More Louvre

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Today I got to sleep in a bit, although I woke up earlier than I would have liked and couldn't stay asleep afterward for some reason even though I was still tired. It wouldn't be jet lag...it's in the wrong direction, so I don't know why.

I went to chez Catherine for lunch where we had spaghetti and fresh meatballs which was very good. Agnès then took me through the Egyptian wing of the Louvre. She knows a lot about the Egyptians and it was interesting to learn from her. One thing was that the hieroglyph that people like to wear on necklaces and things
does not actually contain a great mysterious meaning, but is representative of a sandal.

I really enjoyed seeing the egyptian jewelry, the mummy (although kind of unfortunate that they only have one) and the artifacts of daily life, like clothing, dishes, furniture, and games. I love getting guided visits from Agnès and Catherine who are both really knowledgeable about the works, but I also look forward to wandering around by myself and really taking the time to see things that I want to see. On Thursday, some paintings by Élisabeth-Louise Vigée-le Brun caught my eye. She was the first well known French woman painter, and I want to read about her and go back and look at her paintings.

We returned to Catherine's for tea and conversation. It is very easy to stop paying attention when I have been listening to French for a long time. Paying attention to French takes a lot more effort than English, and after a while it can become draining to really listen and comprehend the meaning of what is being said rather than individual words.

I came home in time for dinner and got to meet some of Mme Consigny's family, who were getting together for the 3rd evening in a row to celebrate her father's birthday. I had a cup of champagne and some delicious foie gras, yum! Her family was very nice, especially her father who talked to me a lot. His English is very good, but Mme told him I speak French very well and then he was talking to me in French. I was trying to follow the conversation when people weren't talking directly to me, but there were 2 different ones going on at once and it was very diffcult. However, I feel like I am getting a lot better at oral comprehension than I ever did from sitting in a French classroom.

Tonight is another early night for me as I have class at 830 again in the morning. While I like having it early and then having the rest of the day to do other things, it does make talking to some of my friends and family back home difficult...people usually look for me to be online rather than sending an email which I will see later. PLEASE don't be afraid to email! 😊

Goodnight everyone.

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