I could not have picked a more perfect place to study abroad. Every morning I wake up to a variation on this view of Montaigne Saint Victoire, piece myself together, and head to class. While all my friends in Montana don their winter coats and Sorrel boots, I lounge around in shorts and a blouse, enjoying the South of France and its Indian Summer. I love the chic simplicity of Aix style and I do my best to mimic it. But I'm learning that if you want to turn any outfit into a french outfit, simply add a scarf. Walking to class is the best time to observe fashion trends, and if you're not careful, step on a land mine.
The walk into town can be as pleasant as the caressing scent of freshly baked bread and market flowers, or as fowl as fresh turds. The French don't pick up after their dogs! It's illegal not to pick up after the little French dogs, and the French think it's disgusting, but still they don't do it. It's a task that is beneath them and considered to be the responsibility of the town. I'm currently working on a report for a class about French dog culture, and let me tell you, there is no more awkward task than photo documenting piles of dog crap. That's the only major complaint I have about France so far, and I've been lucky enough to not step on a land mine, although I'm sure it will happen in time. However, there are several other aspects of Aix that I'm very impressed with.
Every morning, the streets inside Aix-en-Provence are crowded with markets selling every sort local or organic food imaginable. There you will find the best deals for food, clothes, and jewelry. Les Marchés d'Aix put even the best Farmer's Markets at home to shame.
The walk into town can be as pleasant as the caressing scent of freshly baked bread and market flowers, or as fowl as fresh turds. The French don't pick up after their dogs! It's illegal not to pick up after the little French dogs, and the French think it's disgusting, but still they don't do it. It's a task that is beneath them and considered to be the responsibility of the town. I'm currently working on a report for a class about French dog culture, and let me tell you, there is no more awkward task than photo documenting piles of dog crap. That's the only major complaint I have about France so far, and I've been lucky enough to not step on a land mine, although I'm sure it will happen in time. However, there are several other aspects of Aix that I'm very impressed with.
Every morning, the streets inside Aix-en-Provence are crowded with markets selling every sort local or organic food imaginable. There you will find the best deals for food, clothes, and jewelry. Les Marchés d'Aix put even the best Farmer's Markets at home to shame.
Aix is also an international college town and abundant with young people! Everywhere I go, I run into a familiar face or meet interesting new people. IAU and other universities in Aix put together school events and club meetings to help students mingle and get involved in the local community. So far we've had cocktail parties, professional wine tastings, and day trips around France. Since I've been here, I've joined a local ultimate frisbee team called T-R'Aix that's totally kicking my butt back into shape, and am on a never ending quest for the best yoga and salsa dancing deals. I need to stay stay active while I'm here, especially after discovering...
Macaroons. These things will be the death of me. I have no self control when it comes to sweets... Mmm, chocolat fraise.
I don't know how the French do it. They have sweets and treats and cheese galore, they eat whatever they want all the time, and no one gains weight! It's called the French Paradox, and it's certainly perplexing.
School has been keeping me pretty busy, and the busier I am, the better. I'm taking three different french classes ranging from culture, to media, to grammar, and still, my French is horrific. I'm remembering more and more everyday, and learning a lot too, but it's a little discouraging when I go to speak in public and the only response I get is a confused, concerned face. Mostly, though, les Aixoises are very friendly and understanding, and eager to show off their english.
Between les Aixoises speaking in english when they hear my accent, my American school, my American friends, and my English host mother, sometimes I forget that I'm in France.
I don't know how the French do it. They have sweets and treats and cheese galore, they eat whatever they want all the time, and no one gains weight! It's called the French Paradox, and it's certainly perplexing.
School has been keeping me pretty busy, and the busier I am, the better. I'm taking three different french classes ranging from culture, to media, to grammar, and still, my French is horrific. I'm remembering more and more everyday, and learning a lot too, but it's a little discouraging when I go to speak in public and the only response I get is a confused, concerned face. Mostly, though, les Aixoises are very friendly and understanding, and eager to show off their english.
Between les Aixoises speaking in english when they hear my accent, my American school, my American friends, and my English host mother, sometimes I forget that I'm in France.
Another really interesting class that I'm taking is an education course comparing the French method/education system to the American version.Through that class I got a job teaching English to youngsters at a school/daycare called The English Bubble. The class itself is fascinating, but the teaching is definitely the best part. I want to teach at a high school level, but singing "The Wheels on the Bus" and playing games is definitely a fun way to gain experience!
Also, while dining at a sushi restaurant (I know... What am I doing? I Should be eating French food!), a woman and her 15 y.o. daughter approached me and asked if I would tutor them on wednesdays. So every wednesday they take me out to a different (French) restaurant, culture me in food (which is more than perfectly acceptable by my standards) while I speak to them in English. Not a bad way to spend a wednesday!
Also, while dining at a sushi restaurant (I know... What am I doing? I Should be eating French food!), a woman and her 15 y.o. daughter approached me and asked if I would tutor them on wednesdays. So every wednesday they take me out to a different (French) restaurant, culture me in food (which is more than perfectly acceptable by my standards) while I speak to them in English. Not a bad way to spend a wednesday!
This Saturday, I went to Marseille with my host mom and we toured around Le Longchamp Palace and the Museum of Mediterranean Civilizations. They were both pretty spectacular and quite contrasting in architecture.
The restaurant at the Museum.
Then Sunday, I went on a community trip to Monaco where we saw the changing of the guard and gambled at the Monte Carlo. Well, I watched people gamble, and I learned how to play Blackjack. It looked like a fun game of probability and chance, but not fun enough to tempt me to blow my money away. I'd rather go shopping...
I'm so blessed to have the opportunity to spend the year studying abroad, and even more so to get to travel on top of everything else. And even though I'm surrounded by so much beauty and history, being here only makes me love and appreciate what I have even more.
It's in the quiet moments that I really yearn for home. I miss freezing at Bobcat football games, laughing with my roommates, my dad's cooking, the crunch of freshly groomed snow under sharp edges, my mom's music playing around the house, my dog and my horses, Dana yelling "Let's rock 'n' roll, people!" way too early in the morning, and the smell of campfire and dust. More than anything, I miss the Big Horn Mountains in Wyoming.
They say "home is where the heart is," and my heart is somewhere is those mountains, riding with a cowboy.
I'm so blessed to have the opportunity to spend the year studying abroad, and even more so to get to travel on top of everything else. And even though I'm surrounded by so much beauty and history, being here only makes me love and appreciate what I have even more.
It's in the quiet moments that I really yearn for home. I miss freezing at Bobcat football games, laughing with my roommates, my dad's cooking, the crunch of freshly groomed snow under sharp edges, my mom's music playing around the house, my dog and my horses, Dana yelling "Let's rock 'n' roll, people!" way too early in the morning, and the smell of campfire and dust. More than anything, I miss the Big Horn Mountains in Wyoming.
They say "home is where the heart is," and my heart is somewhere is those mountains, riding with a cowboy.