After being placed in our respective groups, we were told that a few of the kids from the group (no names were named) got wasted last night and were being noisy and disturbing other residents. Apparently in France you're not even allowed to bring alcohol onto campus. Needless to say, the director was pissed and said if it happened again, those involved would basically be sent home.
Ahem, after that little announcement we started our first day of classes. It went pretty well, in my opinion. I chose 17th C French Lit, Grammar and Press/Economie/Politics.
My lit class was actually really great. Our teacher, Gilles, directs a theatre company on the side of being a prof so he's really into what we're studying. The plan is to study some of Corneille, Molière and Racine's work, respectively. We started off with a background about theatre in the 17th century. Basically that theatre was first condemned by the Church, then used by the Church for propaganda, then moved to the streets. We learned about spectacle déambulatoire which basically means that in squares they would have more than one stage set up, and instead of the scene changing, spectators would go from one stage to another to get a chronologic show. Slowly but surely comedians (so actors, but comedy was big in those days so we referred to them uniquely as comedians) and their counterparts wanted to make money so they started enclosing their performance space and leaving only one point of entry, forcing people to pay upon arrival so as not to see the show for free. Eventually theatres were built in the U shape they are now. The boîte à l'italienne was created, and with that and Louis XIV's reign, theatre became really something for those who were wealthy enough to afford it. The room is set up so that the audience is on a downward slant at at the bottom, facing the stage, sat the King, making him the centre of attention. As we continued the lesson we talked about Molière and how modernly he is seen as a rebel because his plays mock people who are in power. This is a common misconception. In the 17th C, it was the Monarchs and the Aristocrats who held all the power, and Molière's pieces mock the Bourgeoisie, those who work to make money. Back then, Monarchs and Aristocrats hated the Bourgeois because they were Peasants who worked and made money and wanted the same kind of respect and place in society as the Aristocrats, but to have the respect and social status of the Aristocrats you had to be born into it and not work to gain it.
After lit was Grammar which was pretty straight up. We reviewed all the verb tenses just to get back into the swing of things. Chloe, the Australian, sat beside me (after lunch we talked and it turns out she was born in Northern Québec).
My next class was Press/Economy/Politics. By this point I was struggling. I wasn't tired but I felt sick, my head hurt, and I was going in and out of consciousness at one point. We were asked to read a newspaper clipping but I couldn't focus on it at all. The class is very politically driven, particularly because it is designed to teach us about French politics. It's not really my thing. I don't think I'll go back tomorrow.
Lunch time came around. We ate. No big deal.
After lunch was where we had the option of going to Theatre, Commercial French or Conference. Being me, I chose theatre. I was actually really excited because I haven't been part of something like that since highschool. The first exercise we did, after introducing ourselves, was what Gilles called the Bottle. I don't know if that's what it is in English, but I've seen it before. It's a trust exercise. Basically everyone stands in a circle excluding one person who stands in the centre. The put their feet together and when they are told to, they let themselves fall in any direction. The circle is then required to catch the person and gently push them in a different direction. Being a bigger girl, I really didn't want to partake. We couldn't do another activity until every person went. So I was the last person to go. Before anyone started, Gilles would ask if they were ready. Reflexively, I said no. It caused a laugh. For the first time in my life I let myself trust the people around me and when it was time to go (with a bit of hesitation) I let myself fall backwards. Everyone played their part and it went very smoothly. One of the scariest things I've ever experienced.
When that was done, we did a read-through of La Cantatrice Chauve by Ionesco. It was interesting enough, but it was very repetitive and I wasn't hooked. It's supposed to be nonsensical, and usually I like things like that (RE: pppeeeaaaccceee) but this just wasn't my thing.
We did some tongue twister exercises to finish the day.
- Trois petites truites cuites, trois petites truites crus
- Poche platte, platte poche
- Je suis chez le cher Serge, si sage et si chaste
It was hell haha.
After that we came home. I've been feeling crappy all day, so I decided to stay home and not go to dinner or the movie. Instead I ate an apple and some cookies, Skyped with Sissy and lurked tumblr. The usual.
That's it for tonight. Bed time.
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