Anyway...just as I predicted, I had a great fin du semaine. Everyone loooved my salsa du mangue and one girl asked for the recipe! It's very simple, if you'd like to try it:
-1 or 2 mangos
-1 red bell pepper
-1 green onion
-2 tbsp cilantro
-2 tbsp lime juice
-1 tbsp lemon juice
...Chop everything up, throw it in a bowl, mix it up, add pineapple if you feel like it (I did). Voila.
Yesterday I went to Tadoussac for the whale-watching excursion. Tadoussac is a little town on the coast of the St. Lawrence River. We explored the town, had a picnic lunch on a hotel lawn, and then boarded le bateau (boat) for the excursion. We saw beluga and minke whales and had a great time. Ugh...but il y'avait beaucoup du soleil et beaucoup du vent (there was a lot of sun and wind), and despite using sunscreen, I now have a coup du soleil for the millionth time. Hmm...I think that will be today's mot du jour. Je déteste le coup du soleil, but le coup du soleil loves me. Oh well...
Because of le coup du soleil, j'ai fatigue maintenant (I'm tired now) and thus using l'ordinateur to write this entry instead of practicing. I played les batteries...drum set...earlier, so I don't feel that guilty.
Speaking of practicing, let me give you an idea of what it's like here when I want to practice. As a percussionist, I have a lot of choices. There are two rooms with mallet instruments. One has a marimba and a drum pad (and not just the average kind you get with a starter percussion kit, this is the nice, rubbery kind that costs double the price). The other room has a vibraphone and a practice drum kit (meaning there's a rubber pad with a foot pedal for a bass drum, a snare pad, a hi-hat, a ride cymbal, and a stool). There is also a larger room with four timpani in it, and a rehearsal room with a percussion closet full of fun instruments. THEN...the best part...there is a whole village of drum sets here! This was a great discovery:
One day, I heard drum set playing coming from the door across the hall from the vibraphone. I didn't want to disturb whoever was playing, so I waited til the next day to check it out. To my surprise, I opened the door and found...six more doors! Two of the doors are always locked but the other four...every single one contains a full drum set and other great stuff! My favorite is the room on the far end. Not only do you get a window with a great view while you're playing, but also a temple block with a foot pedal next to the hi-hat, three cymbals, a marching snare drum, a speaker system, and another snare pad. Oh, and there are soundproof headphones to use when practicing, so you don't lose your hearing. Oh...and did I mention there are mirrors in almost every practice room, so you can actually watch your technique when you play? Imagine that!
Can I just stay here for my senior year? ;)
Ahhh Alma. I am having such a great time here. I can hardly believe a full two weeks have already passed; the time is going by so fast. Not to mention the amount of French I've learned! I can comprehend soooo much more than I could when I first got here. In fact...not to brag but...my professor had to change the way she assigns work so that the ''more-advanced'' students like moi don't get too bored with the easy stuff. We're not advanced enough to join the other students in the way-advanced class, but there is definitely a comprehension gap growing in my class. I love love love that Eva is my collaque (spelling? means roommate) here because we are advancing at the same level, and I don't think I could ask for a better study buddy, or a better ''sister''. It's kind-of funny how many times we've finished each other's sentences, or wanted to eat the same food for breakfast, or worn the same color t-shirt, or wanted to study at the same time. Parfait :)
Oh and speaking of funny, that's the definition of drôle, le dernier mot du jour. And...because of today's mot du jour I'm a bit tired right now, so I think I shall retourne à ma maison et faire un petit somme. Zzzzzzz....
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