My Last Week with My Host Family

So I thought I would post one more time before I leave Gaillac to head back to Toulouse.

I have had the most amazing time with my host family here in Gaillac. They have been so nice and considerate and they did everything they could to make me feel comfortable in their home. I really appreciate everything they did for me and I am really going to miss them.

I missed having Quentin and Pauline around this week, but it was nice to have some time with Dominique and Steve. On Monday, Steve and I went to work at 6am again because it was supposed to get really hot this afternoon and we didn't want to be working when it did. So we lifted vines and ran errands. Then that afternoon Steve took me shopping! I got a few more souvenirs. Hopefully I can fit them all in my suitcase :) Then that night for dinner Dominique wanted to make me a very French dinner. So I helped her make Salade de Périgourdine. It was absolutely delicious!!! It had three types of duck, pine nuts, potatoes, tomatoes, and bread. It was yummy!

Salade de Périgourdine

Me and Dominique after making dinner!

Tuesday was a nice and easy day. My host dad took me to visit seven vineyards in Gaillac. He had to collect wine for his sensory evaluation and for lab testing so I got to tag along. We visited some bigger, fancy wineries and some smaller, independent wineries. It was really cool to see all of them! Then this morning we did the same thing. We collected more bottles for testing. And this afternoon I helped label the bottles for his sensory evaluation, which I think he's having this Friday. After that, I packed up most of my stuff, and then some of Steve's colleagues came over for a swim. Some of them spoke English so I got to talk to them for a bit and have them make fun of the way I say Harry Potter, Plato, and intern. It was a good afternoon! Then I helped Dominique make my last dinner here in France. We made a big salad with some bread and hummus on the side. Then I had my last serving of bread and cheese :'( I'm really really going to miss France's amazing breads and cheeses. After dinner I gave my host family one last gift. I got my host parents a bottle of wine and a picture of all of us. I was nervous about the wine, but they said I picked out a good bottle, so thank god! I was afraid I'd give them a bad bottle. After that, we started to say our goodbyes.

I really had an amazing time with my host family, and I don't think I could ever thank them enough for everything they did. I'm really glad that I was able to spend the month with them, and I appreciate how kind and caring they were. They're a wonderful family and I'm really sad to be leaving.

So I guess that's it. I'll be heading back to Toulouse in the morning, giving my presentation on Friday, and then I'll be off to Germany on Sarturday. Hope all is well with everybody and hopefully I'll be able to post again sometime soon.