As you may or may not be aware finals week is upon us (much like the plague...). I have one real final tomorrow (a salon, or 2 hour class discussion concerning everything we have studied), one real final on Friday (an in-class essay) and one fake final on Friday (you guessed it, in my Provence class). For Provence we have to present a 5 minute éloge or praise of Provence. Easy like pie (speaking of which I now have the recipe of our host mother's lemon meringue pie - tarte au citron - so if you are super duper nice to me, I might make you some - just call me Amelia Bedelia). I studied all day for my Salon tomorrow - and I feel good about it. But enough about work - allow me to now discuss CHRISTMAS CHEER!!!!
Sunday evening was Vanderbilt-in-France's Christmas party. Everyone (well mostly everyone) dressed up and we assemble to merrymake and eat dessert. Specifically 13 desserts. More specifically nuts and dried fruit (the Provençal people have a Christmas tradition in which they eat 13 desserts: almonds, dried figs, dried apricots, walnuts, hazelnuts, clementines, calissons, and a few other not-very-desserty foods). Luckily there was also cake at our party. So we ate, we schmoozed, we celebrated, we avoided professors, and we got presents!! Each student was given a snazzy Vanderbilt-in-France black t-shirt. Also I (along with three other students, one of which also attends Duke with me, Luke) was named an ambassador and given a coffee-table/photo book about Provence. As far as I am aware my official duty is to talk up V-I-F to prospective students - I can do that. There may or may not also be some more ceremonial duties involved (christening boats, signing treaties, cutting giant red ribbons....) but I am sure I can get my assistant to go to those for me.
Last night we celebrated Secret Santa. I, of course, played Santa (official ambassador business). It was really fun. Everyone seemed to enjoy it. It might have been the last time that the whole group assembled. There is a tex-mex fête Friday night, but some people might not make it due to early flights. I will be very sad to say goodbye to my new Vanderbilt friends, hopefully I can visit them soon.
In other news I have started rewatching The West Wing (#bestshowever) in a valiant attempt to avoid all work. So far it's working! Just kidding, I am, of course, staying on top of my work. But I do love The West Wing.
We leave on Saturday - I am very very very very very excited (though a bit daunted at the prospect of a whole day of transatlantic travel). Luckily Emily and I are on the same flight across the pond.
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| Luke and Emily (dinner partners and partners in crime...) |
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| Maggie, Stefanie, Emily |
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| Bellegarde (Emily, Sara, Maggie): we clean up nicely |
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| shock and awe at being named co-Ambassadors |
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| Caroline and Maggie |
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