Dordogne

You know how in movies and books, the French countryside is portrayed as these idyllic little medieval towns, with farms that have fields and cows and sometimes castles? I never believed that it was actually like that - until this weekend. Middlebury organized a trip for the six of us in Bordeaux to go to Dordogne, a region just north of here, to see some of the countryside and how smaller towns look (in short, they are not Paris or Bordeaux). The Lascaux cave paintings - though only a reproduction - were absolutely incredible. The fact that they were created 17,000 years ago is unreal. There's a great deal that is still unknown about them, too. Some animals are as of yet unidentified, but there are also a multitude of symbols whose meaning has yet to become clear. They may be signatures, a primitive form of written communication... no one knows for sure.

The town we spent the night in, Sarlat, was very pretty and medieval in its architectural style, though it is primarily an attraction in the summer months. December - gray and rainy - is decidedly not the prime month to visit. Plus, given that everything tends to be closed on Sundays in France, it seemed very empty to us. Nonetheless, it was a good reminder that life in France is not all about the big cities. The most significant reminder for me, though, was the fact that France is known for its food. The specialties of the region may be foie gras and mushrooms, neither of which I am a fan of, but my GOD can those people cook. I don't think I have ever eaten that well in my life. Not to say that "well" goes hand-in-hand with "healthy" - they have a tendency to give you dessert with every meal (and, of course, pastries for breakfast). But mmm, duck confit that practically melts off the bone...

Now, of course, it is Sunday, I am back home with only pasta for food, and it looks as though we may have class tomorrow (!!!). Bordeaux III voted to end the blockage on Friday (57%-43%), although considering the large percentage (72, I think) that is against the law they are protesting, there is still a chance that the left-wing students will continue trying to prevent classes from taking place. I'll know tomorrow, obviously, once I find out whether I can actually go to my class or not. Bordeaux II is still up in the air - the next vote takes place again tomorrow, although a doctoral student told me that the professors are starting their classes tomorrow morning regardless. I see two problems with this. One, if the blockage continues, I don't really think students will be able to get into the buildings. Two, the fact that this is happening has not, to my knowledge, been communicated to the student body. If no one knows the classes are happening, who's going to go? They should take a hint from Middlebury and spam our inboxes with occasionally useful emails.