slideshow

some pictures from my trip

Aix-en-Provence, France - Bouches-du-Rhône (13) A quintessential street scene in the Old Aix district. From the flawlessly blue sky to the rose colored roofs of the 18th and 19th century apartments with shops on street level, the narrow rues of Aix inspire one to explore the surrounding beauty. Originally designed by the Romans, Vieux Aix has intertwining streets perfect for wandering aimlessly.

First Entry from France!

I'm never going to Australia or Asia. Long flights are so horrible! On the flight to France, we hit tubulence zhile over the Atlantic. I felt like the plane was a maraca.

But the flight went as well as it could have. The hôtesses were quite sweet and the pilotspoke beautiful French.
...

The plane landed. I had been chewing gum furiously to cope with the changing altitude. I had gotten on the plane at 18h10. On 30 May at 8h36, I took my first step in France. Despite my severe distaste for airline staircases, I was happy to descend - or at least go outside for a few minutes before being ushered into a bus that takes me to building.

Roissy - Friggin' huge! That airport is bigger than Luxembourg.

Fashion - No one here looks ordinary. Everyone seems to have spent 8 hours deciding what to wear this morning.

The people in my program are really nice. Today, someone called me "The Police" because I (forcibly) encouraged us Americans to speak - parler français! I like it. We won't we fluent if we don't use it. After all, this is FRANCE.

Observations

• sidewalks don't exist. they are merely roads with no moving vehicles for a few moments
• fresh bread is awesome! esp. Emile BEC - 0.75 € baguettes
• people here are or more than kind. very helpful, polite
• the food's better

Places I've Been

Tour of Aix - Place de Quatre Dauphins - Cours Mirabeau - Monoprix - Office de Tourisme - Palais Archipescopal - Hôtel de Ville - Cathédrale Saint-Sauveur

perfectly calm....not

I leave tomorrow.

I'm scared scared scared scared scared scared!

last time, i PROMISE

I have done this at least 98 times. Here are the FINAL travel plans for Europe.

1 jour - Aix-en-Provence -> Paris
1 j - Paris <-> Caen
2j - Aix-en-Provence <-> Avignon et Arles/Fraxinetum
2j - Aix-en-Provence <-> Florence (Firenze)
1j - Paris <-> Strasbourg
__________________
7j au train!

Xtras:
Chartres - R/T - 20EUR
London - R/T - $100
Bâle (Basel) - R/T - 40EUR via Strasbourg - peut-être

I'm not doing it again. It's too much work.

Oh yeah....I got a home today! I received the address for my homestay. I am a short walk from the Institute. I'm rooming with another American student from a different program. But don't worry....on va parler en français seulement.

unofficial map

Google has a new feature! It added My Maps to the regular maps site. You can add placemarks and images to your own custom map of the world.

I decided to play around a little.

packing lists

Let me take the time to advocate a cause that I strongly support.

Not saving endangered whales - packing lists! Lists help me organize and keep track of everything I need to take with me to France. I have an official France packing list taped to my door. I divided it into 4 categories: Things I Need to Pack, Things That Can't Be Packed Yet, Things I Still Need to Get, and Things I Might Want to Buy.

The last two groups are causing me some grief, my heart competes with my brain. My bank balance competes with my desires. Should I get a new French grammar book? The shipping seems frivolous but my French is pretty friggin' awful right now. Should I wing the entrance exam or study like a psychomaniac? Ack, more choices between now and May 29!

a sinful omission

As I gingerly combed my thick hair last night, a thought leaped onto me and threw me off balance.

AVIGNON.

I had forgotten to put Avignon on my itinerary in my last post. Wouldn't it be a tragedy to forget to visit the Palais des Papes? I'm not sure where it's going...I believe I set aside two days for a trip to Avignon and Arles in my early planning stages. I'll figure it out.

It still hasn't hit me yet. I don't think I realize that I'm finally going to France. Gee whiskers!

EGADS!

Only seventeen more days until I leave for France.

I'll be 4,000 miles away from anything I've known before. Google provides handy driving directions (gotta love step #21), but I think I'll let Air France take care of that part of the trip.

Things to do before I leave:

1. Buy stuff! As in, this stuff! I've decided against buying the $100 Mary Janes, but I really need to buy some sort of footwear before I go to France. I found a better (read: cheaper :D) neck wallet on another site. I don't feel like wearing someone else's name all day :P
2. Unpack stuff from college. Those boxes look mighty scary....wonder what's in 'em....
3. Make a list. There is simply no way on Earth I am keeping track of all this stuff in my head. I've used a packing list for college for 3 semesters now, and it's never failed me. This will be a grand little list:
• Grand: it must contain items for the longest, farthest journey I've ever taken
• Little: it must be light, for I am weak and will travel frequently in Europe!
  
4. Pack stuff in my suitcase(s). The luggage set came with 5 bags, but I'm only bringing two: the main suitcase and the tiny rolling one as a carry-on. I might be able to fit a collapsible duffel bag in the main one, but I won't count on it.
5. Practice my French. When I went for my French visa (the second time), I met a man from Cote d'Ivoire and managed to hold a decent conversation with him. Yay for confidence boosters!
6. Notify friends that I am going to France. I want to have a small party before I leave, but logistics are a nightmare because my friends all have different schedules :(
7. Make a souvenir/gift list.
8. Make final touch ups on my itinerary.
• Aix<->Florence - make dates for meeting Professor Healey in his Florentine castle.
  
• Aix<->La Garde-Freinet - find those stairs for Dr. Watson
  
• Aix<->Paris - goin' to that awesome apartment (thanks, Nico!)
  
• Paris<->Strasbourg - test out that record breaking TGV Est
  
• Paris<->Caen - history major must go to Normandy: 'tis life.
  
• Paris<->Wherever the Good Lord thinks I should go! (Maybe Chartres as a day trip?)
• Paris<->London - buy Eurostar tix before I leave!!!
  
• Switzerland???? Depends how much money I have left....
9. Pray that I don't f*%#@ everything up like I usually do.
10. Relax :-)
    

one biggie is finished!

Plane tickets! Well, technically, it's an e-ticket receipt, but it's good enough for me! My mother bought them last Tuesday on the web. I'm flying Air France (how appropriate!) and can't wait to leave. I got an aisle seat, though - that'll have to change.

I haven't been on a plane in a while, but I look forward to being up in the sky.

the perpetual countdown

71 days!!!

I better brush up on my French grammar soon....

yay money.

Today, I received an e-mail telling me that I won some scholarship money from the studying abroad company. I wrote an essay about my "goals" for my study abroad experience.

So, umm, here it is:

General Charles deGaulle best summarized the challenges of the French Republic when he asked, "How can anyone govern a nation that has two hundred and forty-six different kinds of cheese?" Considering one of France's greatest leaders could not find a perfect answer, I doubt I will have much more luck. The abundance of cheese is only one of many obstacles in unlocking the mystery that is France. But I do hope to utilize this grand opportunity to aid me in fulfilling my dreams for the future. I would like to leave the world a little better than I found it. Studying abroad gives me a chance to improve the necessary skills to do so. I expect my study abroad experience to contribute to my personal, career, and academic goals by giving me opportunities to understand ideas that I cannot learn through any other method. I have been fortunate enough to receive post-secondary education in the United States. But, I also believe that there are some lessons that need to be learned elsewhere, away from home and outside the comfort zone.

I am currently pursuing a minor in French. The credits gained from studying abroad may allow me to major in French and still graduate a semester early. I would also like to write my history seminar paper, a comparison of Provençal politics with that of the American South, in French. By living in France, I will have attained some vocabulary specific to my discipline, allowing me to write a sound thesis. An expanded vocabulary in general would help me with my French literature classes, freeing me from the prisons of the Larousse and allowing me to properly analyze the text like a French native. Although more words will come with more studying in the US, I believe that French classes will only improve my language level to a certain point. I must have immersion for additional progress.

Learning to live amongst a foreign culture is one of those skills that I cannot attain while attending a traditional American college. I want to know what is like to live with a non-American student population. One of my academic goals is to adapt in a foreign education system. By experiencing France as student, I can compare and contrast a foreign classroom with typical American one. Another one of my personal goals is to assimilate in a different environment without sacrificing my genuine personality. In France, I will be me, if not, a better me.

Academic goals are quite noble, but what is the use of acquiring any skill if it cannot be used in the real world? Working in a French embassy surely requires at the very least an excellent command of French. I can attain that, along with an understanding of French expectations when it comes to a business or formal environment. Just as easily, I can use my language skills as an asset to enter the job market, and use what I gain to set myself apart from others in a pool of applicants. More importantly, I will become more of a resource than a number to the organization because of my study abroad experience. It is critical to be a HUMAN resource - that is, have a relevancy and function that cannot be replaced by a machine in today's rapidly advancing technological society where more and more jobs can be outsourced to developing countries. Until they make robots that can sense the difference between an Alsatian "r" sound and Parisian one, I still have value.

It is important to see France as French people see it, not as a tourist. Life is not meant for spectators; it is for characters. I wish not to merely observe French culture but participate and contribute to it. That includes attending cultural events that are geared towards the French themselves. I hope to attend a performance of some sort, whether it be a rock or symphony concert, jazz band or string quartet. Engaging the local population while participating or attending an event is also crucial. I shall not be afraid to talk to strangers. Indeed, it will be the only way I will learn anything worthwhile. While studying abroad, I hope to inquire about local customs, in a non-confrontational way of course, and share the information with people back home.

In the summer of 2006, France proved naysayers wrong (myself included) and made it to the finals of the World Cup. During the painfully close match with Italy, one of the players on the Italian team allegedly spoke offensive words to French football superstar Zinédine Zidane. The remarks may have included racism, since Zidane is of Algerian descent. Zidane then responded by fiercely butting the player with his head. Suddenly, the score became irrelevant. A maelstrom of controversy surrounded the words and actions that occurred on the field. Accusations of prejudice, racism, unnecessary violence, and poor sportsmanship abounded. Amidst all the noise, who had the right opinion? I think the American press saw it one way, whereas some of the French press saw it a different way, and surely the Italian press had its own opinion on the matter. In these types of crises, a country's sentiments cannot be "translated"; one must be present to understand what is happening. A chronicle cannot replace a need for history and context.

Studying abroad would give me a chance to feel around the grounds of French culture with sensitive antennae. In a shrinking world where everyone has a voice, learning in a foreign country will enable me to find what humans constantly search for: the satiating truth.

Waiting waiting WAITING

88 DAYS UNTIL FRANCE.

I'm completely calm about it.  And yet, dangerously nervous.

:D

Update on Francey-France

I've taken several steps since my last update:

1. I applied to study abroad with AbroadCo - and was accepted the next day!  Yay!  The acceptance letter got lost in a vortex for a while but was eventually recovered at the campus post office.
2. I sought out approval from 4 people on the faculty to make sure my credits would count towards something.
3. I submitted a scholarship application.  I won't find anything out until April, though.
4. I sent a signed release form (scary!), medical questionnaire, and housing questionnaire.  I asked for a homestay.  Homestay = Full immersion!
5. I bought and received a Rail Pass!  Which one did I decide on? The France-Italy YouthPass, from Eurail.  The Eurail Selectpass became very expensive after the New Year, so I went with a regional pass instead.  Since the journey from Strasbourg to Basel is less than $50 round trip, I might go to Switzerland anyway and pay out of pocket.
6. I probably won't go to Rome...because I've been invited to a castle in Tuscany!  Florence here I come!
7. My friend received tickets for the Gallery of the House of Commons!  I told him that I was visiting London was interested in seeing Prime Minister's Questions...so now we're going to see Prime Minister's Questions!  Since we have tickets, we don't have to wait in line forever.  Yay!
   

Despite all this action, I have yet to complete the Three Biggies...mostly because they require tons of money and my mother's help (because they require tons of money).

1. Pay AbroadCo the remaining balance.  Thanks, Mommy!
2. Book airline tickets.  This one will be tricky, considering most flights have tons of connections.  The best one I have found flies from Philadelphia to Chicago to Madrid to Marseille, then  *deep breath* Paris to Madrid to Chicago to Philadelphia to come back.  I can handle it, but I surely won't enjoy hauling my luggage and changing planes so many times.
3. Go down to Washington, D.C. and get student visa.
   

We're doing the Three Biggies in this order because one step serves as a prerequisite for the next one.

Summer job W-2 came in the mail today = extra spending money that will not be accesed until Francey-France.

I'm excited all over again.