Wine and libraries

Wednesday night, I went to a wine tasting aimed at exchange students in Aix. Run by two Americans who've lived in Aix for several years, Wine in Provence teaches you how to taste wine and let us sample (small) glasses of seven different wines: two whites, two rosés, and three reds.

Along with other American, Japanese, and even Dutch exchange students, I sampled the various wines and learned all about swirling for better flavors, sniffing before drinking for the full effect, and how to describe the tastes of wines—dry, floral, earthy, etc. It was really interesting because the people who run it knew all about winemaking and I learned a lot.

Thursday morning I woke up bright and early, optimistic that I'd have my history class... but I didn't. Instead, I tried to use the Fac's library to find books so I could start reading for my history class. That was a bit of a disaster. Firstly, the Bibliothèque Universitaire's website listed the three books I needed. Great! But when I got to the library, it turned out that two of the books were actually in a different library on the other side of Aix. However, one book was supposed to be there under sorting number 908.9. I searched through the stacks past the 940s, 930s, 920s, and 910s... but the next section was 376. Books 900 to 909 were nowhere to be found. I retraced my steps and looked around, but still couldn't find 908. Eventually I noticed that, on the far side of the room, there was a section hiding books 900 to 909. I still couldn't find the book I wanted; when I checked on the catalog computers, it turned outside someone else had just checked out the book.

Yesterday afternoon I did have Anthropologie de la Provence again, and I really like it. Our professor talked about the social classes of 19th-century Provence and the ways in which traditional Provencal towns were/are organized. Knowing that there are many exchange students in the class (eight Japanese students, some Canadians, and many Americans), our professor speaks clearly and always spells out proper nouns and obscure words, which is great. As I said last week, she supports the strike but said she thinks it's counterproductive to cancel classes.

When I got home from class, I saw the end of a TV show talking about the recent rise in crime in France. Apparently, burglaries and robberies have been steadily increasing—especially in the PACA region, where Aix is located. The presenter said that as home and car locks and alarms have improved, more criminals are resorting to violence in the south of France. How reassuring!

Friday means Expression Ecrite again. Today we learned more about composing a French essay, with a problematique instead of the Anglophone thesis statement. For next week, we have to write part of a French-style essay on the subject, "Can we note similarities between the arts of painting and literature?" After, I had pizza on the Cours Mirabeau with some friends. It was bright and sunny, and aside from the ever-present winds that have kept Aix chilly all week, fairly warm.

I used the afternoon to visit Bibliothèque Méjanes, where I managed to find four books I need to start reading for my classes. Like the BU, Méjanes isn't very well organized. Perhaps, though, I'm just spoiled by U of M's excellent, thoroughly-modern library? Either way, I now have four thick, heavy French books to start studying.

Tomorrow we have another program outing. This time it's to the Luberon—not Lebanon, as another student mistakenly said—a scenic region of Provence near A Year in Provence author Peter Mayle lives.