Thursday was a pretty typical day. In the afternoon after our lunch break, we went to the swimming pool again and had a stipend dinner. Later that night though we had balleti dance, which is Provence‘s traditional dance. It was really fun, but hard to do, because you are constantly spinning in circles and having to switch places with people and such.
Friday morning was our last before the weekend, and no one couldn’t wait for all the amazing things the staff had planned for us. In our elective class that afternoon, everyone went to the art exhibit le goût de l’orient. It was a spectacular exhibit. The precision and detail of the act was captivating. We saw many old books filled with Arabic writing, and it was really interesting to see how people wrote books and concepts of of life back then in order to have them passed on and continued today. Art is not only pictures of landscapes or places; 
it’s also words and lessons that are shared and expressed. This form of art was what we say Friday.
Friday night we saw the movie The Congress. It was probably the most bizarre and crazy movie I have ever seen in my entire life. We all enjoyed it very much, but we were cracking up the whole time over the plot and scene layout. We had our cooking groups that night and made tacos for dinner. Saturday we went on a day trip to Quinson. After the hour-long car ride full of listening to music and watching the beautiful mountains in the distance, we went a prehistoric museum.
We had a stipend lunch and went to explore the extremely small and quaint town of Quinson. We kayaked for a couple of hours in groups of two or three, and the scenery was absolutely gorgeous! The mountains and flowing water were so serene and breathtaking… Everyone had an absolute blast.
We were pleasantly surprised to see Max and Justyna who came to visit us for the night. They are the staff who take amazing photos and videos for Abbey Road Programs. They are the sweetest and funniest people, and we were so excited to see them! The director of Abbey Road Programs, Arthur Kian, also came to visit us for the night. After having a salad party with everyone, Arthur, Justyna, and Max took us out for coffee and ice cream. It was the most amazing night! We talked in French and learned colloquial slang that French people use every day! It was extremely helpful.
This morning, Bastille Day, we got to sleep in, which was much needed. My roommates, Emmy and Kristen, and I went to a cafe to sit and speak French while sipping coffee and hot chocolate. We met with the group at two to go to the beach at La Ciolat. We checked “swimming in the Mediterranean” off of our bucket lists! We had a wonderful picnic dinner at the park and watched beautiful fireworks. We were sad that we missed the Fourth of July, but getting to be a part of a French holiday was a once in a lifetime opportunity that we will never forget.
-Lauren