I have only been in Aix for a little less than 3 weeks, but over this span of time, I have discovered a whole entire new world full of cheese, or en français, "fromage." I will thus dedicate this post to the lovely French (and international) cheeses that I have encountered. More to come as time passes.
Brie.
A soft, French cheese. Rather expensive back in the states, but oh so cheap here in France. Goes great with pear or apricot jelly.
Camembert.
Looks like Brie, but has a stronger taste. Goes great with anything, particularly a fresh baguette.
Chèvre.
Goat cheese. Comes in circles, cylinders, bricks, blocks. Delicious, cheap, and fresh if you buy it from the markets. Great on fresh tarts.
St. Marsellin.
Looks like goat cheese, but it comes from a cow. Interesting and fantastic flavor. Perfect dessert (or breakfast or lunch) cheese.
Fromage blanc.
Not technically cheese, but it is so good it deserves to be in the cheese category. Think fresh, plain yogurt, but not acidic or bitter. With a little bit of sugar (soucre en poudre--sugar in a pouch) it is perfect for dessert.
Parmesan.
Not a French cheese, but the markets love giving away free samples. It is an Italian delicacy, and is best fresh, not grated into some little Kraft container.
Gouda.
Not sure if this is French, but again, markets love this cheese. Mild flavor.
Edam.
Maybe French? Haven't tried it yet, but it is sold in all grocery stores and markets.
Emmental.
France's version of Swiss cheese. Used on pizzas here. Mild-to-medium flavor, depending on age and location bought.
and last but not least... Gruyère.
My favorite of all French, stinky, strong cheeses. Has a bit of a nutty flavor. Goes great with anything, especially sandwiches. The renowned topping of French Onion Soup. Can buy it in the states, but since it is French, it is très cher. Want a tip? Fly to France, and eat it here. It's more delicious, anyways.
Until next time, visit your nearest French fromagerie (or grocery store) and try as much French cheese as you can!
Bon journée.
This week was very long, as well as very interesting. I will try to remember all that has happened over the past couple of days, but so much can happen in a week, it can be difficult.
Classes this week went very well. Monday night we had to watch "Silences de la Palais" for our Maghreb class. The movie was about a young girl, named Aliah, who was an illegitimate child born and raised in the king of Tunisia's palace. It was a good movie, but it was 2 hours long, and it went very very very slowly... but nonetheless it was intriguing. We had a discussion over it during class on Thursday, and I have to write a response for next Thursday! Joy. Wednesday was also a good day. For my Provence class we took a field trip (in the cold rain) to the Saint Sauveur Cathedral. Very pretty. Also quite cold on the inside. There is a part of the cathedral that dates back to the 6th century, but it is surrounded by Roman columns from about the 1st century. I thought that was so neat, and it has been beautifully preserved and restored. M. Kiefer liked to talk a lot about the cathedral's history. Maybe a bit too much, so I zoned out for most of it. I loved looking at la crèche the most (a special provençal version of the nativity scene). Overall, beautiful cathedral, inside and out, but unfortunately I was exhausted at the end, and my toes were so numb.
Thursday morning I had my first meeting with the lady I will be working with for my 'stage' at the Anthropology Department of the University of Provence. Apparently I will be working with animal bones (os d'animaux). I am so excited! Perfect internship. I'm not too sure what I will be doing yet, but it should be fun. Thursday night we had the cooking course with Madame Daniel. We learned to make onion soup, dorade (sea bream), and gallettes de roi (pastry with almond filling and usually only made during Christmas-time). Everything was absolutely delicious. Monsieur Daniel also came home, and brought with him tons of Rosé wine and Champagne. It was a very lovely night, indeed.
Last night we had another cooking extravaganza. Eszter and I made veal (well, she made the veal.. I helped eat it), haricots-verts with onions and garlic (my Thanksgiving special), Greek salad, an apple tart (mmm) and kir royales. The boys are gone for the weekend in Lyon, so it was Eszter, me, Emily, Ada, Renaud, and some interesting friend of Renaud's. Dinner was delicious. It also took 3 hours to make. It would not have been so awful had our stove been working. We have 3 induction burners (don't ask me what that is I have yet to understand), but only ONE was working. It was awful, because all of our dishes (except for the salad) needed to be cooked on the stove-top. But, three hours later, we were happily eating. :)
Aside from all of that, this week was also very depressing for me. Early in the week, my Dad took Tiffany (my beloved Golden Retriever of 13 years) to the vet, because her lymph nodes were enlarged and she stopped eating (except when she was hand-fed pieces of chicken--that dog sure loved her chicken). The vet told my Dad that Tiffy had lymphoma, and would only live for about one or two more months. Very depressing. She was given some steroids for the pain, but Tiffy was unable to walk anymore, and was in a lot of pain, so we had to put her down. Poor Dad, he was so upset. Tiffy was such a fantastic dog. She was very atypical for a Golden Retriever in some aspects. For example, she never retrieved when asked, and she absolutely HATED water (Jewish dog lol). She was so great. I was so upset for one day, but then the next day, I just had to remember all of the great times, and that she had the best life she could have had. :( I will miss her dearly. Unfortunately, I knew she wouldn't live for much longer. Dad had told me that she would not be back when I returned from France, and I knew that to be true, because she got so sick very quickly. Poor Tiff. When I was little, Dad and I wrote a song about her (lol) that went something like.. "Have you seen my dog, Tiffy-dog, Tiffy-dog, have you seen my dog, darling Tiffy? She runs all around, chasing rabbits all around, she's a young dog and should not leave her mother." Very strange, but if you know me and my Dad, it's not unexpected. Don't worry, I will post a lovely montage of my darling Tiffy later.
**This just in, hot off the press: Apparently we are getting a new puppy! And my parents said we would never get another dog... She is 6-weeks old right now (see pic below), and we will pick her up in 2 weeks. I wish my parents would have waited for me to come home first, but oh well. Here is a picture of the puppy! I think we're going to name her 'Bella.' Other suggestions are welcome. I like Stella (AOPii pride much?). She is one of 2 puppies of the litter, and we might also be taking the 2nd one home, too. We shall see....
<--puppy!
On a happier note, today Eszter and I travelled to Marseille! We woke up early and took the Navette to Marseille. It was a really pleasant trip--only took about 30 minutes, and not too expensive, either! We got dropped off at the Arc de Triomphe of Marseille, and walked all the way down to Rue Canebrière and then down to the pier. We went through the fish market, which reeked of fish. Most of the fish were still alive! So sad. There was also one stand that had a living, moving squid! Gross. I don't think I can ever look at fish again in the same way. After the market we went to Château d'If, which is on the island of If (pronounced, [eef]), which is written about in the Dumas book, the Count of Monte Cristo. Will definitely have to read that now when I get home for the summer. The island was first made famous when a rhino stayed there for a couple of weeks. It was also a prison for a while. I found it amusing that some prisoners could buy a nice cell, which had a fireplace, access to other people, and books. Not such a bad deal. One person, general Mirabeau, was sent there by his Dad, who did not like Mirabeau's anti-monarchy beliefs (Mirabeau was pro-Napoleon). After If, we walked all around Marseille. First, of course, we had lunch. 16 euros for 3 courses! Pas mal! I even had a bowl of bouillabaise. Very fishy, but quite delicious. Not sure if I will eat it again, but hey, when in Rome. Eszter and I walked to the Abbé Saint Victoire, an old church. Pretty non-descript on the outside, but the inside is very nice, with stained glass windows and all. There was a pretty crèche (i liked it much more than the one in Aix), and interestingly enough, there were displays that contained icons and bones of deceased saints. Strange. I'll add a photo of one that had someone's skull. In the bottom of the church there was also a crypt that contained sarcophagi and other random remains. Creepy church. Who would have known? Afterwards we travelled uphill to the Palais du Pharo (Pharoah's Palace). I forget the history of it, but it was quite beautiful and had a fantastic view of the Vieux Port of Marseille. After that hike we attempted to find the Musée de Mode (Fashion museum) but it was closed. We were depressed, but then we went shopping, and felt better. We were so exhausted and just sat down on some sofas inside the central shopping center for about 30 minutes. Returned to Aix around 7-ish via Navette. Might go out later, but will probably just end up going to bed. Have a lot of homework to do tomorrow, and also need to plan out some more weekend trips.
Skull at Abbé Saint Victoire
J'adore Marseille.
À bientôt!
Classes this week went very well. Monday night we had to watch "Silences de la Palais" for our Maghreb class. The movie was about a young girl, named Aliah, who was an illegitimate child born and raised in the king of Tunisia's palace. It was a good movie, but it was 2 hours long, and it went very very very slowly... but nonetheless it was intriguing. We had a discussion over it during class on Thursday, and I have to write a response for next Thursday! Joy. Wednesday was also a good day. For my Provence class we took a field trip (in the cold rain) to the Saint Sauveur Cathedral. Very pretty. Also quite cold on the inside. There is a part of the cathedral that dates back to the 6th century, but it is surrounded by Roman columns from about the 1st century. I thought that was so neat, and it has been beautifully preserved and restored. M. Kiefer liked to talk a lot about the cathedral's history. Maybe a bit too much, so I zoned out for most of it. I loved looking at la crèche the most (a special provençal version of the nativity scene). Overall, beautiful cathedral, inside and out, but unfortunately I was exhausted at the end, and my toes were so numb.
Thursday morning I had my first meeting with the lady I will be working with for my 'stage' at the Anthropology Department of the University of Provence. Apparently I will be working with animal bones (os d'animaux). I am so excited! Perfect internship. I'm not too sure what I will be doing yet, but it should be fun. Thursday night we had the cooking course with Madame Daniel. We learned to make onion soup, dorade (sea bream), and gallettes de roi (pastry with almond filling and usually only made during Christmas-time). Everything was absolutely delicious. Monsieur Daniel also came home, and brought with him tons of Rosé wine and Champagne. It was a very lovely night, indeed.
Last night we had another cooking extravaganza. Eszter and I made veal (well, she made the veal.. I helped eat it), haricots-verts with onions and garlic (my Thanksgiving special), Greek salad, an apple tart (mmm) and kir royales. The boys are gone for the weekend in Lyon, so it was Eszter, me, Emily, Ada, Renaud, and some interesting friend of Renaud's. Dinner was delicious. It also took 3 hours to make. It would not have been so awful had our stove been working. We have 3 induction burners (don't ask me what that is I have yet to understand), but only ONE was working. It was awful, because all of our dishes (except for the salad) needed to be cooked on the stove-top. But, three hours later, we were happily eating. :)
Aside from all of that, this week was also very depressing for me. Early in the week, my Dad took Tiffany (my beloved Golden Retriever of 13 years) to the vet, because her lymph nodes were enlarged and she stopped eating (except when she was hand-fed pieces of chicken--that dog sure loved her chicken). The vet told my Dad that Tiffy had lymphoma, and would only live for about one or two more months. Very depressing. She was given some steroids for the pain, but Tiffy was unable to walk anymore, and was in a lot of pain, so we had to put her down. Poor Dad, he was so upset. Tiffy was such a fantastic dog. She was very atypical for a Golden Retriever in some aspects. For example, she never retrieved when asked, and she absolutely HATED water (Jewish dog lol). She was so great. I was so upset for one day, but then the next day, I just had to remember all of the great times, and that she had the best life she could have had. :( I will miss her dearly. Unfortunately, I knew she wouldn't live for much longer. Dad had told me that she would not be back when I returned from France, and I knew that to be true, because she got so sick very quickly. Poor Tiff. When I was little, Dad and I wrote a song about her (lol) that went something like.. "Have you seen my dog, Tiffy-dog, Tiffy-dog, have you seen my dog, darling Tiffy? She runs all around, chasing rabbits all around, she's a young dog and should not leave her mother." Very strange, but if you know me and my Dad, it's not unexpected. Don't worry, I will post a lovely montage of my darling Tiffy later.
**This just in, hot off the press: Apparently we are getting a new puppy! And my parents said we would never get another dog... She is 6-weeks old right now (see pic below), and we will pick her up in 2 weeks. I wish my parents would have waited for me to come home first, but oh well. Here is a picture of the puppy! I think we're going to name her 'Bella.' Other suggestions are welcome. I like Stella (AOPii pride much?). She is one of 2 puppies of the litter, and we might also be taking the 2nd one home, too. We shall see....
<--puppy!
On a happier note, today Eszter and I travelled to Marseille! We woke up early and took the Navette to Marseille. It was a really pleasant trip--only took about 30 minutes, and not too expensive, either! We got dropped off at the Arc de Triomphe of Marseille, and walked all the way down to Rue Canebrière and then down to the pier. We went through the fish market, which reeked of fish. Most of the fish were still alive! So sad. There was also one stand that had a living, moving squid! Gross. I don't think I can ever look at fish again in the same way. After the market we went to Château d'If, which is on the island of If (pronounced, [eef]), which is written about in the Dumas book, the Count of Monte Cristo. Will definitely have to read that now when I get home for the summer. The island was first made famous when a rhino stayed there for a couple of weeks. It was also a prison for a while. I found it amusing that some prisoners could buy a nice cell, which had a fireplace, access to other people, and books. Not such a bad deal. One person, general Mirabeau, was sent there by his Dad, who did not like Mirabeau's anti-monarchy beliefs (Mirabeau was pro-Napoleon). After If, we walked all around Marseille. First, of course, we had lunch. 16 euros for 3 courses! Pas mal! I even had a bowl of bouillabaise. Very fishy, but quite delicious. Not sure if I will eat it again, but hey, when in Rome. Eszter and I walked to the Abbé Saint Victoire, an old church. Pretty non-descript on the outside, but the inside is very nice, with stained glass windows and all. There was a pretty crèche (i liked it much more than the one in Aix), and interestingly enough, there were displays that contained icons and bones of deceased saints. Strange. I'll add a photo of one that had someone's skull. In the bottom of the church there was also a crypt that contained sarcophagi and other random remains. Creepy church. Who would have known? Afterwards we travelled uphill to the Palais du Pharo (Pharoah's Palace). I forget the history of it, but it was quite beautiful and had a fantastic view of the Vieux Port of Marseille. After that hike we attempted to find the Musée de Mode (Fashion museum) but it was closed. We were depressed, but then we went shopping, and felt better. We were so exhausted and just sat down on some sofas inside the central shopping center for about 30 minutes. Returned to Aix around 7-ish via Navette. Might go out later, but will probably just end up going to bed. Have a lot of homework to do tomorrow, and also need to plan out some more weekend trips.
Skull at Abbé Saint Victoire
J'adore Marseille.
À bientôt!
Friday class went very smoothly. Learned a lot more about literature and art pre-20th century, and now apparently we are able to begin the course on 20th-century art and literature. Very excited. Can't wait to visit the Louvre and Musée d'Orsay for class!
For dinner I ate at La Vigne with Mickey, who I went to high school with, and she is studying in Aix for the whole year (so she is already a pro at...everything here!). La Vigne was absolutely delicious. For 15 euros, we had 3 courses: entrée (in France this is the appetizer), un plat (main course) and le dessert (self-explanatory). If you get a chance to go, please do! Mickey's friend Emily, who is also in Aix for the year, joined us for dinner and we all shared a nice bottle of red wine. Being able to legally drink wine at dinner in Aix definitely has its perks! I love France. After dinner, hung out with some more people from Wellesley (Mickey and Emily go to school there) in their beautiful auberges. After a very long girl chat, we headed back to Bellegarde to end the night. Instead found a party, but everyone soon left to go to the smelly and smokey bars, and I just went to back and chatted with Eszter and Renaud until about... 3 am? Whoops? We also watched some more 'How I Met Your Mother.' Great show.
Saturday I was supposed to wake up early and go to the markets, which close at noon. Too bad I woke up at 12:30. Oh well. Next week! Booked my february break plans... going to Italy! So excited. Going to spend a couple of days in Rome, Napoli, Pompeii, and maybe even Capri. Airplane flights were way too expensive and none actually went to any convenient places, so we're going to take an overnight train. Really inexpensive, and hey, at least I'll be sleeping for most of it anyways. Still need to plan out the intricacies of the trip, but that shouldn't be too hard to plan!
Saturday we also decided to cook a HUGE meal. So Eszter and I went out shopping all over Aix, from EuroDiscount (hint: don't go there to buy produce..ick..) to MonoPrix, and finally back to Marche Franprix. My plan was to make a goat cheese and tomato tart. Not too bad. If you ever want to find puff pastry in a French store, look for "pâte feulleuitée." Just FYI. Eszter didn't really have a plan, but I found rabbit in MonoPrix and that was it. So for dinner.. our grand total of cooked goods were:
1. Greek Salad (with sheep cheese)
2. The chouffleur
3. Ravioli (the boys contributed)
4. Goat cheese tart
5. Zucchini with parsley
6. Rabbit (Lapin) au Vin
Today was another very lazy Sunday. Since nothing was open, there was no reason to wake up early. So instead, slept again until noon. Did some SKYPEing with Dad and the Boy, finished up some homework, and somehow time just flew. For dinner grabbed Pizza Capri with Emily. Everyone says its the best pizza in Aix. It was OK. I'm kind of afraid to try the rest of the pizza in Aix. I like how they use Swiss cheese here, though. Interesting flavor. Will definitely have to try some more pizza places (if my stomach allows me to) and report back and give you the ACTUAL download of which pizza places are the best.
Have to wake up très tôt tomorrow morning for my 8:30 am (yikes) class, so time for me to hit the hay.
Oh and back in Nashville it was Bid Day for AOPi. Can't wait to hear about and meet the new AOPi panda babies! Alpha Love <3
For dinner I ate at La Vigne with Mickey, who I went to high school with, and she is studying in Aix for the whole year (so she is already a pro at...everything here!). La Vigne was absolutely delicious. For 15 euros, we had 3 courses: entrée (in France this is the appetizer), un plat (main course) and le dessert (self-explanatory). If you get a chance to go, please do! Mickey's friend Emily, who is also in Aix for the year, joined us for dinner and we all shared a nice bottle of red wine. Being able to legally drink wine at dinner in Aix definitely has its perks! I love France. After dinner, hung out with some more people from Wellesley (Mickey and Emily go to school there) in their beautiful auberges. After a very long girl chat, we headed back to Bellegarde to end the night. Instead found a party, but everyone soon left to go to the smelly and smokey bars, and I just went to back and chatted with Eszter and Renaud until about... 3 am? Whoops? We also watched some more 'How I Met Your Mother.' Great show.
Saturday I was supposed to wake up early and go to the markets, which close at noon. Too bad I woke up at 12:30. Oh well. Next week! Booked my february break plans... going to Italy! So excited. Going to spend a couple of days in Rome, Napoli, Pompeii, and maybe even Capri. Airplane flights were way too expensive and none actually went to any convenient places, so we're going to take an overnight train. Really inexpensive, and hey, at least I'll be sleeping for most of it anyways. Still need to plan out the intricacies of the trip, but that shouldn't be too hard to plan!
Saturday we also decided to cook a HUGE meal. So Eszter and I went out shopping all over Aix, from EuroDiscount (hint: don't go there to buy produce..ick..) to MonoPrix, and finally back to Marche Franprix. My plan was to make a goat cheese and tomato tart. Not too bad. If you ever want to find puff pastry in a French store, look for "pâte feulleuitée." Just FYI. Eszter didn't really have a plan, but I found rabbit in MonoPrix and that was it. So for dinner.. our grand total of cooked goods were:
1. Greek Salad (with sheep cheese)
2. The chouffleur
3. Ravioli (the boys contributed)
4. Goat cheese tart
5. Zucchini with parsley
6. Rabbit (Lapin) au Vin
Today was another very lazy Sunday. Since nothing was open, there was no reason to wake up early. So instead, slept again until noon. Did some SKYPEing with Dad and the Boy, finished up some homework, and somehow time just flew. For dinner grabbed Pizza Capri with Emily. Everyone says its the best pizza in Aix. It was OK. I'm kind of afraid to try the rest of the pizza in Aix. I like how they use Swiss cheese here, though. Interesting flavor. Will definitely have to try some more pizza places (if my stomach allows me to) and report back and give you the ACTUAL download of which pizza places are the best.
Have to wake up très tôt tomorrow morning for my 8:30 am (yikes) class, so time for me to hit the hay.
Oh and back in Nashville it was Bid Day for AOPi. Can't wait to hear about and meet the new AOPi panda babies! Alpha Love <3
Le Mistral. How do I begin to describe Le Mistral? Le Mistral is a wind that seeps into every corner of your home, freezes every bone in your body, whips your hair around like a rollercoaster ride, and sounds like a train going through the middle of the room. Le Mistral. Today, I experienced Le Mistral. What was supposed to be 45 degree weather felt more like -10. Thank you, Le Mistral.
Well, aside from the not-so-lovely Le Mistral, the past couple of days here in Aix have been full of new and exciting things. For starters, I began classes yesterday. I am taking four classes, plus (hopefully) an internship at either Le Musée d'Histoire Naturelle d'Aix (Museum of Natural History of Aix) or le department d'anthropologie d'Université de Provence (anthropology department of Provence University). Not sure when I hear back from either internship (called a stage here--pronounced more like staaj), but hopefully I get one! That would be très chouette! Classes are also very interesting. I am taking a class on Contemporary France, History & Culture of Provence, History & Culture of the Mahgreb (Northern Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia), and Literature & Art of the 20th Century. Luckily my schedule isn't too crazy either, except for Wednesdays. Oh man. Wednesdays I have THREE classes! And they are 1.25 hours each... and trust me.. it's rough. Normally it wouldn't be so difficult, but since EVERYTHING is in French, it is tiring trying to listen to everything, translate it, understand it, comprehend it, etc... I think my brain just tires out much more quickly. Hopefully it will get better soon! Luckily I think the jet lag has finally worn off. It's been much too cold to go out at night, but now that I'm well-rested and somewhat organized, once it gets a bit warmer and not so rainy, I will definitely explore Aix's nightlife and report back.
Today was a nice day, because I didn't have class until 4:30 pm. It was the Mahgreb. Interesting course, but the professor loves to lecture without a specific order. It seems like most of the French professors here are like that. They are somewhat désordonnés (disorganized) compared to American professors, but I will adapt. The one thing that is frustrating is that they didn't really give us an exact list of the homework we have each night. Hopefully that will also become easier to figure out. Since I had class late, I had time today to work on and finish my Resume and Lettre d'intêret for my stages. Also had some time to plan out my February Break plans! Oh man that has been such a frustration! After a lot of researching, I think I am going to Italy (Rome, Naples, Pompeii) via train. A much better idea than Brussels (Belgium) and Amsterdam. Not that those places aren't amazing...but I think Italy will be absolutely fantastic! (And hopefully a bit warmer!) Vive l'Italie!
After class we had dinner with our lovely French family. They even brought a guest to dinner--their little neighbor who is about 7 years old named Lior (I think). She was so adorable! She was missing her two front teeth, and is learning English, and told us all about colors in English. Très mignonne! Dinner tonight was absolutely phenomenal. Apparently it was Tunisian. We had Couscous, vegetable soup to pour over the couscous, poulettes (little balls of meat mixed with herbs--the best thing I've ever eaten and I must learn to make these ASAP) and some beef sausage (mergueza). To make dinner even better, for dessert we had Mandarines and... LYCHEES! My favorite! I find it so fantastic that Aix has lychee nuts. If you've never had one, well, then you have unfortunately missed out on possibly the most delicious fruit ever known to mankind. Eszter and I found this great raspberry-lychee juice the other day. So good. I wish they had juices like that back home.
Unfortunately I have class tomorrow (10:30am though, so not too awful for a Friday morning), so I need to finish this entry and hit the hay! À demain!
Bon soir!
Well, aside from the not-so-lovely Le Mistral, the past couple of days here in Aix have been full of new and exciting things. For starters, I began classes yesterday. I am taking four classes, plus (hopefully) an internship at either Le Musée d'Histoire Naturelle d'Aix (Museum of Natural History of Aix) or le department d'anthropologie d'Université de Provence (anthropology department of Provence University). Not sure when I hear back from either internship (called a stage here--pronounced more like staaj), but hopefully I get one! That would be très chouette! Classes are also very interesting. I am taking a class on Contemporary France, History & Culture of Provence, History & Culture of the Mahgreb (Northern Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia), and Literature & Art of the 20th Century. Luckily my schedule isn't too crazy either, except for Wednesdays. Oh man. Wednesdays I have THREE classes! And they are 1.25 hours each... and trust me.. it's rough. Normally it wouldn't be so difficult, but since EVERYTHING is in French, it is tiring trying to listen to everything, translate it, understand it, comprehend it, etc... I think my brain just tires out much more quickly. Hopefully it will get better soon! Luckily I think the jet lag has finally worn off. It's been much too cold to go out at night, but now that I'm well-rested and somewhat organized, once it gets a bit warmer and not so rainy, I will definitely explore Aix's nightlife and report back.
Today was a nice day, because I didn't have class until 4:30 pm. It was the Mahgreb. Interesting course, but the professor loves to lecture without a specific order. It seems like most of the French professors here are like that. They are somewhat désordonnés (disorganized) compared to American professors, but I will adapt. The one thing that is frustrating is that they didn't really give us an exact list of the homework we have each night. Hopefully that will also become easier to figure out. Since I had class late, I had time today to work on and finish my Resume and Lettre d'intêret for my stages. Also had some time to plan out my February Break plans! Oh man that has been such a frustration! After a lot of researching, I think I am going to Italy (Rome, Naples, Pompeii) via train. A much better idea than Brussels (Belgium) and Amsterdam. Not that those places aren't amazing...but I think Italy will be absolutely fantastic! (And hopefully a bit warmer!) Vive l'Italie!
After class we had dinner with our lovely French family. They even brought a guest to dinner--their little neighbor who is about 7 years old named Lior (I think). She was so adorable! She was missing her two front teeth, and is learning English, and told us all about colors in English. Très mignonne! Dinner tonight was absolutely phenomenal. Apparently it was Tunisian. We had Couscous, vegetable soup to pour over the couscous, poulettes (little balls of meat mixed with herbs--the best thing I've ever eaten and I must learn to make these ASAP) and some beef sausage (mergueza). To make dinner even better, for dessert we had Mandarines and... LYCHEES! My favorite! I find it so fantastic that Aix has lychee nuts. If you've never had one, well, then you have unfortunately missed out on possibly the most delicious fruit ever known to mankind. Eszter and I found this great raspberry-lychee juice the other day. So good. I wish they had juices like that back home.
Unfortunately I have class tomorrow (10:30am though, so not too awful for a Friday morning), so I need to finish this entry and hit the hay! À demain!
Bon soir!
Today was another lovely (yet cold) day in Aix. We had orientation, blah blah..got a list of courses...took a placement test.. and so on. Now for the more exciting things:
1. Today I Broke A Door. Since this sounds a bit misleading, I will explain more. So in our room there are 3 sliding doors (or there were 3) that are in front of our closet. Unfortunately, one was broken and was stuck and never moved. Problem. Emily came up with a great idea of not just fixing the door, but actually removing it. So I borrowed Renaud's tournevis (screwdriver) and took off the door. Voila! So now there are only 2 doors on the closet, but hey now we can access the closet sans problème! Yay.
2. Aix has lychee nuts! Score. If you don't know what a lychee nut is, well, you need to try one.
3. Aix also has a very interesting looking cauliflower. It is green and looks like it has pricklies all over it. In fact, it is called a Chouffleur Romanesco. Picture is below.
4. Tonight I had dinner with my French family. They are très chouette!
5. Visited Auberge Hugo. Very nice. Just like ours, but they actually have desks.
6. France has the best bread in THE WORLD. Good choice, Danielle, good choice.
7. I finally bought minutes for my phone! But it's wicked expensive. Oh well lol. Skype me! dani_krug.
Bonne soirée, mes chéries!
~Dani
1. Today I Broke A Door. Since this sounds a bit misleading, I will explain more. So in our room there are 3 sliding doors (or there were 3) that are in front of our closet. Unfortunately, one was broken and was stuck and never moved. Problem. Emily came up with a great idea of not just fixing the door, but actually removing it. So I borrowed Renaud's tournevis (screwdriver) and took off the door. Voila! So now there are only 2 doors on the closet, but hey now we can access the closet sans problème! Yay.
2. Aix has lychee nuts! Score. If you don't know what a lychee nut is, well, you need to try one.
3. Aix also has a very interesting looking cauliflower. It is green and looks like it has pricklies all over it. In fact, it is called a Chouffleur Romanesco. Picture is below.
4. Tonight I had dinner with my French family. They are très chouette!
5. Visited Auberge Hugo. Very nice. Just like ours, but they actually have desks.
6. France has the best bread in THE WORLD. Good choice, Danielle, good choice.
7. I finally bought minutes for my phone! But it's wicked expensive. Oh well lol. Skype me! dani_krug.
Bonne soirée, mes chéries!
~Dani
Went to bed at 1am. Woke up at 2pm. Ate breakfast. Sat around and talked for 3 hours. Played WORMS. Went to Mirabeau for sandwiches. Back in Bellegarde now. MLIA.
Apparently everything is closed in France on Sundays. So much for going shopping? But apparently MONOPrix lied to me and is actually open today, and the boys went there and bought some things. Tomorrow we have our first day of actual orientation, so I need to go there and buy a notebook before we meet at 9:30! Since I got so much sleep last night, hopefully I will still be able to fall asleep relatively early tonight.
Will update tomorrow once I do more things. Today was pretty lazy. And cold.
Bon soir!
Apparently everything is closed in France on Sundays. So much for going shopping? But apparently MONOPrix lied to me and is actually open today, and the boys went there and bought some things. Tomorrow we have our first day of actual orientation, so I need to go there and buy a notebook before we meet at 9:30! Since I got so much sleep last night, hopefully I will still be able to fall asleep relatively early tonight.
Will update tomorrow once I do more things. Today was pretty lazy. And cold.
Bon soir!
Bienvenue à Aix-en-Provence!
Well, I arrived in Aix yesterday afternoon after a crazy crazy day of traveling via turbulent airplanes. It was snowing when I landed in Brussels, and raining in Marseille. Luckily all of my baggage showed up, and I took a taxi to the center of Aix to the Vanderbilt-in-France (VIF) center to meet the director (la directrice) and the tutors. Afterwards we took a taxi to my apartment, which is called the "Bellgarde." It's beautiful. There are 2 stairs, a huge common room, a really fantastic kitchen, and 3 bedrooms. I have 5 apartment-mates ("colocataires"); 4 americans, and one Frenchie named Rénaud.
So far life in Aix has been pretty relaxing. After arriving, I took a nice 3 hour nap, because none of my other colocs had arrived yet, so after unpacking and realizing I didn't know enough of the city to find lunch/food (even though I was starving and hadn't eaten since dinner on the plane the night before...) I just decided I would sleep. My other colocs arrived around 3 or 4, which was nice. We all met up and went back to the VIF centre to go to dinner. For dinner we went to Patacrêpe, which is a FANTASTIC crêperie that everyone must go to! I ate a #15, which was something with cheese, meat, all surrounded by a square crêpe. Yum. For dessert I shared a banana and nutella (read: most delicious substance known to mankind) crêpe :) I felt very French! Will definitely have to return to Patacrêpe for more later. After dinner, passed out at midnight.
Woke up at one, and went out at 2 with my colocs for a tour of Aix. We all bought cell phones (which are weird here because there are no cell plans--you have to buy a télécharge to add minutes to your phone, and texts are super expensive so I won't be using those at all), saw the post office, Shleckers (grocery store), and some other places. We toured down main street, which is le Cours Mirabeau, saw le Rotonde (the main fountain), and had a beverage break where I had chocolat chaud. France's hot chocolate is very different; less sugar, more richness. Note to self: dairy in France still is not good to stomach. Oh well. After our tour, which most of us spent freezing our toes, fingers, and faces off, we went back to Bellegarde. Rénaud has a guitar, so a bunch of us just chilled and played guitar, and I got to play some things too. Yay guitar. For dinner we went to Restaurant Romain, which was basically a French restaurant with a Greco-Roman form of architecture and design. Very strange...but quite delicious! One of the tutors said it was good and cheap...but unfortunately nothing in Aix is very cheap. Today at Monoprix, one of the department stores in Aix, I bought tissues, soy milk, and honey nut cheerieos for a grand total of 7.3 euros, which is about 10-11 dollars. In America it would be so much less expensive to buy everything! Oh well. Guess I'll have to spend more money on food than I was hoping. Having to eat French food? Could be worse, right?
Well, it's time for get some sleep. Hopefully some shops will be open tomorrow so that I can buy a card for my cell phone (France is weird with their cell phone plans) and some more groceries :)
Bon soir!
~Dani
Well, I arrived in Aix yesterday afternoon after a crazy crazy day of traveling via turbulent airplanes. It was snowing when I landed in Brussels, and raining in Marseille. Luckily all of my baggage showed up, and I took a taxi to the center of Aix to the Vanderbilt-in-France (VIF) center to meet the director (la directrice) and the tutors. Afterwards we took a taxi to my apartment, which is called the "Bellgarde." It's beautiful. There are 2 stairs, a huge common room, a really fantastic kitchen, and 3 bedrooms. I have 5 apartment-mates ("colocataires"); 4 americans, and one Frenchie named Rénaud.
So far life in Aix has been pretty relaxing. After arriving, I took a nice 3 hour nap, because none of my other colocs had arrived yet, so after unpacking and realizing I didn't know enough of the city to find lunch/food (even though I was starving and hadn't eaten since dinner on the plane the night before...) I just decided I would sleep. My other colocs arrived around 3 or 4, which was nice. We all met up and went back to the VIF centre to go to dinner. For dinner we went to Patacrêpe, which is a FANTASTIC crêperie that everyone must go to! I ate a #15, which was something with cheese, meat, all surrounded by a square crêpe. Yum. For dessert I shared a banana and nutella (read: most delicious substance known to mankind) crêpe :) I felt very French! Will definitely have to return to Patacrêpe for more later. After dinner, passed out at midnight.
Woke up at one, and went out at 2 with my colocs for a tour of Aix. We all bought cell phones (which are weird here because there are no cell plans--you have to buy a télécharge to add minutes to your phone, and texts are super expensive so I won't be using those at all), saw the post office, Shleckers (grocery store), and some other places. We toured down main street, which is le Cours Mirabeau, saw le Rotonde (the main fountain), and had a beverage break where I had chocolat chaud. France's hot chocolate is very different; less sugar, more richness. Note to self: dairy in France still is not good to stomach. Oh well. After our tour, which most of us spent freezing our toes, fingers, and faces off, we went back to Bellegarde. Rénaud has a guitar, so a bunch of us just chilled and played guitar, and I got to play some things too. Yay guitar. For dinner we went to Restaurant Romain, which was basically a French restaurant with a Greco-Roman form of architecture and design. Very strange...but quite delicious! One of the tutors said it was good and cheap...but unfortunately nothing in Aix is very cheap. Today at Monoprix, one of the department stores in Aix, I bought tissues, soy milk, and honey nut cheerieos for a grand total of 7.3 euros, which is about 10-11 dollars. In America it would be so much less expensive to buy everything! Oh well. Guess I'll have to spend more money on food than I was hoping. Having to eat French food? Could be worse, right?
Well, it's time for get some sleep. Hopefully some shops will be open tomorrow so that I can buy a card for my cell phone (France is weird with their cell phone plans) and some more groceries :)
Bon soir!
~Dani
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