Classmates

For most of the month, I took French classes in Bordeaux. I was in level P4 (I think; maybe it was P3), which alternated among three teachers. Click on each photo to see a larger, more detailed version.

Our beloved D.E.F.L.E. building, where we had classes every day.

Classes were more relaxed, and the teachers interacted on a friendlier level. Here are some of my classmates, along with our teachers, hanging out after class outside the Bar La Buvette, at the famous (to us) Place de la Victoire.

Here are some other classmates and another teacher, at the dinner all the students had together the last week of class.

More friends the same night at dinner.

We can't study all the time of course. Here are some of us hanging out at another student's apartment, which happened to be on the top level. Hot? Yes. Very.

After practically sweating to death, we left to explore other places. Here are some German friends and I, as we pause on the street.

France is filled with amazing architecture. Even this discoteque, where we danced until morning, must have been hundreds of years old. This beauty of Italy was certainly not the first to rest against the walls of this aged structure.

While some danced and some rested, others sat at tables and purchased drinks for 30 franc's apiece. That's about US$6, even for a Coke! Well, where else could we go at 4:00am?

You can't go to Bordeaux without visiting a vinyard. Bordeaux makes some of the best, if not the best, red wine. Most chateaux tours allow you to taste the wine.

The last week of class, we had a picnic, for which each student was supposed to prepare and bring food from his/her country. I can't cook American food (or any food), so I decided to fix French Toast. (Is that American? I don't know.) Here, Ben (from the UK) tastes my first attempt. How polite of him to smile.

Behind the the dorm roooms, there was an ampitheatre. Almost every night during the week, most of the students would gather here and talk, eat, drink, sing, whatever. Germans, Spanish, Italians, Polish, Russian, and other nationalities just hanging out. The fact that many of them communicated with other nationalities in English didn't help my French much, though.

Americans seem to be ignorant of other countries, compared to those outside our borders. These German guys were able to quickly join in a rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner." At the ampitheatre, of course.

When it rained, we (usually) came inside. That didn't stop us from going about our normal activities. A few song lyrics downloaded from the Internet, a borrowed guitar, and we're ready to sing some more.

Leading the alleged voyeur back to the building.

But possibly the most interesting event was capturing the alleged voyeur. Several girls during the week had reported someone peeking over their shower walls while they were bathing. Rumors kept circulating for days, until I saw a strange person wandering the halls. After several people reported seeing him on different levels, Thomas finally found him crawling out a window. A large chase ensued, and we brought the man back, where several girls claimed he was the guilty person. The police were called, who came and took him away. He was obviously mentally slow, and possibly harmless.

The next day, some clever young fellow (obviously not me, but I won't tell who) created a sign in French (signed, "La Police") that read, "Important Advice to all the students who live in Village III, women and men both: After last night's events, which everyone knows about (the mysterious voyeur), it is recommended that you only take showers with all your clothes on."