New classes

My post about the wonderful weather truly jinxed things here in Aix... it's been chilly and windy ever since.

This is the second week and first full week of our new program courses. These courses replace the ones at the Université de Provence because, well, they're still on strike and it's the end of March. Our exchange program has thus found professors and graduate students to teach 13 "replacement" courses so that we can still learn and still earn transfer credit at our American universities.

There is, however, one slight problem: our new courses are held in our program office, a nice-enough office in an apartment building near the center of Aix.

The room used for our classes measures, perhaps, 15 feet by 20 feet. For most of the classes, which have ten or so students, that suffices, but not for larger groups. For example, today 29 students showed up for Histoire des réligions à l'époque moderne, and we absolutely did not fit

The other problem is that, as with many old French buildings, the office isn't air conditioned. Even on days like today, it's extremely hot inside, especially with students crammed close together. But opening the window is a mixed blessing: it faces a fairly busy street, so as well as cool breezes, lets noise from sirens and motorcycles enter.

But you know what? At this point it's just refreshing to actually have a fixed schedule, take classes, and have homework. And that's probably the only time I'll ever admit to enjoying homework.