Montana and France

I’m sorry, I haven’t written. I’ve been very busy. School has ended, and many things have happened.

I went to the Nationals  (The big final tournament of the fencing season, for those who don’t know) in Atlanta.  In fencing I didn’t do that well, being cut after pools in Cadet (the under 16 event), placing in top 32 in Y 14, and top 64 in Junior (Under 20 event). I refereed the other seven days, and in general, all went well there as well.

The day after I returned from Atlanta, we left to visit my grandparents in Montana. Montana was great. We went rafting, we went to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons. We went rafting as well. We went kayaking twice, both of which were very fun. We also went swimming. In Yellowstone, we saw two moose and a black bear. We hiked a little, but not that much, due to my knee. We played games with my uncle Scott and aunt Mary, who I haven’t seen in a while. It was a very relaxing trip altogether. The only annoying thing was the fact that I had to work on my online Health class, which is not exactly what I wanted to do during vacation.

After that, Thibaud, my french exchange student, came to Portland for a month. I wasn’t there for all of it (more like half of it) as I was in Atlanta and Montana, but we had a good time. My aunt and uncle, along with my cousin, came to visit at the same time. We played a lot of games, and it was very fun. I worked on my French as much as possible, but it was a little atrophied, as I had been studying Spanish for the last year, with no French.

I also attended a fencing camp in Portland, during the beginning of August. It was wonderful. We had world cup level coaches there, and I learned a lot. It was very stressing on my knee, which was a problem, with the affect that I could not fence the entire time. Training with such high level coaches and fencing such high level fencers was a great experience.

So, a week after Thibaud returned to France, I went there myself. I transferred in Amsterdam, arriving 9 in the morning. Of course, they lost my baggage. I was reinbursed 100 euros to buy clothes for the 3–4 days that I would be without my baggage. That day, we left the Pays Basque, in the south of France and northern Spain, where we spent a week on vacation. It was wonderful. I saw a Basque strength competition, which is a sport in which teams compete in various activities, such as carrying a heavy sack on the back, as a relay. In one such activity one must lift a heavy sack using a pulley as many times as possible in one minute. There are many of these activities. We saw about 8 of these activities.  It was a very nice trip. We went hiking, though not much, due to my knee. We played a lot of game with my French exchange student and his friend.

The next week was a week in Bordeaux. We went to the doctor, as my French exchange student and I had been ill (I still I am), and acquired a medley of medications. We saw the cathedral here in Bordeaux, which was amazing. Last year, we saw the Notre Dame from the outside only, as it was closed. Inside, it’s even more amazing. It’s amazingly beautiful with the stain glass windows, and the ceiling appears even higher from the inside. It was incredible. Historically, the St. Andras Cathedral is important because Eleanor of Aquitaine was married to the King of France within it.

This third week, I am in a French class at the Alliance Française here in Bordeaux. This first week, we are learning, regarding vocabulary, the press and cinema. Gramatically, we are learning how to use the plus que parfait and the passive form. It’s a very good class, and I am learning a lot of vocabulary.

Yesterday, I went on the “Discover Bordeaux” tour, given by the Alliance Française. It was very interesting, and I learned some  Bordeaux history. Apparently, Bordeaux grew mostly in the 1700′s, due to the “Black Triangle” of trade. Luxury items left Bordeaux, bound for Africa. There, these items were exchanged for slaves. The vessel then left for North America. There, the slaves were sold and the vessel took on North American products, which were then transported to Europe. It was due to this trade that Bordeaux grew. I also learned that Bordeaux is lucky, in a sense. Many French cities were bombarded during WWII, and many historical monuments destroyed. As Bordeaux was well in Nazi control, it was not bombarded, and, compared to other cities, it is well preserved. The rest of what I learned was mostly practical, such where the supermarket was, the theatre, etc. It was a very interesting and nice tour, and it was not too hot.

I will write soon.

Tycho Toothaker

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