Exams.

So I know that after following my blog for the last couple of months, everyone has probably been wondering if I'm doing any work at all. Well, up until about 2 weeks ago, the answer was no. For international students, there is little to no assignments throughout the semester. Your ENTIRE mark is based on your final exam. So for the last few weeks I have been studying like a madman, essentially trying to learn four entire courses (2 of my classes didn't have finals). Also, fun fact about French exams: they only give you your exam schedule a week or so before they start! AND, once they ARE finally posted, they proceed to change the dates and times (several times), making it SUPER easy to make a study schedule. LOVE French organisation, it's just great. Anyway, I've had 3 so far, 2 of which I feel pretty confident about, and 1 that was more challenging but I think still went OK. I have one more on the 16th, and then my family arrives on the 18! Really looking forward to almost a month of Christmas break with my family!!!

BELGIUM + PARIS

OK, I haven't blogged in forever (oh, the difficulties of traveling so often...) so this is gonna be a long one!

The weekend after Barcelona nothing significant happened, other than me spending the week sick in bed (possibly with the swine flu? I'm not too sure..) I'm not surprised though, after partying until 6 AM in Barcelona I think I needed a weekend to re cooperate! Note: That was the first weekend since I've been here where I didn't leave Aix at all!

So now that brings us to the third week of November, which is when I went to Belgium, land of french fries, fruit flavoured beer, waffles and CHOCOLATE! (Lots and LOTS of chocolate) We arrived in Brussels Friday evening. We got settled into our hostel (a building where Van Gogh apparently spend some time in once upon a time) and then did some walking around in the tourist section of town. Saturday we got up and enjoyed the complementary "petit dejeuner" from our hostel (toast, cereal, orange juice, hot chocolate, and all the jam/nutella you could want.. so good) and set out to see Brussels! We went to:
- Probably 10 different chocolateries (Belgium is just packed with them!), trying to get as many free "degustations" (AKA, samples) as possible.
- The Grand Place, the main town square with beautiful old buildings (also really pretty at night!) - they even had a Christmas tree in the center!
- "Manneken Pis", a really famous statue of a little boy peeing (why it's as famous as it is, we're not sure) - it was pretty funny to see a whole group of photo-crazy tourists gathered around this tiny (urinating) statue!
- Major public European institutions, ie. The European Commission and European Parliament! (Brussels is known as the capital of Europe) Since it was a Saturday there wasn't too much going on but it was still really cool to see!
- The movies to see "New Moon" (I absolutely hate the books but don't mind the movies - you just have to see it knowing it's going to be ridiculous) and it was such chaos! I know it was opening weekend and all but there was no organized line up or anything, it was just a free for all, see who can get there first kinda thing. So crazy.
- To a super cute little bar with wooden chairs called "Les gens que j'aime" ("The people I love") where I tried apple, cherry, and raspberry beer - delicious!!!
Then on Sunday, we took the train (about a 45 minute ride and only 13 euro round trip!) to Bruges. It was in the northern region of Belgium and therefore everything was in Flemish, the Belgian version of Dutch! Luckily most people spoke either English and/or French, but all of the signs were only in Dutch. Bruges was a lovely town, so charming... tons of canals running throughout the city, a beautiful town square with a great Christmas market, and they even had an outdoor ice rink, AKA Alex's idea of Heaven! Unfortunately the rental skates were so brutal I could barely skate backwards but it was still soo nice. I actually had a really special moment where I just stopped and really thought about where I was and what I was doing: I was in Europe studying for a year, travelling with great friends from all over the world, in a cute little down, on an outdoor rink, surrounded by a Christmas market and Christmas decorations... whenever I am feeling frustrated at French inefficiency (don't even get me started about the exam process) I am going to think of that moment.
Monday wasn't too busy, we walked around Brussels a bit more but it was raining that day (although I can't complain, we were so lucky the rest of the weekend) so we tried to stay indoors as much as possible, and before we knew it we were back on the plane to Aix! All in all I really liked Belgium, I actually wasn't expecting too much out of it but it was really nice, especially Bruges!

Then I had only three days (where I meant to write my blog, but didn't) before leaving for Paris early Friday morning. We arrived pretty early, checked into our hostel and seeing how the weather was good we decided to see the Eiffel Tower and Montparnasse, because it was supposed to rain the rest of the weekend. It was so exciting stepping off the metro (note: Paris has 14 metro lines) and seeing the top of the Eiffel Tower behind one of the buildings! Even though I've seen it a million times in pictures and movies, it was still really impressive in real life. Unfortunately, there were a ton of male immigrants (and when I say a ton, I mean probably about 100) trying to sell you tacky little Eiffel Tower keychains all chanting "1 euro, 1 euro!" I tried not to let it bug me but they were just EVERYWHERE and so persistent! It definitely detracted from the experience a little bit. We didn't end up going up the Eiffel Tower because the line was super long and we decided it would be better to go to "Montparnasse", a skyscraper with a terrace at the top, because from there you can actually SEE the Eiffel Tower! So we headed over there and went up to the top where we had an absolutely gorgeous 360 degree view of the city. You could see everything, and it was so clear! The sun was peeking out of the clouds in such a beautiful way you almost felt like (this will sound super cheesy, I know) you were in Heaven. It was really nice... however, it was also ridiculously windy and cold so we could only stay up there so long. After Montparnasse, we went to Notre Dame, which actually looks prettier at night than in the day, I think! We walked around for a bit more then headed back to our hostel.
Saturday we started off at Sacre Coeur, a really amazing cathedral that I actually liked better than the Notre Dame because it has really impressive steps leading up to it AND it overlooks a park, not to mention has another great view of the city. From there we walked around the Montmartre area, which was so charming! It's kind of on a hill so you feel a bit isolated, but in a good way, like you're in a small area of Paris that's not all "hustle and bustle". Then we saw the Montmartre cemetery, which had some pretty impressive graves dating back to the 1800s! We also saw the Moulin Rouge, which was maybe the biggest letdown of the weekend - I thought it was going to be so pretty but the real thing is nothing like it is in the movie! That night we went to the top of the Arc de Triomphe (which I didn't even know you could do) and got a really beautiful view the Eiffel Tower and of the Champs d'Elysee all lit up! Also got an awesome view of the insane traffic in Paris... complete anarchy. Sunday we went to an impressionist Museum, the "Musee d'Orsay". It didn't have very much I was familiar with BUT it did have one thing that made it all worth it: a sculpture of Degas called "The Little Dancer", which I knew from a book my Grandma Angie bought me when I was a kid! It was really cool to see it in real life. We also visited the Jardin de Luxembourg, where you'll also find the Senat. The Jardin was nice but I think it would really be something to see more in the spring. That evening we went to the "Defense" area, which has all these modern buildings... nothing too special for me since we have plenty of skyscrapers in Vancouver! Monday we went to the Louvre. Luckily there was barely any line up (hence why we wanted to go on Monday) but man is it big! You definitely can't see it all in a day. Or even three days. I of course had to go see the Mona Lisa, and also saw Napoleon's apartments (where he used to work) which were really nice! Then on the way to the train station we saw where the Bastille used to be (there's nothing there now) but it was cool to think what might have happened on that same ground a couple hundred years ago.

Overall I liked Paris but not as much as I thought I would. I think that my expectations were too high, considering how much you hear about it in movies and everything! So maybe that was the problem. But I did really like walking by the Seine, that was really nice! It was also not as expensive as I thought: I was able to show my French student card and lie, saying I was from England, and get in free to both museums and the Arc de Triomphe. So that was nice, because I was expecting it to be super pricey!

NOW, onto exams, which are coming up so fast it's crazy... then will be seeing my family in 17 days! CAN'T WAIT!

Barcelona!

What a weekend! After about 7 hours on the bus (which went by surprisingly quickly) we (we being a group of students from my school) found ourselves in Barcelona! We arrived Friday evening. We checked into our hostel (the first hostel I'd ever stayed in) which was extremely nice compared to what I'd been expecting! Even people who'd stayed in hostels before said this was a really nice one. Luckily there were some rooms of 8 available and I happened to be with 7 other girls I knew so we got a room all to ourselves which was nice! After settling in we went to check out one ofGaudi's houses called La Perdrera. (I had never really heard of Gaudi before this but he is a famous architect who lived during the late 1800s/early 1900s who designed many buildings in Barcelona. We chose La Perdrera because it has a huge terrace. We got there JUST as the sun was setting; it had a great view. And the terrace was... don't know which one word can describe it but definitely the most unique terrace I've ever seen! It was really neat. There were quite a few students (art students I imagine) sketching there.. it was so cool. There were even families still living in the building! We got to look at one of the "show" apartments - amazing. So nice, and huge! I was getting lost it was so big. After La Perdera we went in search of a tapas bar. We found a really good one and shared a variety of delicious tapas (my favourite were the croquetas - it had a breaded outside with a mashed potato kinda thing on the inside - it seemed more American than Spanish but it was amazing!) After dinner we headed back to the hostel as we had to get up pretty early the next day and we knew we'd be going out the next night.

Saturday we woke up on the early side and headed for the Sagrada Familia (which translates to the Sacred Family), a Cathedral designed by Gaudi. It has been under construction since 1882 and isn't supposed to be finished until about 2030! It was pretty pricey to go inside (9 euro to get in and then another 2.50 to take the lift to the top) and although the inside wasn't all I'd expected (the construction materials really detract from the overall design of it all) but the view made it worth it. Again I don't really have just one word to describe the church... it was kind of insane looking! Definitely unique and amazing in a lot of ways. But crazy at the same time! After La Sagrada Familia, Laura (our Spanish friend from Madrid) helped us find a place to eat some paella. We ended up finding a place where you could get a tapa, paella, sangria and dessert for about 11 euro which was an awesome deal.. the food was really good! After lunch we did some walking around - to the old city area and down to the port. Barcelona is a very pretty city! Although it seems that a lot buildings (La Sagrada Familia, other buildings we saw) are under construction which is kind of too bad. After walking around we headed back to the hostel for some down time before going out - clubbing in Spain doesn't start until around 1 AM! So we left at about 12:30 to make our way to "Razzmatazz", an enormous club that is known all over Spain. It was huge - essentially, there were 5 different clubs inside of one! We didn't even get to see all of it. It was a lot of fun though, they had great music! We got home at around 7 AM (and then had to be up again at around 9). I had never, EVER been out that late (or, early) before! So after an hour and a half - ish of sleep we were up to go to Parc Guell, yet another work of Gaudi. This was probably my favourite spot I saw all weekend. Tons of palm trees, beautiful mosaic benches and nice views. It was a beautiful park. Then we were back on the bus (to sleep!). Great weekend, over super fast! Luckily I have no plans this weekend so I can rest up a bit, because then it's off to Brussels and then Paris! :)

Chateau Barben/French Halloween

I would like to start this blog off by saying that I DID NOT GET A TATTOO. Not of a Christmas tree, and not of anything else. While in Strasbourg, Jean and I were talking about how we think it's silly to get a tattoo of something just because "you really like it". If we were following this logic, we joked, we should get tattoos of Christmas trees because we really (really!) like Christmas. Anyway, that was the joke, we were very hyper all weekend... anyway, I do not have a tattoo.

ANYWAY! Onto my weekend. It wasn't super busy or exciting as I have plenty of traveling coming up in November. We did however make a trip out to Lambesc, a small town not far outside of Aix, on Saturday. We had been planning to take two buses to get there (we didn't know there was any other way) but we missed the first bus (by one minute I might add). Anyway we were pretty disappointed, and tried to come up with a quick back-up plan. However, we noticed a bus with its sign saying "Lambesc". This was not one of the buses where we could use our "Cartreize" (buses traveling within the Bouche du Rhone region where each bus costs 1 euro) so we figured it would be quite expensive. However, it turned out that this bus only cost 1.10, AND it went DIRECTLY to Lambesc! So it turned out to be a good thing that we missed the bus we had originally planned on taking as we ended up saving time and money.

Once in Lambesc we headed to the tourism office. Thinking we were traveling with a car, the lady there suggested taking a trip to the Chateau Barben (supposedly the most picturesque Chateau in Provence). However, we informed her that we did not have a car and it turned out there were no buses going there from Labesc (although the lady thought there might be some going back to Aix from the Chateau). We found out it was less than 10 kilometers away, so we decided to walk (thinking we would be able to catch a bus back to Aix!) So we walked.. and walked.. for about an hour and a half. Finally we made it! Luckily on the way we ran into a nice older couple in their 60s and asked if they knew of any buses going out of the area. They didn't think there were any but kindly offered to drive us back into Lambesc, as long as we weren't back from the Chateau too late. So we arrived at the Chateau and inquired about entering the Castle. We were informed that we could not enter without a guide and a guided visit had just left, and there wasn't another one for several hours. I asked if there was any way we could run up and join the group that had just left, and luckily we were able to! Unfortunately the Chateau is currently inhabited and therefore privately owned, with only a small portion being shown to the public. It was very nice though! Very authentic... some of the ceilings were original, had never been restored! And the view from the terrace... WOW. I was so glad we'd visited in fall because the beautifully colored leaves really added something to the view. It was SO pretty. The Chateau also had a very impressive garden which I loved. Even though we walked pretty far to get there (it was about 8 kilometers in total) and had a kinda pricey entrance fee (8 euros = 12$CAN) it was worth it. And, true to her word, the extremely nice older lady gave us a ride back into town.

That night we went out to celebrate Halloween, which is slowly but surely making its way over to Europe! It is most definitely not as a big of a deal over here but you do see the odd decorations in some of the shops, and there were definitely some people who dressed up (although the costumes are not as creative as back home... people here mostly just put on white face paint and go as a dead person, be it a dead ballerina, dead bride, etc.) Unfortunately I didn't have a costume, so I wore a black dress along with a zebra print scarf/zebra print cardigan and went as... you guessed it.. a zebra! We had a pretty good time though.

This weekend I am going to Barcelona which I am very excited for!!! Happy belated Halloween to everyone!

Wo ist der Bahnhof?

It's a little late but I'm finally getting around to writing about last weekend!

I caught the TGV on Thursday and 7 hours later I was greeted by Jean at the train station in Strasbourg! So we headed over to her residence, which to get to you have to take a bus since it's a ways outside of the downtown area. We didn't do too much, just spent some time catching up (until approximately 3 in the morning!)

Friday Jean toured me around Strasbourg a little bit. Unfortunately the weather was pretty miserable (cold and rainy!) but I enjoyed walking around the town. It was very different from Aix, which definitely has to do with the fact that it's so close to Germany (it's a very different style of architecture). It's also a lot bigger than Aix! But it was very cute, there was a big river running through the town (which even had swans!) and I especially liked a little area called Petite France ("Little France"). For lunch we got Tarte Flambee, a specialty of the Alsace region. It's kind of like a pizza but very thin and not as greasy. It was really good! Then we took a bus over to the big bridge that leads over to the German town of Kehl. So it's cool being able to see the border of two countries like that, and it's so easy because you can just walk over! (So weird too not having to wait in line or show my passport... very different from going into the US!) Once we crossed the bridge we could tell immediately that we were "in" Germany as EVERYONE was speaking German! (Maybe that sounds silly, but I guess I expected there to be SOME French being spoken since we were so close to France) So that was really interesting! Kehl doesn't have a lot to offer tourist-wise but it has a few shops/cafes all of which are cheaper than in Strasbourg, which is great since Jean can go over there pretty much anytime! Friday night Jean got some of her friends together and we went out to a little organic-themed bar/cafe called "Artichoke". I'd never been in a bar like that before so that was neat! Jean has made some French friends too so it was nice to get to speak with them, as I haven't made that many French friends in Aix!

On Saturday we decided to go to Freiburg, located in the South of Germany, on the suggestion of one of Jean's friends. 2 trains and about an hour and a half later we were there! We had even met a nice student on the train who was helping us out with the Germany phrases we were trying to learn out of Jean's Germany phrasebook. Once there we pretty much just walked around. There were some nice buildings, a huge church, a market, and some really pretty streets! We even found (drumroll...) a Starbucks! (Apparently the only Starbucks they have in France are in Paris, so I have not been to one in about 2 months.) Now Starbucks isn't something I even drink all that often back home but it was nice to see something that reminded me of home. Only one of the employees spoke some English, but she spoke enough where I was able to explain how to make the drink I wanted (she didn't know what a London Fog was - Earl Grey tea, filled half with steamed milk, plus some vanilla syrup). I think we probably spent a good couple of hours in Starbucks doing some more catching up. After Starbucks we found this really nice park with a fountain and LOTS of beautiful fall colors on the leaves, so we spent some time there taking some pictures. Pretty soon after we decided to head back. That night we went to a little Mexican restaurant Jean had discovered which was really good! (Although not as good as Paso del Norte - our favourite Mexican place back home). It was nice being able to afford a meal out, because I can't often (or, ever) do that in Aix - it's too expensive!

On Sunday Jean and some of her friends usually get together and make a brunch so that's what we did. Cookies, apple crisp, pancakes, crepes... it was delicious! It was really fun too because only one of my friends lives on my floor and we don't usually cook together, seeing as our "kitchen" has 2 elements, a microwave and a sink. (No table, barely any counter space, etc.) making it not the nicest atmosphere to eat/hang out in. So the brunch was really fun! Then it was time for me to head back to Aix. I didn't get back to my room until almost 1 in the morning! It was a very long day. SUCH a fun weekend though, it was so great to see my best friend from home! And Jean has already booked her ticket to come down to Aix in the beginning of December, so I think we're already looking forward to that! PLUS we even came out learning a few Germany phrases, such as: "Where is the train station?" (This is what the title of this blog entry means), "Can you take a photo of us?" plus a few other little things, so we were pretty proud of that too!

Flamingos & Ocre

What an amazing weekend! Saturday we went to Camargue, a town known for its horses and bull fights, as well as other wildlife (ie. flamingos!) We woke up at 5 AM to catch a 6 AM bus going to Arles, which is where we had to switch buses. It was so dark and absolutely freezing when we arrived in Arles! (The weather has really started to turn here, no more 30 degree weather!) Luckily a nearby cafe was open and we were able to drink some hot tea until the next bus came. We were greeted by an extremely strong (and cold!) wind in Camargue. After making a quick stop at the tourism office to get some info, as we usually do in a new town, we headed to the trail that offers sights of lots of different kinds of birds. We were even lucky enough to see some flamingos, which was kind of cool since I don't think I have ever seen any in real life (not including the zoo) and apparently this is the only spot you can see them in all of Europe. So that was really cool! On the way back we walked along the beach, which was amazing. It had almost-white sand with lots of dunes. Although I have never been to PEI, this is what I imagine the beaches there to look like! Even though it was incredibly windy, we had such a great time walking back on this beautiful beach. The other cool thing was that since it was mid October and pretty chilly, we were basically the only ones on this huge beach, other than the odd horseback rider! It was really neat. After walking on the beach, we went into town because we had heard you could go on trail rides with the famous white horses of Camargue. We found a place and were all ready to go but at the last minute me and another girl decided not to go! (I forgot how much I really don't like horses...) My friends Hana and Christine still went though, and they had a nice time. Even though we had to wake up incredibly early, Camargue was totally worth it; I just loved the beach, as well as being one of the only people on it!

Sunday we took a trip with Georges (the man who organized the trips to Saint Tropez and Monaco) to the villages of Luberon. We visited three villages: Isle sur la Sorgue, Roussillon and Gordes. Isle sur la Sorgue was lovely; it had a really pretty river running all around the town, as well as several 'roues' (working water wheels) which were neat! There was an amazing market that had pretty much anything and everything: jewelry, clothes, toys, spices, meats, cheeses, antiques, etc. We spent pretty much the whole time just wandering through the market (they had lots of free samples... amazing!) Then it was off to Roussillon, a town know for its "Ocre" (I don't know if this is the same spelling in English) which is a special type of red-ish sand. The colors were so vibrant, it was really pretty. The town itself was also really pretty; lots of red stone buildings and cool lanterns. Great views from the town too! After Roussillon it was off to Gordes. Even though I know I would never want to live there, I think this was my favourite village. It's one of 20 or 30 in the region that is built on a 'colline' (hill), so the streets are quite narrow and quite steep. Everything in the town just looked so ancient and authentic... it was kind of hard to believe it was inhabited by modern day people! This town also had amazing views of the area, and you couldn't see any big shops, stores, markets etc. All you could see were houses, grass, mountains, etc. It just looked so natural and untouched. Because it was our last stop we didn't have a ton of time in Gordes but we spent our last 10 or 15 minutes just looking at this amazing view. It was really something.

Anyway, it's Monday and I'm now exhausted but it was totally worth it! It was a great weekend! Now I'm looking forward to Strasbourg, which I leave for on Thursday!

Grace Kelly

Friday, we (2 Chinese, a Japanese, an Austrian, a Czech, a Moroccan and myself) organized a little international picnic. We had planned to go to the park but decided that was a little far to carry all the food, so we ended up having it on the stairway landing on my floor! The food was delicious and we had such a variety! Homemade sushi, mushroom soup, Moroccan tea... and of course pancakes with maple syrup (my contribution). So good!

Saturday I went to Monaco. I went with the same group that organized the trip to Saint Tropez. It was much prettier than I expected - some great modern architecture, huge yachts and clear blue water! Super clean too. We went to the palace and saw the guards change over just before noon which was cool! Then we ate some lunch (leftover pancakes) and went to the Oceanography Museum (we wanted to go to the palace as well but we only had time to do one or the other). They had tons of different kinds of colorful fish. Then we had to get back on the bus to head to Monte Carlo. Once there we headed to the Casino. We had to check our bags before entering but the building was really beautiful. Unfortunately we couldn't enter the ACTUAL gambling area (well we could have, but it would have cost us 10 euro... no thanks!) which was too bad because I would have liked to see that. Almost more amazing were the cars parked outside. Now I don't know much about cars but I saw some names I recognized: Ferrari, Mercedes, Bentley... it was pretty fancy! Then we walked down the equivalent of Rodeo Drive called Avenue des Beaux Arts. Nothing we could even come close to affording obviously but it's fun to look! Then we spent some time in the park (so many pretty fountains!) and before we knew it, it was time to get back on the bus. On the way back we drove through Nice - we didn't get to go outside but I definitely want to go back there in the Spring. All in all Monaco was really luxurious and fancy, definitely worth spending a day in just to see it. It was especially cool to see the Casino since I'd heard so much about it.

Coming up: the villages of Luberon next weekend, Strasbourg in 11 days and Barcelona in less than a month (just paid my deposit this week). Looking forward to it all!

Another great weekend!

Another great weekend in the south of France!

On Saturday some friends and I traveled to Cassis, a town south of Aix right on the coast. The port was LOVELY; the colors of the buildings were so vibrant. It was what I had been expecting of St. Tropez (at home I'd always heard so much about St. Tropez but never anything Cassis) but the town of Cassis turned out to be much nicer, in my opinion anyway! Although there was a beach right by the port, we decided to do a bit of a hike to reach the Calanques ('Lagoons') which we had heard were gorgeous.

There are 4 lagoons located at different stages of the hike. The 'nicest' one is, of course, the furthest and hardest to reach. We hadn't been expecting a very difficult hike but the rocks proved very slippery and since not all of us were wearing the right shoes or clothes, we decided not to venture down to the furthest lagoon. We did do a good deal of hiking though, and saw some AMAZING views which we thought resembled the scenery of 'Never Never Land', from Peter Pan. It was THAT gorgeous! We then made our way back another one of the lagoons we saw on the hike (not as hard to reach) which, although it wasn't the 'nicest' one, was still so pretty! The water was so clear and definitely warm enough to swim. I felt so lucky I was swimming in the ocean in the beginning of October! Definitely wouldn't be doing that in BC. We are hoping to make a trip back in the spring so we can try out the farthest lagoon that we didn't make it to that day.

We experienced a little bit of trouble getting home. Upon our arrival in Cassis we checked the bus times for returning home, and (after making sure it didn't just come on every third Tuesday of the month or during Christmas holidays... the buses in France are very finicky!) we saw that the last bus to Aix was at 5:05. We were at the bus stop in plenty of time to see a bus going to Aix pull away from around the corner. Turns out there was another bus stop around just around the corner, and THAT was where we were supposed to have caught the bus going to Aix (which apparently left at 4:55... we still don't know why there was a sign that said a bus going to Aix at 5:05). So we had to go to Marseille and switch to Aix from there. Kind of a pain but at least we made it back!

Today (Sunday) we traveled south-west Martigues, also known as the Venice of Provence. Although there wasn't a ton to do in the town (the bus that went to the beach didn't run on Sundays) we did enjoy walking around. From what I've seen/heard about Venice, it sure did look a lot like it! It was very pretty. We were all very tired from the long day we had on Saturday so we headed back pretty early. Tonight's agenda is homework!

As great as my weekend was I wish I could have seen Olivia for her sweet 16 and be visiting my dad at the hospital. Miss you both & thinking of you.

Course selection, hiking, and yachts

A few noteworthy things happened this week.

1) I have made my final class selection. My timetable is as follows:

Monday:
French Language.................... 10-12
Intro to International Relations... 2-4

Tuesday:
French Political Institutions...... 2-4

Wednesday:
International Organizations........ 10-12
Geopolitics of South-east Asia .... 2-4
French Civilisation................ 4:30-6

Thursday and Friday I have off :)

Unlike at Simon Fraser, where each class has about 3 to 4 hours a week of class, each class here only has 2, so that's why I have to take more classes than I would at home.

2) On Friday some friends and I hiked the Sainte-Victoire, a mountain just outside of Aix. We found the hike pretty challenging (even though we opted for the "easy" route, it still wasn't easy!) but the view at the top was totally worth it. There is actually an old church up there! We commented on how it would make a lovely spot for a wedding... then realized you'd have no way of getting up there, unless you hiked up in your wedding dress! Once at the top, we walked ACROSS the mountain (I felt like a member for the Van Trapp family escaping the Nazis) and then found a trail back down on the opposite side we had hiked up. We started hiking at about 9 and didn't get down til 3 so (although we took breaks) it was a LONG hike! It was hot out too but definitely worth it.

3) On Saturday I went to Saint Tropez. We went with a group, as the trip was organized by this man named George who organizes trips around the area for students at decent prices. We got to stroll around the town of Saint Tropez for a bit (huge yachts and pricey stores - although there was a pretty cool flea market going on!) and then we were off to the beach (not sure of the name) which was LOVELY. The sand was white and the water was so blue (and not very cold!) It felt great to be laying on a beach (near the end of September!) after having hiked the day before.

Today = laundry. Haven't done any since I've been here so that neeeeeeds to happen!

And the travelling begins!

The last few days have been very eventful for me. On Thursday, I celebrated my 20th birthday in Aix. I didn't do too much during the day since I didn't have class - I took the opportunity to walk around Aix some more and take some photos. That night I had some friends over in my room beforehand and then we were off to the Sunset Cafe for some drinks and dancing. I even received some lovely gifts from my new friends! Although it was a fun day I must admit I felt a bit homesick as it was a different kind of birthday. I have never NOT had a family birthday dinner! Still, it was a relaxing day and I enjoyed myself.

Friday was relatively uneventful. I did some errands during the day, and watched 'Roman Holiday' with some friends in the evening. We wanted to have an early night as we were planning to visit Arles the next day.

The next morning we got to the bus station nice and early to catch the 10AM bus. 10:30 rolls around and still no bus... so we decided to double check the time. Turns out we missed the little "D+F" notice, which stands for Dimanche et fériés (Sundays and holidays). Since it was a Saturday, there was never a 10 o'clock bus coming! So, since we had each purchased the "Cartreize" (a card available for anyone under 25 that enables you to travel anywhere within the Provence/Bouches-du-Rhône area for just one euro) we decided to just hop on another bus and travel somewhere else in the area. We decided on a bus going to Pertruis. Once there, we went to the Tourism Office and decided on taking another bus to the Lourmarin. There, we visited a beautiful Chateau and strolled around the town. It was so beautiful and so calm - we saw more cats than people! It was exactly what I pictured the south of France to be like. It turned out to be a really great day considering we completely winged it!

On Sunday we caught the bus to Arles we meant to catch the day before. Once we arrived we made a stop at the Tourism Office to get some suggestions on what to see, since we had just under 5 hours until the last bus to Aix. We decided it would be best to start at the Roman ruins. First we went to the Theatre, where they preformed plays, which promoted language and culture - even propaganda. Then we went to the Amphitheatre, which hosted gladiators and CONTINUES to host bullfights. It was HUGE - it's capable of holding 20,000 people. We then went to an old hospital where Van Gogh checked himself in as a patient once upon a time. We were even able to visit the garden where he spent a lot of time painting! After that we just strolled around a bit and then headed back to the bus stop to head home to Aix.

All in all, GREAT WEEKEND! Excited to have started to do a bit of travelling, and loving how inexpensive it is. The most expensive part of my day in Arles was the sandwhich I bought for 5 euro! We have already booked a trip to Saint-Tropez (BEACH!) next weekend and a trip to Barcelona the weekend of October 16. Can't wait to do more traveling!

Ohhh right I'm here to go to school...

After a fun first weekend here (which included a party at some Irish guys' apartment on Friday, another night at the Sunset Cafe on Saturday and a picnic with all the international students on Sunday) I was faced with a hard reality on Monday: I'm not in Aix-en-Vacance ('Vacance' being the French word for vacation), I'm in Aix-en-Provence and I'm here to go to school!

On Monday I had French and Introduction to International Relations. The profs for both classes seem really nice; I especially think I'm going to like the International Relations. On Tuesday I had Comparing Political Institutions. The content of the class seems like it'll be interesting and pertinent to what I'm studying but the prof doesn't use any visual aid, ie. a PowerPoint, in class - he just talks, which can make the lecture kind of hard to follow. Even the French girl sitting next to me she was having a bit of a hard time following along. I'm sure I'll manage though! On Wednesdays, I'm normally going to have French Civilization but it doesn't start until next week. Thursday and Friday... no class!

Other than starting school, we've been going to the movies a lot because movies only cost 4 euros this week. We have seen Inglorious Basterds, My Sister's Keeper, and today we're going to see 500 days of Summer. They play them all in French, so at least it's good practice for me! I've also organized a little birthday gathering tomorrow night at the Sunset Cafe which should be fun! It'll be weird not having a family dinner or anything - but I guess celebrating in France is an acceptable alternative :)

The first week

So I have been in Aix almost a week now, and I'm starting to get a taste of what it's like to be living here as an international student.

As far as orientation goes, we have been doing a 2 hour session everyday called "Bienvenue en France". We have just been going over all things pertinent to living in France, ie. grammar, a bit of French history, the proper French way to greet people (by kissing them on each cheek - this is called "la bise"). It's actually been kind of fun, the guy teaching it is super nice (he is a prof at the school).

In terms of going out, on Monday the "Association Internationale" organized a pub night at the Manoir. Most of the international students were there and it was a really good time! Tuesday we went to the "Wohoo" (yes, that's the name of the bar) another charming little place, complete with stone walls. I met some more people, including a guy from California! He had even heard of my hometown, which is an hour outside of downtown Los Angeles, that not many people know of. Wednesday night I was pretty tired so I just took it easy. Last night a guy on my floor had a little drinks/appetizers gathering in his room (met some people from France so it was a good opportunity to speak French - most people I have met speak English!) then I was off to the Sunset Café (more awesome ancient-looking stone walls...) for some Indie music.

In between the "Bienvenue en France" classes and the pub outings, I have been walking all over Aix trying to take care of "business" stuff. So far I have managed to get a cell phone, set up a bank account and rent a fridge from the school (easier said than done!). I also made my first trip to Marseille to drop off some documents that I need to get my "carte de long sejour", which will enable me to study here for the year. So I've definitely been keeping busy, waiting in lines and trying to figure stuff out. The upside of all this is that I think my French is already starting to improve! I also finally went to to buy groceries, and today we're going to 'FLY', which is apparently just like IKEA since there are no IKEAS in Aix, to get some pots, pans, plates, etc. Then I can start cooking for myself (by that I mean making pasta and soup).

I'm having fun but missing the loved ones at home! Thinking of you guys.

I HAVE ARRIVED

Well, after a ton of planning and much anticipation, I HAVE FINALLY ARRIVED IN AIX!

I was greeted at the Marseille Airport on Saturday morning by a student from CROUS, an organization that helps students with residences, jobs, etc. I was at first very taken aback by the "kiss on each cheek" greeting, but she was really nice. We took the bus to my dorm, situated in the Cité Universitaire. I am in "Gazelle" residence, in Pavillon 3 (there are 7 Pavillons). My room is kinda old and not the cleanest place I have ever seen but it's definitely spacious. After unpacking a few things I sent out to find the "ED", which the student who picked me up from the airport informed me is the cheapest supermarket, so I could pick up some cleaning supplies. I had to ask a few people and it took me a while but eventually I found it! It was a good way to see a bit of the town.

Saturday night was a little rough; I was jetlagged and couldn't sleep, and since I had just arrived that day I hadn't met anyone yet, so I was severely homesick and had a hard time sleeping. Sunday I wanted to keep busy, so I took my laptop to a caf é with free WiFi (I didn't have internet in my room yet) and had lunch. Then I walked around Aix and tried to get my bearings. I was trying to find the school, since I had to be there at 9 this morning, and I met a really nice Romanian guy who offered to walk me there, and he pointed out some other cool sights along the way (ie. a British tea company, a good place to have coffee, etc.) Then I went to the Parc Jourdan, a park right by my residence and very popular with students, especially on Sundays, and read for a few hours. I didn't even have time to be homesick!

Today we had an orientation session at the school. I walked there with a girl I met on my floor from Morocco. We were served a light breakfast (the croissants were AMAZING) and had some time to meet all the other international students. I met people from Australia, Austria, England, Germany, Turkey and the States. There is even a girl from BC! After an information session, we had to take a French test to see what level we were at. I had lunch at one of the caféterias, which are located all around town and sell meals to students for 2.90€ (you can't beat a price like that in Aix, which is the second most expensive town in France, after Paris!). Later we were lead around town by some French students who run the "Assoication Internationale", an association for international students. Tonight the Association is holding a soirée at the "Manoir", one of the pubs. Good chance to meet some more people!
I still have a lot to do to get settled - need to open a bank account, get a cell phone, buy a fridge (they said they would be provided but they're not!) and some other stuff, but I finally have internet in my room, so that's something.

I really like Aix so far. It is a beautiful town - I love all the cafés with the little tables outside, and the architecture is amazing. My school is also gorgeous, and it is right across from the "Grand Cathédral". The streets all look very similar though and I'm still trying to get my bearings but I'm looking forward to getting to know it better!