local food specialties area, then continued with a tour of reds. Not only did we taste some incredible wine (including a 1999 Châteauneuf du Pape, one of the most famous wines from the region that is now aged 10 years), but I also had my first taste of Foie Gras and we saw a great "fashion show" that was nothing more than guys and girls dressed up in Christmas decorations. After conversations with some vendors, we even scored some free Pogne (local bread specialty) and a free bottle of wine! I guess it pays to be social Americans. Altogether, it was a great afternoon -- however, I never realized how exhausting it can be to drink wine for 5-6 hours straight! I ended the night by going home, cooking dinner, watching "Sideways" (I guess the wine tasting put me in the mood), and going to bed.

Yesterday, I took a day trip to Orange, a town a bit south in Provence, with Molly, Patrick, Marie (German assistant) and Demos. The town was beautiful, as was the weather (finally some blue skies and sun!). The one downside was that we definitely caught some of the Mistral, the well-known wind of Southern France. I don't think I've ever even experienced wind this intense in Wyoming, which is saying something. In the midst of our fight against the Mistral, we saw a Roman theatre (the only Roman theatre wall still standing in Europe), had a picnic at the top of a hill overlooking the town, and attempted to see a Roman Arc de Triomphe through the scaffolding and construction that surrounded it. It made for a great day-trip, although we all spend the train ride back exhausted (a combination of a long day in the wind plus the previous day of wine tasting).

Classes lately have been going really well, too. Most of my lessons have focused on either (a) Obama, (b) American businesses (notably Microsoft), or (c) American sports. All of them have made for incredibly interesting conversations. It's amazing how being an American in France has changed in the last week and a half (since Obama's election), on a couple of levels. With the younger people (students), things have gone multiple ways. I've had students passing me in the halls proclaiming, "Yes we can!" I've also had some tell me that they are certain Obama will be assassinated since Americans are all racist (this provided enough material to fill an entire class period, and some time outside of it, last week). More serious conversations with professors have been more significant and more telling of the French view of Americans. Essentially, most have said that the election of Obama is proof to the world that America is a nation of change, and that this choice proves that the "American Dream" is still alive. This is emotional for them, because they have spent years doubting it. Additionally, many have said that in electing Obama, the Americans have done something that the French would never have the courage or ability to do -- to rise above a history of racial differences and choose, as a people, to pursue a future of change. No matter what one's political persuasion is, it is powerful to hear educated French adults speak about the respect and admiration they have for the American population after this election. They see us differently, and it's clear everywhere I go. Vendors even treat me differently when they learn that I'm American, consistently expressing their pride in our decision. At the market, Patrick, Molly and I even got a discount on chicken because the vendor was so happy about Obama! Through it all, I have found France to be a fascinating place to be living after such an historic election, especially considering French/American relations in recent years. I'm looking forward to the conversations that will continue to develop on the subject.