week two in aix & SEWANEE GOES TO PARIS

The Seine River and The Catherdral Notre Dame

Hello again! 
This is my third entry of my blog since I have been living in France for three weeks. Thus far, my time spent in France has been spectacular. I have had so many memorable experiences ranging from traveling to Paris for the weekend, to people-watching with Kathleen on Cours Mirabeau in Aix-en-Provence. The past two weeks have been pretty interesting in our home-stay situation. When Kathleen and I returned from Nice and Cannes two weeks ago, our host mom was feeling under the weather. Since then, Danielle has been in the hospital for a little under two weeks, and we have been living in her home and receiving money for meals. Her daughter who is 30 years old has been checking up on us and doing our laundry (which has been a God-send.) Delphine, Danielle's daughter, does not speak any English, but explained to Kathleen and I that her mother has been tired, but her situation is not serious. "Ce n'est pas grave." This news kind of confused us, because in America, if you are "tired and under the weather," you generally do not go to the hospital for 2 weeks. However, today I spoke with our school director, and she explained that in the French health care system, if a patient is sick, the hospital wants to keep them on strict bed rest in the hospital until a full recovery. At first this news startled us, but on the positive side, now we are ten times more independent than three weeks ago. This past week (September 19-23), Kathleen and I tried a variety of different restaurants in Aix. It was really fun because Kathleen knows a lot about worldly cuisines, so I got to go along for the ride and try new foods I had never eaten before. We went to a Lebanese restaurant that had a very high rating on a French website. I had never eaten tabouli or the chicken dish we ordered, but I was very pleasantly surprised. When Kathleen and I walked up to the Lebanese restaurant, we were the first ones to sit down at 7:30pm which was slightly unexpected. However, by the end of the meal it appeared that Kathleen and I were quite the trendsetters, because the restaurant was packed by 9pm, when we left. Another night, we also went to a Mexican restaurant in the more ethnic quarter of Aix. It was funny because, I was not facing the street during our meal, and I told Kathleen when we got up, that I had forgotten that we were even in France. (haha) It is such a humorous yet pleasant surprise to forget, and then realize I am in this beautiful cultural country. 

Kathleen et Moi en Paris

Van Gogh, Midday Siesta 1889

My classes have been going very well. They are not as challenging as the classes I take in Sewanee, but that is to be expected. In my Advanced Grammar class we are reviewing a lot of the material from my 300 course with Professor Glacet in Sewanee. Last week we had to present articles that were popular on a French journalistic world website: TV5. Our group presented an article about the woman who was executed in Virginia. In my Art History class we have been reviewing the works by Jean Louis David and Goya. It is interesting how their artistic style is slightly different because of their viewpoints and focus in the political world. In my drawing and painting course we have moved from sketching to painting. Being that I have never taken an art class before, this transition has come with some difficulty. I never knew that mixing colors to copy another painting would be so difficult. The assignment is to paint a copy of a famous piece. I am currently painting a piece by Van Gogh titled: Midday Siesta which he adapted from an earlier Millet painting. I have been enjoying the class very much, but it is one of the more challenging courses I am taking. 

on the Seine River in Paris

This past weekend, September 24-26, Kathleen, David and I travelled to Paris to meet up with our friends from Sewanee who have been studying abroad there. We took a TGV train on Friday afternoon around 3pm. The train ride was very relaxing and took about 3 hours. It was enjoyable to see the green countryside, even though it was raining. We checked into our fair-priced hotel and were pleasantly surprised that even though it was a low price, it was very clean and in a good location. It was funny to see a room with three twin sized beds in a row. I do not think a room like that exists in America. It worked out really well though, and we were pretty happy with our decision. I was completely blown away by the architecture in Paris. It was the first thing I noticed when we arrived, and I could not stop marveling over the cast iron terraces and tall buildings. It was obvious that there was so much history behind all of the neighborhoods we visited. After walking around the area where our hotel was located, that night we met up with Oise and a few girls on her program for dinner. One of my close friends from high school, Bethy Munoz, was sitting at the table when we arrived. It is such a small world. I did not know she was going to be there. It was so nice to see a familiar face from home and to catch up with her. Later the group of us went to an Australian Bar called "Cafe Oz." Many people were speaking English, it probably had to do with the fact that it was an Australian spot. I liked having the chance to take a break from speaking French. The next morning we all woke up and went to Thomas' apartment to see what his home-stay was like. He lived in a very quaint section of Paris and had an amazing view of Parisian rooftops and flower boxes. For lunch we went to a sushi restaurant, where we all ordered entirely too many rolls. From the sushi restaurant we went to the famous Techno Parade that takes place in September every year. This parade was unlike anything I had ever been to. There were said to be about 500,000 people who attended. About 10 floats went down a very famous street in Paris and each were featuring different DJ's blasting techno. I would compare the Techno Parade to a mixture of Mardi Gras and the New York Marathon with music. Everyone was happy and dancing and there were just SO many people. Kathleen and I decided to wear clothes that we thought would be appropriate for a Techno Parade. I wore a hot pink tee-shirt, nike shorts and sneakers, and Kathleen wore a Piggly Wiggly tee-shirt, workout pants and sneakers. That was probably the worst decision I have made on this trip haha. People in France apparently do not wear work out shorts. Many people came up to me saying they liked them, but I think they had just never seen bright shorts before. All the attention began to get annoying, but it was not the end of the world. At the Techno Parade we were all just walking, and out of no where another friend from high school, Meghan Carey tapped me on the shoulder. I know I keep saying how small the world is, but I could not believe that in a 500,000 person parade that I would run into another friend from Summit. It was really nice to see her. People at the parade were dancing on surfaces that would be SO illegal in America. Tons of boys would be standing on top of bus stop covers and people were even sitting on  traffic lights. In America, that would get someone into quite a bit of trouble with the police. I guess in France, anything goes. 

TECHNO PARADE: dancers on the bus stop waiting place

500,000 people following the techno buses

a man sitting on a street light at the parade

 In front of la cathedrale de notre dame

Later we sat at a cafe located on the Seine River with a lovely view of Notre Dame. I was completely in love with all the architecture and buildings located in that area. It was beyond beautiful. I took probably 20 pictures of Notre Dame. Along the Seine River, I surprisingly reminded of New York City. There were many stands selling art work of the area, and it reminded of the art sales in front of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which was across the street from Marymount, the school I attended when I lived in New York City. I was weirdly taken back to a time when I would stare at all the sketches of New York while wearing my light blue Marymount jumper. I always loved that walk my babysitter, Glynis would take me on in front of the Met. Later, we met up with the boys from the European Studies trip, which is run through Sewanee. It was crazy to see all our guy friends while standing in front of the the Cathedrale de Notre Dame. We all met up to go out together later that night. I LOVED seeing all our girl friends from Sewanee. Seeing Page, Lauren and Margaret, Cecily and Sarah and everyone else just made it feel like we were walking down University Ave. It was just so much fun. We all caught up about our different abroad experiences and had a really good time. 

 La Cathedrale de Notre Dame

kathleen freezing in front of Notre Dame

L'Arc de Triumph 

Sunday morning, we met up with Thomas and Oise for lunch. One of Oise and Seeley's friends from home, Ashley, came along too. We all went to this really good pizza place for lunch. Page, Oise, Kathleen and I decided to walk to the Arc de Triumph before Kathleen and I had to leave on our train.  Walking down the Champs Elysees was probably the highlight of my trip to Paris. It was so stunning and I loved being able to experience it with some of my best friends. The green trees lining the street going down to the Arc de Triumph was spectacular. The four of us went to this darling cafe where we sat and ordered cafe latte and salads. Oise was very chic and ordered escargot, a meal I have yet to try. I did not want to say goodbye to Page and Oise at the end of our trip. Our last day in Paris was definitely bitter sweet. I was sad we were leaving, but I am so excited to return to Paris with our Art History class in November.  We will be going on a guided tour of all the museums for five days. Our weekend in Paris was overall a huge success. I was very proud of Kathleen, David and I for planning all of our hotel and train arrangements on our own. I felt like Paris was one of the biggest cities I had ever been to. I must admit that the Metro system, though helpful, was a real pain compared to walking everywhere in Aix. Thank goodness Kathleen is the best navigator I have ever met, because without her, I guarantee you we would have been very lost for most of our visit. Coming home on the train home was very relaxing and was a good end to our weekend. Kathleen and I were laughing the entire way home thinking of the funny things that happened the past weekend. We arrived to our home-stay around midnight to such a pleasant setting. Danielle's daughter, who works in a restaurant, had bought us a lot of groceries and set out a bouquet of flowers and a meal waiting for us in the fridge. It was SO nice to come home to a clean house and a familiar place, but I am very excited to go back and visit Paris again. 


Bientot,
Molly 


p.s. Today would have been my Father's 56th birthday and it is my Uncle Ted's 60th birthday. I am celebrating my Father's life and hope my Uncle has an amazing day. Also, Glynis's birthday is tomorrow and I send all my love.

view from thomas's home-stay

Champs Elysees

Nice, Eze, Monte Carlo and Cannes September 11-12

a view of Nice

Allo! I have been in France for a little over one week now, and it is a spectacular country. This past weekend, IAU took our program on a tour of the cities: Nice, Eze, Monte Carlo and Cannes. All these cities are located near the Mediterranean Sea. The weather was amazing in all four cities and the temperature stayed around 80-85 with no clouds in the sky. We were first taken to Nice (pronounced: niece or |nēs|) where we had the afternoon to go to lunch, swim in the ocean and walk around. Nice is the largest city on the Côte d'Azur and the fifth largest city in France. It has the second biggest airport in France after Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris. When driving by the airport, Kathleen spotted Michael Jordan's plane with the Air Jordan symbol in Tar Heel blue. Alas, we did not see Mr. Jordan during our six hours spent in Nice. Kathleen, David and I went to lunch at this very nice restaurant overlooking the ocean where we all ordered great salads different combinations of fresh fish. This restaurant also had their olive oil and balsamic vinegar in spray bottles which was very interesting. I had never seen that before. The streets of Nice were lined with Palm Trees which reminded me of entering a upscale neighborhood of Beverly Hills, except Nice has history, elegance and Lindsey Lohan sightings are luckily far and few. We went on the public beach for almost 3 hours. It was so different from Quogue, the beach that I am used to. Instead of sand, there were millions of soft, weathered pebbles and stones. It was so nice to leave the beach and not have a towel and ponytail filled with sand. The water was amazing and the color of a deep Cobolt blue and turquoise. Nice was extremely nice, and I would love to go back and visit for a longer period of time.

the pebbles and blue water of Nice

Hotel Necresco in Nice

view of mediterranean from Eze

We later stopped at a Parfumeur Company called, Fragonard located in Eze, France. We took a fairly quick tour of the Fragonard Museum. The perfumes sold in the gift shop are scents that companies i.e. Chanel or Chloe can choose to buy and brand themselves. However, Fragonard keeps their own scents and sells them for much cheaper than the bigger perfume corporations. I bought a really nice smelling perfume called Etoile. At the top of this mountain in this little village called Eze, there were winding  pathways lined with hotels, stores and cafes. The pathways were comparable to hallways and they were walkable but a car could not drive up and down these steep streets. This area was first populated in 2000 BC and apparently Walt Disney spent a great amount of time in Eze on vacations. We later were taken to our hostel accommodations where they served us dinner and we had time to get ready for a night in Monte Carlo on Monaco.

Amanda, Kathleen and I- a view near Eze

the little streets of Eze

monte carlo in monaco at night

Monte Carlo Casino in Monaco was absolutely breath-taking at night. It was all lit up with fountains and lights everywhere. It was far more tasteful than  Las Vegas when I was in fifth grade (haha). Walking into the Monte Carlo, it was very tame and extremely elegant. It was not littered with women with mullets wearing fanny packs sitting at slot machines, but rather is was very refined reminding me of a scene from an old James Bond film. David gambled ten American dollars and walked away with nearly eighty euro, which was very exciting. We later went back to our hostel where they had a planned discotheque. It was similar to what I would think a camp dance would compare to. It was not awful, but the time spent in Monte Carlo was far more exciting.

Cannes, France

We woke up the next morning and took buses to Cannes, France which is famous for its film festival every spring. I had only ever really heard/seen Cannes on episodes of Entourage, so I was interested to see what it really looked like in person. When we drove into the city, there is a very visible sign featuring the word "Splendid" on top of a hotel. Actually, that adjective is a perfect way to describe Cannes. We went to a restaurant on the main boulevard and ordered omelets and coffee before we went to swim at the beach. The beach was very different than the beaches in Nice. This beach had sand and palm trees scattered in the sand which made a great deal of shade (which was greatly appreciated haha). The water was not as clean in Cannes as it was in Nice, however it was still very beautiful. Sitting on the beach you can see hundreds of yachts and the mountains in the distance. We were in Cannes for the "Festival International de la Plaisance"which is the largest boat and yacht shows in France. It was nice to see all the white boats scattered along the water. Later that day, Kathleen, David and I went to sit down on the boardwalk in front of the most famous hotel in Cannes, The Carlton. After sitting down for about fifteen minutes, David noticed our friend from Sewanee, Tennyson, walking across the street. It is such a small world. Tennyson and Will Finney's brother are studying in Avignon for the semester, and were in Cannes for the night. It was completely by chance that we ran into them and was so fun to see other people from Sewanee. Cannes had many more clothes shopping opportunities compared to Nice. Nice is known more for its markets as opposed to its high end shopping. I was happy that we went to Cannes on a Sunday, so I was not tempted to even walk into stores for clothes haha. Before we got back on the bus, David rode on the Cannes Carousel. He was easily the oldest person... but the only person who broke the rules and was changing horses while the Carousel was moving haha. It was pretty funny to watch.

the carlton hotel in Cannes 

kathleen in cannes

david in cannes

Our long bus ride home left us all exhausted, however we were so happy to be back in Aix. The familiarity of the streets and the comfort of going back to our own beds was very nice to come home to. When we got home, our host mom, Daniele, had come down with a cold. However, she is so amazing and still made us a great dinner even though she was sick. We came home to all new sheets and fresh laundry. She is the best.
Yesterday Kathleen hung up her tapestry and the room is just so cozy now. For our painting and drawing class, Kathleen and I have to sketch every day. This task has proved to be a little harder than it sounds, because well, I have never sketched before. Last night Kathleen and I drank red wine and sat on our terrace tracing windows and doors and even each other.  She said my portrait of her looked like a caricature from an AirHeads commercial. haha. So... after that, we kind of gave up.

basically my drawing of kathleen

Anyway, this weekend, Thomas and Oise are coming to Aix to visit us! I am so excited... Then the following weekend we are all thinking of going to Paris. I miss everyone! Seeing pictures of the football game this past weekend really made me miss Sewanee.

Ciao, 

Molly

fountain at Cours Mirabeau in Aix at night

week one in aix-en-provence.

view from our balcony

How am I lucky enough to spend four months here? I am living in Aix-en-Provence, France and studying abroad at IAU (Institute for American Universities). This city is absolutely beautiful. Dating back to the second century,  Aix is a city located in the south of France very close to the coast. The city is known for its beautiful fountains, churches, cobblestone streets and markets every morning. I am abroad with my friends, Kathleen and David from Sewanee for the semester. Kathleen and I live together in a lovely Mediterranean two-story home two minutes outside of the center of town. There is a little lane coming down from the busy street in town that leads us to our beautiful home surrounded by shrubbery looking out on to many different roof tops. "C'est tranquil" as our host mother, Danielle would describe it. It is very quite, aside from the sporadic cat meows during the day. Kathleen and I share a room that has its own bathroom, two twin beds, two armoires, 15 foot ceilings and our own balcony overlooking the red roof tops and blue skies. Our host mom is delightful, even though she does not speak ANY English. I was so scarred the first day when she picked us up from the bus station, because I never thought I would be able to communicate with her only in French. However, I have caught on really quickly, and our daily dinners have really helped me to improve my conversation skills. Kathleen is a few steps ahead of me, and serves as my personal translator and tour guide haha... I do not know what I would do without her. We both finish eachothers sentences at dinner to carry along conversations with Danielle.

The food is amazing in Aix. Danielle cooks us great meals that leave Kathleen and I beyond satisfied. Every meal starts out with a salad adorned with toppings ranging from chick peas and beets to melon and prosciutto. Sometimes we get quiche and brie along with our salads. She cooks very healthy which Kathleen and I appreciate. It has been weird not attending an exercise class during the day or going to the gym. I miss it a lot. Even though we walk SO much during the day, I miss the dance classes my mom and I took during the summer. The food around town is amazing as well (not to start a blog similar to 'Julie and Julia')... but it is veryyy good. There are Boulangerie's and Patisserie's on every one of the windy streets here in Aix, however, I have not indulged in the famous croissants, eclairs and baguettes yet. Probably for the best. Also, the coffee's here are very different from in the United States. They drink out of very tiny expresso cups and there is NO splenda in sight. The coffee place that Kathleen, David and I go to makes the strongest coffee, and since the French believe in a prolonged rest period for coffee... there is no "to go cups." Its different, but it is a very nice civilized and relaxed way of life.

Les Dejeuner des Canotiers by Auguste Renoir

On the first day of our orientation, a lady spoke to the group of students about etiquette in Aix. She talked about the fact that people do not smile at strangers in France, and that you are not supposed to look people in the eye. Mind you, these are two things I have been raised to do since I was very young. My mother always told me, "the best thing you can wear is a smile." So, for me, this "no smiling business" has been quite a challenge. However, I am not here to become French, but rather study the French culture. So... I am going to smile as much as I want, and choose not to listen to that bit of advice. Kathleen, David and I are taking mostly the same classes. I am taking three French classes to satisfy my requirements for my French minor, and two classes in English. I am taking one grammar course, a film course and a theater class (to perfect my conversation) which are all in French. My two favorite classes so far are my Art History course which focuses on the Impressionism Movement and my Drawing and Painting course. They are both taught by this professor who I really like. He was born in the United States, but has spent his entire adult life living in Aix and teaching at IAU. He is brilliant. He loves Sewanee students and is very good friends with my French Professor in Sewanee, Professor Poe. I just completed my first assignment for my Art History course evaluating the relationship between form and content in a piece that "responded to us." I chose a piece by Renoir, Les Dejeuner des Canotiers, which was from the Impressionism Era. I wrote about how the piece used inviting colors to ellaborate on the relaxed french culture.  We take our art class in a building which is a thirty minute walk out of town. The school is based in the countryside, and is the location of many of Cezanne's paintings. I have never taken a Drawing or Painting course before, so I am very excited for this class. During the First class we focused on figure drawing. We had to sketch a nude model for 3 hours. It was not something I have ever done before, but it was interesting and not as uncomfortable as I had imagined. We are expected to sketch every day, I am pretty excited to see how I progress.

Cours Mirabeau, Aix-en-Provence

We have gone out two or three times since we have been here for a week. The first night we met up with  the group who is studying here in Aix from Vanderbilt University. One of our friends from Sewanee, Lizzie, is in their program. They have a beautiful apartment right off of Cours Mirabeau, which is comparable to the Park Ave. of Aix. We went out to a few bars with the group, but at the end of the day, I think the kids from Sewanee would opt for our traditional fraternity house versus the loud techno blaring night club. We went to go see Inception in English at a movie theater here in town. It was funny to see an American movie with French subtitles. Last night we went out, and at one bar, we asked to use a chair at a table full of twenty year old French kids... and they promptly invited us to sit with them. They were very helpful helping us to speak French while we helped them correct their English. I have not really been shopping yet, besides essentials, but the scarves and table cloths are absolutely stunning. I have my eye on a few at the market open on Wednesdays. Tomorrow our school leaves for Nice et Cannes et Monte Carlo for two days.

I have had alot of fun skyping with everyone so far! It is kind of hard with the time difference, because we are 6 hours ahead. But I miss everyone very much!

xox Au Revoir,
Molly  p.s. here are some more pictures of my room and view.