In less than four weeks now, I will be in Aix-en-Provence, France, studying art at the Marchutz School. Sitting here thinking about it, the whole idea of this is surreal. In four weeks, I will be studying my passion, art, in a place that carries the beauty one sees in Impressionist paintings and can only imagine Elysian fields to look like. In four weeks, I will be drawing, painting and sculpting in the heat of the French summer in what I imagine to be a series of weeks that will flow by like dreams. There are butterflies all over, in my stomach and in my head,―pleasant butterflies―and with the imminent arrival of exams in two weeks I really shouldn't and can't afford to be randomly daydreaming as I have been.
I imagine there being plenty of interesting people to develop friendships with, great food, and sights that will make substantial and permanent impressions on my mind. I imagine it to be like the Madeline cartoons I watched growing up: sweet and quaint, wholesome and happy. Or maybe it'll be like a Michel Gondry film: ethereal, artistic, and incredibly weird at the same time. The only thing I can realistically imagine right now is that I'll have a fantastic time and that this is an incredible point in my life.
In the vein of material things, I need to buy a better backpack and new traveling shoes. Mentally, I need to do more research and brush up on my French. Personally, emotionally, and spiritually, I feel as though I have already begun my journey to Aix. However, I can't help but consider of how so very quickly this time will pass, just like the many wonderful summers I had as a child. All of life goes like this though. This summer, I'll do my best to soak it in as fully, to breathe it in as deeply as possible.
This weekend I found this little gem on youtube:
I imagine there being plenty of interesting people to develop friendships with, great food, and sights that will make substantial and permanent impressions on my mind. I imagine it to be like the Madeline cartoons I watched growing up: sweet and quaint, wholesome and happy. Or maybe it'll be like a Michel Gondry film: ethereal, artistic, and incredibly weird at the same time. The only thing I can realistically imagine right now is that I'll have a fantastic time and that this is an incredible point in my life.
In the vein of material things, I need to buy a better backpack and new traveling shoes. Mentally, I need to do more research and brush up on my French. Personally, emotionally, and spiritually, I feel as though I have already begun my journey to Aix. However, I can't help but consider of how so very quickly this time will pass, just like the many wonderful summers I had as a child. All of life goes like this though. This summer, I'll do my best to soak it in as fully, to breathe it in as deeply as possible.
This weekend I found this little gem on youtube:
The spirit of childhood joy that I find in this video is exactly what I'm feeling now and hope to continue feeling while I'm in Aix. I'm ready for the start of something good.