F a la F: Wednesday, June 4, 2003

In the morning we had French class. There are about 7 of us all together. We learned (or at least tried to) the alphabet or "l'alphabet" and all the pronunciations for each letter which was pretty helpful. We also learned the sounds that different animals make to learn the various tonalities of the language. It would probably be a sight for a French person to see.

In illustration class we went up to Tremeleau Chappelle to the old man who took care of it. This chapel, by the way, houses the same "yellow Christ" that Gauguin painted which was pretty cool to see in person. I remember for some reason in high school we were having a slide show of art and one of them was the "Yellow Christ." I think it stood out to me because of the reason why Gauguin painted it, to capture the purity of the Breton people and a desire to find a more natural, pure way of living. To be standing there looking up at the very spot from which Gauguin painted it really was a hit-home experience for me.

But as I was saying, the old man, probably in his 70s, was kind enough to pose as a model for us on his garden bench outside. He sat there for probably 2 hours straight, and I think I questioned the sanity (?) of his vital status a few times. Tourists at one point raided our drawing area and took pictures of we American students. I think they were German. While we were there drawing, the weather couldn't make up its mind. At times the wind would howl through the trees and clouds darken the sky, while other times it would be warm and sunny. The weather would change every 10-30 seconds. I don't know if I can get used to Atlantic weather.

Looking around all the beautiful nature, simplicity and smallness of the town, I wonder if people who've grown up here ever take it for granted or get used to it?