Okay all, here's the latest and greatest, and let me tell you, this is the greatest. I arrived in Marseille (which is where I took the above photo) last Thursday and was able to do a lot of exploring. I stayed at a hotel by the harbor, and slept quite a bit to alter the jet-lag. The flight was long and uncomfortable but I watched two movies and watched probably four hours of How I Met Your Mother. I was ecstatic to see the plane had it as an option for the in-seat TV's. When I landed the traveling to get to Marseille was really simple and went rather smoothly. I made friends with the police on the train, they are so nice, and were so curious about my being American as they said my French was quite good (phew!). Anyway, Marseille was absolutely breath-taking. The architecture is like nothing I've ever seen. It is exactly the way you see it in movies and postcards.
I was able to explore and sort of get my bearings for the ways of getting around and learning the maps and such. Google maps- best invention ever and whoever invented it and makes it so good deserves a raise. No matter if you have data connection nor wifi, Google maps can show you where you are all the time. I am beyond happy I opted to bring my smartphone.
I ate breakfast at the hotel Friday morning and was chatting with a man having breakfast as well. We were talking about the weather and I told him it was going to be sixty-five degrees that day... apparently sixty-five degrees is about equivalent to walking on the face of the sun, because in celcius, which I completely forgot about, that's about twenty degrees. The man was beyond confused and at that point, there I was, REALLY American. He was completely understanding and we had a good laugh about my slip-up.
During my exploration around the harbor, I bought an international phone, some postcards, and soda. For some reason the soda here tastes so good. I took a bunch of pictures and sat on top of some hidden monument on the coast line and read The Great Gatsby for a few hours. It was the most perfect day ever.
I left early Saturday morning and took a train to Aix-en-Provence which is where my school, host family, and life for the next six weeks is. My host mother picked me up from the train station and we went to the house that I am living in. The place is spectacular. The house overlooks the mountains from the terrace and my host mother is quite the botanist. She has fabulous roses of every color and I am so jealous... I can't keep alive, let alone grow, any plants at all. This being said, I'm not that into dirt and bugs so it makes sense that gardening is not my forte. The house I'm living in is fabulous. I have my own room, and enormous bathroom. Toilets are in their own separate room, and flushers are buttons, not triggers. For some reason this strikes me as important to note.
I live with the mother and she has two kids, a boy and a girl. They are so French and great it melts my heart. They are in their late teens and tell me where all the good places to eat and go out are. They help with my French quite a bit as well. I have to ask them to speak more slowly often, but they think its funny and really try to articulate so I understand. Don't get me wrong, my French when coming here was not bad at all, and being a New Yorker I am used to fast speaking... but the slang + speed + new words sometimes gets me. I have found that my French is already improving SO much. I am able to carry on conversations without making many mistakes, and I find that listening while reading the lips makes understanding a lot easier. Although I have been told by several French people that what I know, I know well, and my accent is fabulous. One woman actually thought French was my first language. There's an odd switch between English and French; I find myself forgetting that I can speak English to the other American student that lives in the house with me, and I'm in a stage where my language is Frenglish for sure.
I met the other American students Sunday and yesterday, and some of us have already established some good friendships and connections. It is really great. When I was exploring Aix for the first time I was using my Google maps and found my way quite well. I used to be the type to get lost in a paper bag but my sense of direction here is like that of Bear Gryllz. I found a short cut to my house from school, and now I don't even need a map (I know mom, it's crazy).
This place is truly spectacular and I don't know how I'm going to leave. I love being here, the people are great, the weather is great, I haven't gotten lost, and the coffee is like heaven. I see no reason as to why anyone wouldn't want to live here forever and a day.
C'est tout pour maintenant! (That's all for now!)
XOXO KLD
I was able to explore and sort of get my bearings for the ways of getting around and learning the maps and such. Google maps- best invention ever and whoever invented it and makes it so good deserves a raise. No matter if you have data connection nor wifi, Google maps can show you where you are all the time. I am beyond happy I opted to bring my smartphone.
I ate breakfast at the hotel Friday morning and was chatting with a man having breakfast as well. We were talking about the weather and I told him it was going to be sixty-five degrees that day... apparently sixty-five degrees is about equivalent to walking on the face of the sun, because in celcius, which I completely forgot about, that's about twenty degrees. The man was beyond confused and at that point, there I was, REALLY American. He was completely understanding and we had a good laugh about my slip-up.
During my exploration around the harbor, I bought an international phone, some postcards, and soda. For some reason the soda here tastes so good. I took a bunch of pictures and sat on top of some hidden monument on the coast line and read The Great Gatsby for a few hours. It was the most perfect day ever.
I left early Saturday morning and took a train to Aix-en-Provence which is where my school, host family, and life for the next six weeks is. My host mother picked me up from the train station and we went to the house that I am living in. The place is spectacular. The house overlooks the mountains from the terrace and my host mother is quite the botanist. She has fabulous roses of every color and I am so jealous... I can't keep alive, let alone grow, any plants at all. This being said, I'm not that into dirt and bugs so it makes sense that gardening is not my forte. The house I'm living in is fabulous. I have my own room, and enormous bathroom. Toilets are in their own separate room, and flushers are buttons, not triggers. For some reason this strikes me as important to note.
I live with the mother and she has two kids, a boy and a girl. They are so French and great it melts my heart. They are in their late teens and tell me where all the good places to eat and go out are. They help with my French quite a bit as well. I have to ask them to speak more slowly often, but they think its funny and really try to articulate so I understand. Don't get me wrong, my French when coming here was not bad at all, and being a New Yorker I am used to fast speaking... but the slang + speed + new words sometimes gets me. I have found that my French is already improving SO much. I am able to carry on conversations without making many mistakes, and I find that listening while reading the lips makes understanding a lot easier. Although I have been told by several French people that what I know, I know well, and my accent is fabulous. One woman actually thought French was my first language. There's an odd switch between English and French; I find myself forgetting that I can speak English to the other American student that lives in the house with me, and I'm in a stage where my language is Frenglish for sure.
I met the other American students Sunday and yesterday, and some of us have already established some good friendships and connections. It is really great. When I was exploring Aix for the first time I was using my Google maps and found my way quite well. I used to be the type to get lost in a paper bag but my sense of direction here is like that of Bear Gryllz. I found a short cut to my house from school, and now I don't even need a map (I know mom, it's crazy).
This place is truly spectacular and I don't know how I'm going to leave. I love being here, the people are great, the weather is great, I haven't gotten lost, and the coffee is like heaven. I see no reason as to why anyone wouldn't want to live here forever and a day.
C'est tout pour maintenant! (That's all for now!)
XOXO KLD