Fontaine de Vaucluse

For our class on the French Résistance, we took a day trip to Fontaine de Vaucluse, where there is a museum on the Résistants in the région du Vaucluse. There, we were able to speak with a panel of surviving Résistants who recounted their experiences to us, and let us as questions about the war. It was very very impressive and moving. It's one thing to read about the acts that people committed for France during the guerre, and another to hear a woman talk about how her father worked for the Resistance, printing clandestin journals/pamphlets and in the end was shot by the Nazis, or the pair of former Young Communists who spent a decent part of the war in a german camp.

Even more interesting was after the panel when we went out to lunch with them. Although they're getting to be older, they're very full of life, and it was wonderful talking to them and hearing their stories over lunch. What's more, this was all conducted in French, and, there was one moment where I thought to myself "I can't believe I'm capable of doing this, honestly. There is no way that in Eighth grade, sitting in Mrs. Cousins' French class first period every day, that I could have imagined that one day I'd be able to actually converse in French like this." Truly, truly impressionnant/amazing/wonderful. I never could have imagined the level of French I have now, and, what's more, it keeps getting better every day. Example, Michel/Rémy pointed out tonight that "when I arrived I was nice and polite" and now I can give them both crap (for lack of a better word) and tease them both. It's Michel's most ardent wish (well one of them) that soon I will be able to swear in French naturally as well. It's coming, we'll see. Three weeks camping across France with 3 other French people will surely help, I feel. Anyways, here's some photos from Fontaine de Vaucluse etc.


The source that runs through the village. No one really knows where it comes from.