Puyricard

Right now I’m listening to president’s wife sing about the moon in a silver cup. I wish our government could be this trendy.

This morning a few of the CEAers went to visit Puyricard chocolate factory (check it out: www.puyricard.fr .) Sadly I forgot my camera, not that it would really matter because for security reasons we couldn’t take pictures inside the actual factory.

On the way we talked about how we were excited for the few bites of chocolate we might get, if any, and how delicious they would be. Once we got into the factory we were pleasantly surprised at the amount of chocolate that was consumed. Each time something was shown to us of explained we were given a piece of cream, dark chocolate, the body of a broken Easter bunny (lapin de Pâques) or something of that sort. The tour was very interesting and all in French. After the tour we reconvened in a meeting room where a plate was brought out that contained all different types of chocolate for our enjoyment. There was a myriad of pieces which eventually led to a sugar stomach ache, but it was well worth it. I actually got to eat a piece that was decorated with a gold flake, I felt so classy. (If someone puts pictures online I will steal them and put them here)

Class commenced at 2 and it was arduous and boring. I hate it more than class at home I think, I always feel so stupid. I’m definitely in over my head, but I’m sure I’ll get used to it.

Avignon and Les Baux

9.2

As previously mentioned: I have discovered a weak wireless connection from my bedroom. In order to use this signal I must set up my computer on a stool next to the window and sit on the edge of my bed, otherwise the signal is too weak. Unfortunately, no matter whether I’m near the window or not, I can’t upload any pictures, therefore I must continue to write everything in Microsoft Word first, then copy and paste it. It’s almost like I have to make a first draft so eventually it will be ready for publishing.

Today we took a field trip to Avignon and Les Baux. They were chouette I suppose, but my legs started off tired and stayed tired the entire day. Avignon was pretty. Apparently it is culturally and economically important to France, and it’s old. Driving into the city we passed a KFC and in a rare moment I was proud to be from the state and city of Colonel Sanders.

We got to the city and went directly to the palais du papes (the pope palace.) It was 6 euros to tour it, and I’m not cool with spending money all willy-nilly, especially when my legs hurt, so we went to H&M instead (ironic? Yes. That doesn’t change things though. I will always shop over walking through a pope palace.) We walked around and went into stores that are in Aix, which I thought was a silly idea, but I wasn’t leading the pack today, I merely lollygagged behind wishing my legs didn’t hurt.

We (we being Marisa, Brigette, Jamie, Anjuli, Lyndsey, and I… not that any of you know who they are, I just got sick of that pronoun) explored the city for a bit until we decided to get lunch. MBJALI went to a shop and bought lunch which was later eaten in a park with an obscene amount of pigeons. Lunch was followed by café at a café, very French you know. After sitting there for a while it was time to go back to the bus to meet George (our guide, we love him. When on the bus he always gets on the mic and says “allo allo,” it’s precious.) On the way I spotted a monk wearing yellow chuck taylors.

The bus drove us to Les Baux, which was a very different kind of city. First impressions included a run-in with Turkish toilets and the most amazing candy/cookie store ever. We indulged, it was grand albeit overpriced. The city was incredible, but it seems like many of the places they take us on excursions are towns like this where they’re tiny and bred for tourists. I’ve decided that no one really lives there. Because the city was near the death place of Van Gogh there was Absinth in all of the gift shops. I’ve always heard about this beverage, but never have I actually seen it, I’d started to doubt its existence. In case you were wondering, it does exist, I’ve seen it. Apparently Absinth was VanGogh’s best friend.

We wandered the city for a few hours, taking pictures and walking in and out of gift shops that all seemed to be the same, all selling terra cotta cicadas, lavender soap, and Provence dishtowels. The end of the trip finally came and I was happy to be back on the bus going home. It was on the bus that I realized my favorite time of day is right before dusk, in case you were wondering.

Paix.

St. Victoire 2/2

Last Saturday some friends and I decided to climb a mountain. So that morning we met at the cours maribeau around 9:30 to grab a picnic before we got on the bus at 10:20ish. The bus ride didn’t take long but by 11 we had started walking. If my life was a book, the first 5 minutes when we arrived would have been the epitome of foreshadowing. We started walking down what we thought was a path but were quickly stopped by an old French man who told us that it was down the road. We walked for a while, passed the path, came back and found where we thought we were supposed to be. Somehow we ended up on a track that was more than likely a deer path. All in all, before we actually reached the mountain we had been lost 6 different times. We finally start climbing the mountain and we’re not really on a path, we’re kind of creating one as we go. At one point I think it’s safe to say we were pretty much at a 70degree angle. It was pretty intense. We finally arrived at the top of one of the mountains and it was beautiful

We decided we wanted to go see the cross that is on the peak of the highest mountain so we climbed down the one we were on and walked guessed which path to take next. We ended up in someone’s decrepit camp and stopped to reflect. The reflection was short because we all were pretty creeped out by the tattered tarp and various shreds of fabric that were strewn about. After more wandering and a discovery of rosemary bushes we scaled yet another mountain. At the top we felt it necessary to relax and become one with the mountain by performing a sun salutation.

Once we were at one with the chi of the mountain we continued on our journey in hopes of finding the bus stop in time to catch the bus home. We of course got lost and had to choose between swimming a river and scaling a cliff

this is how we felt about the situation

We turned around instead. The journey concluded with the discovery of a dam and civilization. The bus came around 4:30 and we did make it home (obviously.) I was lucky enough to get an awesome souvenire from this amazing adventure…the biggest bruises you’ve ever seen on my leg. I fell on some rocks and it was pretty awesome. I look pretty hardcore now, so I’m not complaining.

i have stolen someones internets :)

i found internets.
but for some reason it won't let me load my pictures. thus i will have to do that tomorrow and just post words for now.
boring I know, I'm sorry.

Reflections on the French:
After talking to many friends about my excitement about the bible study I’m involved with here, I was told that I probably shouldn’t advertise my religion because the French aren’t cool with that. But on Sundays, the Sabbath, nothing is open. Not even Monoprix. Nothing. Because everyone is apparently at church…. ?

Before coming here I read (past tense like j’ai lu), or at least attempted to read (present tense like je lis), a book called A Year in the Merde (it’s rare that I actually stick with a book these days unless it catches my attention quickly or I think it’s worth the time) ANYWAYS. The author talked about how when you’re walking down the streets there is poop everywhere. He wasn’t lying. It is everywhere. I realize I’ve talked about this before but seriously you need to understand the intensity of poo on the streets here. Imagine: you’re walking down the street when your eyes lock with those of a beautiful French man. You smile. He smiles. You avert your eyes bashfully only to lay them directly on a huge pile of merde that is about to be under your shoe. It’s a mood killer. True story.

The French have sales in stores only twice a year. And they aren’t even that good. A north face on sale still costs more than it would in the United States. Also, pretty much everything is more expensive than cheap, but good, wine.

I will now share with you a normal shopping experience in France. Upon entering a store (excluding larger stores like the Monoprix or E.D.) it is customary to greet the workers with a “bonjour Madame/Monsieur” When you pay for whatever it is that you might be buying there is a plate that you must put your money on because apparently they don’t like contact, like Amadine Poulain. It is also pretty important that you have “des monnaies” (change) because the French like exact change. If you don’t have the exact change it’s nice to say “desolee” because then they pity you or something and say “C’est pas grave” (It’s okay, no problem…) As you are leaving the store you should always say “Merci, Au Revoir, Bonne Journee/Bonne soiree/ bon soir, because that’s polite.

Here are some strange things that I realize I kind of miss:

• Singing really loudly in my car
• My bathroom
• Tumbleweed (seriously, I don’t even understand that one)
• Not always feeling like I have to be polite and courteous.
• Wireless that works well
  
• Knowing where to go to buy certain things
• Clean(ish) streets
• Not having to delegate which shoes to wear that day that will be both fashionable and comfortable
• Sales more that twice a year

SEND ME MAIL s.v.p.

attn: Hope Schiphorst
cea aix en provence office
23 rue du 4 septembre
13100 Aix en Provence

du voyager

i'm going to make this short, sweet, and gramatically incorrect.

Vienna: off
Prague: on

easter weekend:
Amsterdam

spring break:
Italy (Venice, Rome, and Florence)- tickets still waiting to be purchased.

after classes:
Germany and hopefully Greece

later i will post some pictures of our mountain adventure at st. victoire.
here's a preview:

du vin s.v.p.

1.2

Today as soon as I got into my Art History class the teacher said “allons-y” and we all left to walk around the town and talk about the architecture. We went to this building that is now used for offices of some sort where they had the most amazing plafonds (ceilings) I’ve ever seen. They were from the 16^th or 17^th century and they were done entirely in plaster. They were incredibly elaborate and ornate and wonderful. I wish I had my camera with me, but I didn’t. I think I’m really going to like that class.

Last night we had a wine tasting. I feel tres classy and adult. It was really fun and ended up being at the house of one of the girls in my bible study. She’s an expert wine taster, she went to school for it. They asked us to tell them what flavours we tasted and they gave us a wheel that all the pros use that pinpointed many of flavors that we could possibly taste. This wheel included 3 sections that got more and more detailed as it went out.

After we completed the 5 S(es?, how do you pluralize the letter used to pluralize??) (See, swirl, sniff, sip, and swallow) we could decipher the flavors and our score for the wine. We recorded our results on an official chart:

I was sitting next to my Chicagoan friend Marisa and we had a lot of fun. We would do our 5 s(es) and then consult with each other our results which were always “fruity…like grapes….and alcohol.” Needless to say, I think we were always right. Apparently wine tasting is an art form that I will never grasp, and I’m okay with that.

In other news Uncle Mark called last night. I’m not sure when I’m going to visit but there are several breaks and such and there is always the end of the semester. It’s going to be fun. Also, Katy found some cheap plane tickets for Prague for winter break, so that’s back on. I just really want to get these plans on lock down because I’m getting anxious and I don’t want to be stuck here while there is an entire continent to explore.

peace