Oh la vache!!!

So I'm aware that it has been a while since I last posted anything but I have been very busy picking grapes and learning the intricacies of the French language for the past 2 weeks in Champagne. My new favorite phrase is "oh la vache" it means oh the cow but in France it is also a very commonly used vulgar phrase. And by commonly used I mean I heard it at least 5 times per hour from each person. I decided to repeat after everyone said and now they think that I'm hilarious, which is good since I'm incapable of joking in French; they just don't translate. I'm also incapable of complaining in French because Mrs. Wetsig never taught us the vocabulary therefore the French think that I'm some crazy American who is always happy and never whines. Those of you who know me are probably laughing pretty hard right now.

I was stronger then the majority of people there because we began with 20 people on our team and finished with 4. A lot of people just broke down toward the end both physically and emotionally. I always knew that harvesting was difficult but I now have an elevated respect for individuals who do it for more than 2 weeks a year. It is truly backbreaking work. I think the thing that saved me was my newfound and necessary positive attitude as well as the 2 girls on my team who became friends. We laughed a lot together!! And one was the daughter of they vineyard owners who had recently taken an English course and was just either to speak with me. She reminded me a lot of Maresa in some ways and I really enjoyed my time with her. We had a good dynamic where she helped me understand the leader or our team so I couldn't mess up too bad and she didn't hate me for all of my questions. We also had great discussions.

While I was in Champagne I experienced something I had never seen before in my life; Champagne is like bottled water! There the same thing. Obviously not for real, but people drank it during breaks, for lunch and they also would dump some out if they didn't want it all or were just tasting it. It was crazy. Every time someone went to dump some down the drain I cried a little inside. Overall, the whole experience was quite exhausting mentally for me because of the 24/7 French language in large groups. At night I would just stop listening unless someone addressed me directly, which was difficult at times as my name sounds like about 5 commonly used French words. But I persevered, had a great time and had an overall good cultural experience. I also think that I acted as a great cultural ambassador and am fulfilling my role as a Fulbrighter quite nicely.

And now I leave you with my favorite phrase "Oh la vache". It is always necessary to picture a cow when you see of hear this, preferably a large white one.

Ciao for now!

~Sarah