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Published: February 9th 2008
La Citadelle
A picture of La Citadelle from an opposite hill.Chers vous tous,
I now have internet access and it couldn't have come a moment too soon! I'm not sure how many of you wait around with bated breath for my updates, but for your sake I would recommend against it! Quite a bit has happened since my last update, so I'll try and keep this within reasonable limits.
I am now in the regular semester here at the CLA. As it turns out, the intensive course that I took during the month of January was pretty far from "intensive". As a result, I got a little bit jaded and was unprepared to have to work during the semester here! I took another placement test to place into classes for the semester. Fortunately, I placed high enough that I can take the courses I need to transfer back to UNL. As it stands, I have 15.5 hours plus some extra courses. The extra courses include a literature class and culture class taught by Mr. Olds (the professor from UNL), a partial thesis, and preparatory classes for the DALF exam (Diplôme Approfondi de Langue Française, a certification for French language proficiency. In case I ever want to teach French or
Besancon
The old part of Besancon can clearly be seen by the crowd of red roofs. be a doctor in France. Yep, I know, neither one of which is in my planned future, but one never knows. Case in point: Dad! More realistically, I have to take it to attain enough credit for back home!) All together, I have ~23 credits this semester. As you all know, the Type A half of me would normally be a little (understatement) uptight about this, but I find that the whole experience of being here in France with some many different people around keeps me from thinking much about it. Classes here run a little bit differently, so there isn't much in the way of homework, but that puts added pressure on the one or two projects/exams per class that constitute my entire grade. Regardless, my grades from here will transfer back to UNL as pass/fail, so all I need to attain here is >50% in each class. However, my transcripts from here will transfer back to my medical school, so I'll try to do better than just scraping by! (Speaking of which, Mom and Dad are acting as my proxies and are running the medical school application process for me. So far, I have received acceptances from Creighton,
La Citadelle (night)
La Citadelle from another hill at night. UNMC, and Minnesota! I am very content to get the acceptance for MN which is my top choice of the three.)
There is an unbelievably diverse group of students at the CLA! It is truly an amazing experience to rub shoulders with people from literally all over the world. I have met people from the Central African Republic, Sudan, South Africa, England, Ireland, New Zealand, Sweden, Norway, Romania, Spain, Japan, China, Malaysia, Switzerland, Singapore, the US, and, as shocking as it is, France! It is absolutely fascinating to learn the incredibly diverse perspectives that are brought forth in classes and outside of class. (One is required to welcome strangers and friends alike into your home for 3 or less days in Sudan, people make pancakes on Mardi Gras in Ireland, Central Africans bump foreheads to say hello, the English don't know what a "hick" is, the Vikings did an excellent job of beautifying their bloodline in the Nordic countries, Romanians listen to everything from Bach organ solos to American rock at high volume right next door to me (ok, so not ALL Romanians, just the two I know!), in Japan it is impolite to NOT slurp your noodles and
Le Paysage
The countryside on the way to Arc-et-Senans. soup, Swiss yodeling appears to be a dying art, and Cantonese (spoken in Singapore) has 8 different tones associated with a word (compared to 4 in Mandarin Chinese) each of which give a different meaning to the same prononciation!
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Plans for the vacations in February (16-23) have changed a bit. The cost of going to Iceland was originally thought to be ~150 euros ($225) but that was without adding the cost of airport taxes which are apparently significant. The cost was twice as much as expected for travel alone, so I'll have to save my visit to Iceland for another time (much to my dismay!). The way it stands now our group will be in Paris from the 16th to the 20th, after which a few of us are going to Brussels for two days and then finishing the vacation in Amsterdam. I plan on trying to see Blake Lundstrom who has just arrived in Paris for his own studies on the outskirts of the city.
I have taken quite a tour around Besançon itself in the Le Paysage (encore)
Another view of the gorgeously simple countryside. last few weeks. The weekend after the ski trip to Chamonix, my host parents took me around the hills of the city. There is a significant amount of history here as the city first started out as a trading post for the Roman empire. Julius Cesaer even came to visit during the construction of the huge walls that encircle the old city. The original city is situated in a loop of the river (Le Doubs) and the open end of the loop is protected by a hill on which sits La Citadelle. There are six other hills around the loop, bringing the total to seven hills. This is the same topology around Rome, making Besançon a logical location for the Romans. Many of the ancient structures still exist, one of which is the famous Porte Noir or Black Gate.
After my tour of the hills, Jacques and Sylvie took me to explore a little farther away from Besançon. We first stopped briefly at the Salines of Arc-et-Senans and Salins-les-Bains. These are a form of salt mine, but instead of tunneling for salt deposits, water from the extremely salty underground salt water springs is pumped up, and then transported on
Arc-et-Senans
Les Salines, a wish of Louis XIVth to extract salt from the salty water beds below. to be evaporated. The salt content of the water at Salins-les-Bains is 330 grams/liter. For comparison, the salt content of the Dead Sea (which is ~8 times saltier than the oceans) is approximately 300 g/L! Salt was extremely important back in the days before refrigeration as it was used to preserve meat, so the Salines were important economic centers. The wooden pumping system built in the 17th century still works to this day; I have a video of it in action! After the Salines, I visited Arbois where Louis Pasteur spent much of his professional career working on vineyard experiments in addition to his work with pasteurization and vaccines. We then visited Dole which is the former capital of the Franche-Comté region. (Besançon is the capital now.) Louis Pasteur was born in Dole.
The next weekend (Jan. 26-27) Jacques and Sylvie treated me to even more tours! Jacques is very knowledgeable, and specifically about the Franche-Comté region. His family has lived here for over 300 years! We took a spin through the countryside to see some of the authentic farms of the region. The architecture of these farms is very particular and ingenious to deal with the harsh winters.
Animals, hay, humans, and whatever else are all contained in one building. Usually the family lives on the ground floor (which may even be dug into the ground) and everything else is above. This floor plan allows all the body heat from every organism to be contained and maximized. In addition, an enormous chimney, called a "tuyé" or "tué," is centrally located in the building. These chimneys are also used to smoke (thus preserve) their sausages and meats. Les Saucisses de Morteau are a regional specialty created in this way.
Speaking of which, I have had the opportunity to gorge myself on more of the exquisite meals cooked up by Sylvie! I have had choucroute (sauerkraut mixed with ham, sausages, vegetables and garnished with dijon mustard), steak tartar, cheese fondue, and ratatouille. Everything was simply delicious. I tried to return the favor one night with sloppy joes which everybody liked except for Jacques (although he valiantly tried to hide his dissatisfaction!) Somehow it seemed to be a pretty weak thank you. Speaking of which, I had an awful time trying to think of a truly authentic American meal to make for my family. If any of you have some
traditional recipes that you feel are truly American, I would appreciate hearing about it! I don't need the recipe, I would just like a brief description of it so I can share it with others here. (I would certainly not be opposed to getting the recipe however!)
Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, and I have since moved out of my host family's host. I now live on the main campus of the university and have to feed myself or eat at the infamous "Resto U". Some have come to affectionately call it the "Resto Eww". It's a university restaurant (restaurant universitaire) where students get complete meals for very reasonable prices (2.80 euros/$4.20). It's certainly edible enough for me, but it doesn't hold a candle to the cooking talents of Sylvie. Oh well, I am well enough equipped with a couple years' experience and Mom's sage advice that I can survive the coming months! Besides the move, the other experience of interest was a visit to La Percée du Vin Jaune (a celebration of the wine harvest that has aged the customary 6 yrs. 3 mos.) in a small town south of Besançon called St. Agnes.
Salins des Bains
The equipment pictured here was first built in in the 18th century and still works today. Vin jaune, or yellow wine, is a wine made from grapes that grow exclusively in the Jura mountains of this region. It has a very strong taste that makes it unfit to drink with a meal, but makes a good apéritif. It ages extremely well and it is recommended to let it age for at least 10 years but it may last up to 100 years. Jacques spoiled us when he brought out a bottle of the wine from 1976 when the host family of one of my friends came over for hors d'oeuvre s. Interestingly, the barrels in which yellow wine is aged are not capped and so some of the wine evaporates. The wine is thus packaged in squat, small bottles called clavelins that pose bureaucratic importation problems to the US. The yellow wine is thus virtually unknown back home.
Life at "La Bouloie" is a new experience for me since I have never lived in dorms before. My dorm room is 9 sq. meters (~100 sq.ft.) which is sufficient for me. My only complaints are that I have to supply my own toilet paper, the toilets don't have toilet seats, and my Romanian neighbors play their
Dole
The former capital of the Franche-Comte region, music at volume levels that even the old fellas in my barbershop chorus could hear (and sing to... on pitch!)
Alas, as I said before, all good things must come to an end. My prison cell bed is calling my name and so my story must wind down! Thank you for all of your thoughts, prayers, and e-mails. This update will appear on my travel blog soon along with the pictures!
Grands bises,
Damon
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