long time no talk

Hello all! 

It's been a while, though I'm sure you will be happy to know that I haven't written because I've been so busy having fun here in the south of France!

The weather has finally started to warm up- I can now leave the house without my gloves, and sometimes even without a jacket! We are all very happy to see the sun and spend alot of time soaking it up in the parks and cafes. It's impressive what good weather can do for one's mood! I feel like, in the past couple of weeks, I've finally settled into my life here.

This coming week is our vacation. We originally planned to go to Toulouse for the weekend before leaving for Belgium on Tuesday, but that never really worked out. I'm fine with it though- I'm welcoming the down time with my family in preparation for the good times to come in Brussels and Amsterdam. Tomorrow morning I'm leaving for the day with a friend and driving to the beach. We're both excited to go. Then I'll come back and spend Monday getting ready for the big trip! I should probably get some homework done between now and then, too...

Classes here, as I may have mentioned before, are not inspiring and I have a hard time motivating myself to work when there are so many other things I want to do. It's very unlike me! Classes are a necessity though, so unfortunately I need to get my act together, at least a little bit, before exams.

Being here has been really good for me. Life here is slower and more relaxed and the new pace of life has been very restful for my soul. I feel relaxed, and am for once in my life content to improvise and "flow with the wind". Very little is planned ahead of time here, so one needs to get used to not knowing. It's been a very good exercise for me, because I've always driven myself crazy with my need to plan.

Weekends here are wonderful. On Saturdays we wake up late, have a relaxed breakfast, and then go to the market. We then go to a nearby cafe to read, drink coffee, and enjoy the sun. For lunch we usually buy a rotisserie chicken and potatoes, which we eat when we get back. The rest of the day is spent lounging around drinking moroccan mint tea and eating dates. Sunday is spent doing much of the same thing, though without the market, maybe a movie, and with a smaller lunch and bigger dinner. I never really feel the Sunday blues here- maybe because I don't have class on Mondays- but also, I think, because the week is so relaxed aswell. In short, weekends are very restful and enjoyable. I love spending the time with my family.

On Mondays I've started to help Sandrine and Robert (my host parents) by going to the school where they work and spending some time with the students in English class. I enjoy it, and it's very easy for me as all I need to do is speak in English! I like helping them when I can, and I find the experience personally rewarding. I like getting to know the French youth. Their perspectives on the US is pretty amusing and enlightening.

Now, friends, it is time for me to leave you again: it's time to sit out in a the sun and drink tea while reading a book for my litterature class! Torture, I know.

À bientôt!

<3

view of Paris from Notre Dame

First foie gras ever!

An excellent dinner of snails and hot wine

Hello All!

Everything is bon here in Aix! The weather has been superr cold, which has been a bummer (the Aix-ians share the Atlanta-ian view of, and preparation for, snow...AKA- apocalypse). The weather does make things a bit difficult, my 40 minute walk to school a bit less pleasant, but things should get better soon. My blood seems to be thickening too.

This past week was kindof a difficult one for me. I've been very frustrated with my classes and the french academic system, and have had a little bit of trouble coping and adapting. Up until now, nothing in my schedule has been concrete, which can make things difficult for anyone. I suffered a strong bout of homesickness and lonliness these past few days, was feeling a bit defeated, but things are starting to look up now that my schedule is becoming clear. I've finally figured out which classes I'm going to take, so I now know when I'll be able to take the time to do some other things I want to do (wine tastings, cooking classes, theater classes, dance classes, theater, gym..). The longer I spend here the easier it gets for me, too. Living in France has become less tiring, which is wonderful. For a while there I was exhausted after doing simple things, like going to the market (with speaking and trying to understand all the French/ the way things work here). Less fatigue means that I have more energy and feel more inspired to go out and explore! This, as I'm sure you can imagine, is a very good thing. One never realizes how much of a difference it makes in one's happiness when we don't have the energy to do anything.

Things with the family are fabulous. They are so fun, and I love coming home and spending time with them! I love my new siblings too- last week, when they were here, we spent alot of time together watching movies, talking, and whatnot. Today the family and I are going to see a movie together, and then we're going to come back and I'm going to cook for them (Hamburger Stroganoff, a family recipe, and one of my favorite dishes! Grandma, you will be happy to hear that your recipe has made its way back to Europe!) I'm looking forward to sharing some of my home with them, as they've been so generous as to share their home with me! I'm going to play some of my music for them too, which they really enjoy.

Yesterday I booked tickets to go on an adventure with some of my girl friends from the group for our winter break. The plan is we'll leave on the Friday of our break to go to Toulouse, stay until Tuesday looking around, then fly from Marseille to Belgium. We'll stay there for two or three days, then take a bus to Amsterdam. We'll stay there until Sunday, when we'll go back to Brussels, spend the night, and then fly back to Marseille on Monday morning. I'm really looking forward to it! I love the girls I'm going with, we have the same ideas of what we want to do (experience the daily life, not spend much time in museums), and I've always wanted to visit these places! I'm already looking forward to the Belgian chocolate and waffles...

For a little while I hesitated making plans, because I was overwhelmed by the number of places I wanted to visit and couldn't decide when was the best time to go where, blah blah blah, but I quickly decided that it was best to go with a fun group. And anywhere I go will be interesting and fun! This whole experience has inspired me to look into other places to visit and to start planning NOW. I luckily have a three day weekend every weekend (no classes for me on Mondays!), so I could look into going somewhere any weekend! I have some places that are high on my list: London, for one, because I have quite a few friends studying there, and its so cheap to get there! Then Spain, where I also have friends, and then there's Morocco, where I'll go with some friends from my group here! This new activity has definitely helped raise my spirits... ;)

Another thing that definitely raised my spirits yesterday was the discovery of a specialty beer store, a mere five minutes walk from where I live! I've decided to start a course all of my own: each week I'll go and buy a couple of beers, drink, rate, and describe them, then go back for more! I'll get through quite a few of them that way :) Maybe I'll create a beer blog.

That's all for now...time for the movies!

my love to you all <3

Gelato with my new family!

Cappuccinos in the main square: a new favorite past-time