Two Weeks In France

Hello again everyone! Sun-drenched Cote d'Azur says hello too, though it would be "salut". The weather has improved substantially since I last wrote. We have had a few 20°C days now and I am understandably ecstatic, people here were aghast when I told them that we usually do not receive this kind of weather in Manitoba until May or June. This place constantly surprises me. The people I have met are knowledgeable and worldly, friendly and generous. One guy I met had lived in Montréal for a year and had a very high opinion of Canadians I am pleased to say, and another had lived in southeast Asia for several years. One thing I have noticed is the very low rate of obesity there is here. The largest contributing factor to this in my belief is the food people choose to eat: whereas in North America there would be several fast food outlets in a city the size of Hyères, I have only seen one: a McDonalds (I won't lie) that I have visited on several occasions. The Combes insist I am "not fat enough" and I oblige them on seconds as often as I can. Almost everyone smokes here too. I've been enjoying the favoured regional alcoholic beverage a few times (or more) a week; it's called pastis (past-eece) and I find it delicious. It is made from the anise plant and has a taste much akin to black licorice. I hear you either like it a lot or you don't at all. I'm also a fan of the comparatively cheap Heineken and Carlsburg one can get. Relatives of the Combes are out for a week or so and we have been eating a tour de force of Mediterranean dishes... Couscous and several kinds of meats, including tripe which I had never had before but was actually quite good for being cow stomach, baguettes, fresh fruits and vegetables, salads soaked in vinaigrette, onion quiche with anchovies and of course plenty of French wine. The coffee and brioche I have for breakfast every morn is heaven-sent. Life is good and I feel better than I have in many months. Corinne (my amazing tutor) tells me my French is improving rapidly but it is highly evident to me that I am still pretty bad at it. In our lessons we discuss what activities I did the day before, what I ate, how France compares to Canada, politics, our interests and experiences. She gives me sets of verbs to memorize daily and quizzes me using audio recordings, I practice reading high-level French aloud to improve my pronunciation. At meals when everyone is talking I try to keep up but they speak so gosh-darn fast! Regardless it is still enjoyable as the smiles, laughs and good-natured banter is obvious.  I'm going backpacking for the next few weeks but my plan is to come back for a couple more weeks of French before flying home. As I reread what I have written and look out my window, it would be almost impossible to not want to return here.  A bientôt mes amis,  William