I am HOME

so i landed in ATL airport at 7:55 June 25th. my trip is over!

I will try and give a couple more blogs to wrap everything up. I need to tell you guys about how things went with my family coming over to visit for the last couple weeks. that will come soon. but for right now. I want to see all of you in Person.

FIN

Well, it all ended with a crepe on Cours Mirabeau.... but more about my last day in Aix later. let me rewind it a couple weeks and catch you guys up on a few things.

So, staying at that vineyard definitely was awesome! it has made it into my top 8 experiences here. I mean everything we could see from their front porch was part of their vineyard. 7km long! and they produce over a million litres of wine per season. Our time there started with a great meal at the auberge. by law this type of restaurant has to produce 80% of everything served on site (chickens, vegetables, wine...) and it was so good. After this long meal we got a private 2,5 hour tour of the vineyard. With us was the owner and the 2 chief field managers. we learned all sorts of cool stuff from all the types of wild flowers that were in bloom to how they can control the amount of grapes the vines produce. For dinner we had some great chicken curry, and to finish the night we watch the final match of the euro cup (Manchester vs. Barcelone) the next day we woke up and rode bikes out to the other side of the vineyard and went swimming for a while. then lunch and back into St. Maximin. Int the village there is a huge church. and in the church they have got the sarcophagus of Mary Magdalene. so that was really cool to see.

We did make it up the mountain the next day, and we came down to relax in my friend's pool for the afternoon. later that weekend we went to cassis and the beach there was quite amazing (as always). and my friend finally headed out for Switzerland on Monday

so over the next we i just hung out with friends and did some fun pool chilling. and then last weekend i went to Martigues on my own for a day trip. There is a huge sandy beach outside of the ville. it was such a great site to see. and after 3 hours on the beach i went back to the ville and discovered it. there is so much history there. and the museums are free and very cool! i loved it. great day trip, and i would recommend it to anyone.

on Sunday we had a huge goodbye party for the pastor of the church here. i got there early to help set up and cook chicken for 100 guests. it turned into quite the blow out. and i was able to say goodbye to a lot of people as well. it was bitter sweet (like this whole last week). It has been a string of little get togethers and goodbyes. I keep telling myself that i will see these great people again, but i know it won't be soon for all of them who are staying in France. the ones who are coming to America might be more possible to visit. And i have had to say goodbye too ll the places here and the lifestyle which i love. this place has truly changed me. I climbed up St. Victoire on Wednesday and i spent the night at the top to do some reflecting and clearing out my mind. It was such a good experience. there were actually a group of french people up there that i get to connect with. It was a great way to say thanks for all i have been given here. And i woke up early and hiked down a new way. It was all great!

Today was my last official day of my Experience here (the next 10 days will be 'vacation' with my family here). So i ended it all with a big day of packing cleaning, having a few conversations in french, and then i got a sandwich with the first friend i made here. and i went to a movie with a couple of my newest friends made here. what a way to close the circle on my time here. we also had crepes on the cours while live jazz was playing in the background. I have loved it all! no regrets with my choice to come here for a year. I will see you guys Stateside soon!!!

Hey again.

Hey. so i am 21 years old now! i am officially legal to have a drink all over the entire, big world. lol. I had a lot of fun last night. but let me back it up a few days...

I finished up my exams last week. Accounting was quite the tough one. We shall see what happens. it took me the whole 2 hours to finish up. but i think it was passable. And then i had the oral exam with my Droit Constitutionnel prof. That turned out to be a nightmare. I studied the last 250 years of french governmental history and the differences in their constitutions (they have had many). So i show up for the test feeling good, right. the teacher asks me 2 short questions about the present french government, and then a dozen about the US government. what the heck. I haven't taken US govn since 8th grade. So half of my answers were "je ne sais pas", and then he would tell me what i should have said, followed by my reply of "oui, je sais". lol. so needless to say i don't anticipate the highest marks there. but that's ok. i made straight A's last semester, so it should all balance out in the GPA.

So on thursday i went back to Gorges du Verdon. It was quite a different experience. I rented a Kayak. The river was calm in this area with a huge lake at the entrance to the cliffs. And these cliffs were indescribable. the water was a chilling 8 degrees still, but this time i had NO wetsuit. I still couldn't resist doing a little cliff diving tho. it was a great time in the wild. on our way back we stopped at a cool village in the cliffs that is famous for pottery and their amazing view of the countryside. After that we drove into the heart of the lavande country. We stopped at a local lavande farm and got to learn more about the whole process from some of the family owners. Apparently we were about 4 weeks too early to see the bloom. you know the classic purple covered fields of france. Right now poppy flowers are in full bloom. and the fields look fiery red.

Saturday was my big VIP day in Cannes. The film festival came to a close last weekend. My friend Thierry had been at the festival all week and was leaving just as i was arriving. So... he gave me 2 of his VIP passes to use. A girl i met up with on the bus and I decided to make it a day together. We had a great time. I am talking private beach, open bar, free Puyricard chocolates, private dock, and comfy seats with good looking people all around. It was 10 times better than what the average person would get. Awesome. And we also got to go into the Carlton hotel and chill in that lounge for a while. We watched the red carpet for a bit, but i didn't recognize anyone, and there were like a million people there to watch. And we ended the night with a little movie premier out on the beach. You got to be envious of this day. lol. It was one of my french dreams come into reality.

I forgot about friday. ha. I went and played some Laser tag with my friends. I got 1st place all three rounds. so bring it on!

Ok, monday was my birthday. i had a ton of fun. a friends from GSU came into town that day, and he is staying with me for a week or so. And we went out to an underground discotheque, and then hung out in the park with frenchies til about 3am. It was a great day, and thanks to all of you who sent out birthday wishes. I am 21 now, legal worldwide!

Today (wed), we are going to one of my friend's vineyards. hopefully do some wine tasting, swimming, possible horseback riding, and who knows. We will be staying there overnight. should be a lot of fun, and just a cool experience. Then friday we hope to climb the mountain, and go for a swim at a friends house out in the country. It's going to be a good last few weeks here in France!

Keeping busy

So... i know that i start a lot of these with "sorry it has been so long". but it only gets harder to sit down and find the time as the year is winding down. Yes i am starting to feel the end draw near. And i don't want to leaver here. so if everyone i know could just get on a plane and move to France, that would be great. haha. Well, anyways i have just got a month left!

So i have kept busy. I had 2 exams last week, and i have got 2 more this week. so cross those fingers, because they (just like the classes) are going to be in 100 percent French. I have got accounting in the morning. ouch. So this is me procrastinating (those of you who know me, know that procrastination is my favorite part of studying). But it should all work out in the end

On friday i went to a big end of the year bash with a lot of my friends. We had good drinks, good burgers from the grill, a fire, swimming, Wii, and so much more. It really was great to have a big shebang with a lot of people that are leaving this week. Oh and around midnight we all went out and did the ziplines at this house. imagine flying into a pitch black forest. It was awesome. you just have to watch out for that tree at the end of the line.

Saturday started out early. I got hooked up with some people who are moving teusday and need some help getting the house ready. so i went out to their place in Puyricard, and they set me to work. They had a pool, that really looked like a pond when i arrived. There were 2 inches of leaves covering the bottom. It was not pretty but with 5 hours of hard work... It was clean and clear. And it felt great to actually make some money for the first time in 10 months! I can't wait til this summer. I have got to find a job in Georgia (anybody know of one?) After work i got cleaned up and headed out to a tailgate. You heard me. I tailgated at an American football match here in Aix. Our team is #2 in all of france. The playoffs start in a couple weeks. Anyways, i made such a good mixed grill. mmm. and then The Argonauts (name of our team) crushed the opponents. 43-6 at the half. And there were some really good plays. Get this, the audience does the "braves tomahawk" here. It made me feel right at home.

Today, Sunday has been awesome so far. 5 friends and I went out to Les Gorges du Verdon to go RAFTING. The 2 hour drive out there at 8 in the morning was beautiful. We pass some great scenery; mountains, plains, little villages. once we got into the national park area the views only got better. It is impossible to describe, but i will try a bit. This is pretty much the french equivalent to the grand canyon. very different but all the same magnificent. We came around one of the cliffs and in front of us laid a huge valley covered in a cloud. It was something to see. Well, we got down to the raftin place, paid (signed 0 consent forms, they didn't even ask our names. only in France). And then we got suited up in some wetsuits (very necessary. the water was like 8 degrees Celsius). And we hit the water. It was a smooth trip down the Verdon, but there were some cool rapids. after we went through the biggest one of the day, the guide and us got the raft over to the side and we climbed a rock. this was followed by all of us taking turns jumping into the beast. what a rush! just got to not get thrown into the rocky cliffs to the left. ha. well the rest of the trip went with no problems. we had a splash fight, flipped the boat once, and did some swimming. It was great! i would suggest it to all

Well, i guess it is time for me to get back to my studies. Wish me luck. I hope all of you are doing great and having a good summer where you are.

Grandparents came for a visit

Well, Papa Don and Jojo (my grandparents) came to see me last week. We sure did have a lot of fun. I have been sleeping for the past few days just trying to recuperate from all the things we did together. So i will try and give you guys the short version of how things went down.

... I didn't even recognize them when they got off the bus Thursday afternoon. But i guess they figured out who i was pretty quick, and they ran over and gave me a good hug. After this, we put our things up in the apartment we rented for the week (awesome place by the way), and then we hit the sunny streets of Aix. Of course the first thing we wanted to do was sit at a café on Cours Mirabeau, have some wine and some french food. And that is exactly what we did with the exception of Don ordering a beer (he wasn't too keen on wine until later in the trip...) So we had a nice 2 hour meal and watched the Aixoise culture walk by in front of us. And then we headed up the street a little ways and into a cathedral. It was cool to show them something that was Built starting in the 5th century. Man, the USA is so young. After visiting some neat places in town, we got pizza (very french) and headed to the apt to call it a night.

Well, friday we hit the ground running. We woke up and went to the famous street markets of Aix. We got zucchini and fresh Parmesan cheese for dinner. Then we went and saw my school (it is celebrating its 600 anniversary this year). And for our afternoon we planned to go into Marseilles, so we got some senior discount bus passes and went on our way (for just 1 euro). We started Marseilles with a 2.5 hour lunch right on the vieux port. It was nice to relax before we started the miles of walking that i had planned. We wound up seeing 3 cathedrals, all completely different styles and really cool. One of them was on top of a huge hill and overlooked the entire city (2nd largest city in France) and also the Mediterranean Sea (where you can see the famous Chateau d'If where the Count of Monté Christo was held). From here we walked down the hill and back thru time once more to a Gothic style cathedral which got its beginnings from the 200s! But everyday does come to a close and so we watched the sun start setting over the city from the train station and then we caught a bus and got to see it finish setting over the Provence countryside. It was very beautiful. Finally we got back to the appt and started cooking a tasty pasta dinner that lasted til 11pm. Oh, i forgot Jojo had a French guy hitting on her while Don and I were in a store. We came out and he was telling her how much he wanted to marry her!

Saturday was also a busy day. We started the morning with buying a fresh baguette and catching the bus for Mont Saint Victoire. We hiked up thru the olive fields and once we got above the tree line we felt the full force of the Mistral (20mph winds of Provence). It made it really difficult to stay on the side of this huge mountain. So once we got to the halfway point, we found a shrub and ate lunch behind it and out of the wind. The views were amazing. We got down and were back in town by 1pm. Then i had to shower and head into town to help set up for the wine tasting we were going to that night. So i helped Hilary set up and then we went out to the meeting spot to get Jojo and Don and also 7 other people. But the other people never showed up. So we wound up getting a Private tasting of 5 wines! It was awesome, and to all our surprise Don enjoyed himself and was even asking for extra tastes. After all our questions were answered and our noses were a bit redder we thanked Hil and went up stairs to Have a great Italian dinner (and Hil let us have a bottle to finish with our dinner, 2003 Pinot Noir). And man was dinner tasty, and the service and atmosphere was top class at Pasta Cozy. After dinner we went to a rooftop party in the middle of the city. We got to meet some french friends of mine and get a great view of the city at night. And Jojo got to practice her "bisou", the french cheek kiss. It was yet again another great and full day.

We were happy to wake up to a rainy day on Sunday. Rest was definitely in need. So we just took it slow all day. Jojo read her Jane Eyre book and Don and i sat and talked for a few hours until we found a formula one race on TV. After the race we went out and saw my new dorm room (Awesome!) and we picked up some sandwiches to bring back for dinner. We had dinner, watch a movie (About Schmidt), and then we went to sleep.

on Monday we woke up in a rush ( I called the bus station and found out that we only had 20 mins til we had to leave on the bus). Arrived in Cassis by 9am and it was earlier than most of the town had woken up. We ate crepes in the park (Nutella, chocolat, and honey nut). After eating, we hiked the first of the calanques and learned some cool history of the area while we got some breathtaking views of cliffs and the Mediterranean. As we came back to town we saw a woman laying out Nude (finally a real french experience. lol). Then the sun popped out and we had charwarmas for lunch in downtown. Went and saw the light house where I left the grandparents for an hour (don took a nap, and jojo watched a guy swimming and hoped he was also nude). And they saw kids taking sail boat lessons, while I took a nap on the beach. Then I stepped in the freezing waters of the Med Sea. So, we took the bus back and while we were waiting for our transfer bus in Aubagne jojo got pooped on by a pigeon. lol. but we made it. We saw where Cezanne died, and the old Aix pony express. For dinner we grabbed 2 pizzas from Pizza Capri (3 fromage and chirizo). I helped some tourists get a cab for the airport. we ate dinner and Don and I stayed up again (every night talking til 12am, until don's alarm would go off).

And the last day finally was upon us. But we still had big plans! There was a tour of a local chocolat factory in Puyricard, just 15 mins north of town. So we took the bus there, and actually got dropped off at the wrong place. I had to get my friend that works at the factory to come and pick us up for the rest of the way. Ah, so we arrived a bit late, but it was just in time for the actual tour. We had to go thru a "clean" room and wash up before we put on hairnets. the tour was really cool. We were on the floor walking in between all the different stations for all the processes that the candies go thru. And my friend came and did part of the tour with us (he is a manager there and gave us a few cool extra background stories). We got to sample a lot of the chocolat and we saw some of the trade secrets. mmmm. Well after we had had our fill we went back into town. We got packed up and then grabbed some charwarmas for lunch (i swear these are the best sandwiches). And before the bus left we even had time to stop by a museum and look at some photography. So, I said my final goodbyes to my loving grandparents and waved them off as the bus drove away.

We sure did have a lot of fun.

Provence, how i love thee...

Well i have been having a great last couple of weeks.

I went on an excursion to Avignon. This was a lot of fun! We arrived at the old walled city at about 10am. Started out walking up a stone spiral staircase that was inside of a tower until we reached the top of the city wall. Then we walked on the top of the walls and up a hill to the highest point in the town. We got some great views of the city, the many cathedrals, the Pont(bridge) d'Avignon, and the Rhone river. And then we made our way over to a huge "place" where we could see the palace des Papes (the Pope moved to this city for a couple hundred years back in the 14 century). He built a fortress right in the middle of the town. pretty cool stuff. I had been here in 2006, so i did not pay to go inside with the rest of the group. Instead i just wandered the streets and got myself lost. I found a lot of cool things as i went. Passed a group of folk singers, saw a wedding in progress thru open cathedral doors, found a secret garden. I also stumbled into a crazy art gallery where i was given a glass of Rosé (don't worry it was already noon, perfect time for a chilled glass of wine in Provence). And i chatted it up with the artist for a little while. and then i got to find a big market to walk thru. The town was so cool. And i ate the biggest charwarma of my life! mmmm.

After Avignon we all took the bus to Pont du Garde. one of the most famous monuments in France. It is an old Roman Aqueduct they helped carry water 500km. It was really neat to visit this place again (i had went in 2006). I did a little hiking around the Pont and crossed to both sides. I even took a little nap. This place is a must see if you make it down to Provence.

So the excursion was awesome!

Just yesterday I went to "Les Calanques"=best hiking in my life! these are white stone finger shaped cliffs that span the 20km between Cassis and Marseilles. the water is the bluest that the Mediterranean has to offer. and the views are just spectacular. I will never forget this hike. and i have got to go back soon! When we stopped for lunch in En Veau, i looked around and i could not believe the place that i get to eat. It doesn't even compare to any experience i have had in Georgia. Oh yeah, and at lunch time, we got to see the French rescue team run some helicopter exercises right in front of us for like 20 mins. they were lowering people onto cliffs and then they would leave and come back and rescue them. It was pretty entertaining. Man, that was a great hike.

So... I also finally got to move into a new and renovated dorm! It feels like a 5 star hotel compared to that last place. I have got my own fridge, toilette and shower. Plus hardwood floors and an amazing view of the french countryside. you wouldn't believe what i get to wake up to.

So i have had a busy week so far. and my grandparents (Jojo and Papa Don) are supposed to be arriving tomorrow! cross your fingers that they can get on the plane (they are coming standby). But i have got a lot of fun things planned for us. If they get here, we will be going to a wine tasting, touring a chocolate factory, visiting Marseilles, and climb the famous Mont Saint Victoire. Of course we will be doing a lot of relaxing at cafés and checking out all the cool/historic places in Aix. So if you want to do all this stuff too, then get your butt out here!

Alright, that should keep you fascinated and jealous for a little while. I will try to post again soon. I hope your lives are all going well!

It is vacation time!

Man i am loving it here!

So the french schooling system makes no sense at all. I finished with all my classes last week and the exams are not until the first couple weeks of May. This means that i have got some free time on my hands. I guess you saw the pictures i put up instead of a story for my last blog. sorry. i was rushed that day. But as you can see, I went to a Wine and Chocolate tasting, went to the movies (3 times), watched the Tour d'Aix (bike race, and saw a crash), and spring arrived with a Harley on the Cours Mirabeau.

My fun has not stopped there! I have been going to the parks around town a lot lately (the weather here has been great for the most part, although it is cloudy today). I have hiked Mont St. Victoire a couple more times, and i have got a post Easter trip planned with the church here. Speaking of Easter, I went to a big pic-nick/egg hunt last Saturday. That was a lot of fun. Afterwards the university students grilled out at an apartment on the south side of town.

And then on Sunday Carnival hit the streets of Aix! It was completely crazy here. The opposite of what you think of when you think French village life. There was confetti and silly string covering all corners of the street (and all over everybody). The little kids were dressed up in crazy costumes, and a lot of the adults too. There were more people in the streets than i have ever seen. And then the bands and floats came down the cours. It was all followed by a group of about 200 people all dancing in unison. The atmosphere couldn't have been more jubilant. There is still confetti all over the place.

And then on Monday, I climbed Victoire in the morning, hung out in the park during the afternoon, and went to a rooftop BBQ at dusk. What a great time that was. To be right in the middle of town and on a rooftop terrace. seeing the clock towers and cathedral steeples lit up at night. Drinking wine and eating shish kabobs with friends.

Well i am not quite sure all that lies ahead of my these last 3 months, but i am ready for it!

march madness

Spring is officially here!

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

I am sorry it has been a couple weeks since my last post. I didn't do too much worth while since then. I climbed the mountain here twice. And the second time was definitely the most fun i have had On Mont Saint Victoire in the 8 or 9 times i have climbed it. I went up the difficile (difficult path) which involves a little bit of rock climbing. Then just chilled at the top with the friend that went with me. After we woke up from a mountain top nap we went and hiked the ridge line for a mile and then decided to bushwhack our way down to a village we saw. This seemed like it would be easy as pie. But oh no, it was not. took about 3 hours to get down and to this village (Vauvenguardes). We ran into cliffs and walls of bushes and trees. But we pushed thru and finally made it back to flat land! It was great. And we still had time to check out the village before the bus left for Aix.


(the way up)


(the way down)

Other than this. I went into Marseilles again and had a charwarma by the Mediterranean Sea. Got lots of rest. Finished Harry potter number 5. I just started number 6 today!

I went to my friends 41st birthday party on Saturday. It was a blast. We started with a little petanque tournament and some grenadine. My team made it to the finals. And then once more people showed up and night fell. we lit up the grill and started opening up the bottles of wine. There must have been 50 people at this house out in Tholonet (about 15 mins drive from Aix) Great atmosphere and great food. And then at about 11 some friends from Tunisia came over with there drums and put on a show for like an hour and a half. so things got loud and crazy for those of us still there. Oh, yeah the birthday boy is a huge cigar guy, and someone gave him a box of cubans. So I got to try a Cuban (don't worry, they are legal here). And then as the night really wound down I got to talking to a guy there about a possible job opportunity here. So cross your fingers for that. But yeah i got a ride home from a french guy at the end of the night. It was a good time, and i am sure we will have a few more outings there. Especially when they open up the pool!

So i also got thrown into a petanque group that meets every week. And so i went and had some fun this Sunday with them. I schooled a couple old french guys, always fun to do. We played 3 rounds. And now i am so hooked on this game. It is the French equivalent to Bacci, i guess. But since i do not have my Koob game here, this is a great replacement, and classic french. i will have to buy a set and bring home to share. (maybe we will get a game going at the Backyard BBQ?)

well that should just about catch you up. I have only got 3 more weeks of school here, so right now i am trying to plan my 2 months free time (french schools make no sense). I will try and keep you updated on that. And if anyone wants to come for a visit, just let me know and we can start figuring it out. I already have Jojo and Don, Mark and Angie, and my household coming over. But i got plenty of time for you too.

Have a great week everybody. I know i will in this 60 degree sunny park weather!

Spring time is here

Hey everyone!

So i am still having a great time here in southern France. The sun is out and we have gotten a couple of 50 degree days already. I just finished my last class of the week, and now i have got a vacation week. Since i have last talked with you I have climbed the mountain 2 times, met a few french people in my new classes, and started to really understand my new classes also. I still have not recieved any of my grades from fall term, but i am registered for classes at GSU this coming up Fall. I think i did fairly well tho. Oh, the trip to Cassis was great. It really is a beautiful little coastal town. There are a lot of vineyards there and i hope to tour some of them soon. unfortunately i am having to postpone the hiking trip until more people have got time to go, But i still have got high hopes of completing this feet before i leave.

I also got my first haircut since being in france! and i went to an american football game not too long ago. I also went and watch OM (the soccer team in Marseilles) play against Twente. We lost. Oh and the fair is in town for a few weeks.

So durring this vacation period i have finally dicided that i am going to explore the Bouches de Rhone rgion of France (this is where i live). I would like to see a village a day. here is the bus route, just to give you an idea of what i am talking about. http://www.lepilote.com/img/_info/CG_PlanReseau2008.pdf so hopefully it will be a lot of fun!

So do you have any questions for me about life here in France?

Another week in south France

so this week i have been keeping busy. Sunday night some friends and i went to a gelato place right on cours Mirabeau. this place it awesome and i will definitely take you there if you come and visit.

On Monday i went to an underground dance club with a group of friends (i was the only American in the crowd). That was so much fun. we danced to all sorts of music (not country of course) and drank and talked til about 2am.

On Tuesday i had a friend turn 26 here. Her name is Loni. There were 16 of us that went out to celebrate at this new Italian restaurant in town. we were there for over 3 hours having our meal. mmmm it was so good too. I had the duck in a honey sauce. you would die for this food. Another place i will take you.

And tonight, Wednesday i am going to a wine tasting in town. Its me and like 20 other people (maybe 3 of us will be guys. i like those odds. lol), six types of wine, and a whole lot of fun. I can't wait. It was a great time the last one i did in the fall, so i have got high hopes for this one. My friend Hilary runs this tasting business, and she is a great person.

This weekend i am planning on going to Cassis, a small coastal village about 45 minutes away from here. It is supposed to be really beautiful. I will be checking ou the site there and also meeting with someone at the tourist info building to discuss my upcoming trip in march. I am going to hike from Cassis to Marseilles along the coast with some buddies of mine. We are planning to take 2 days one night to complete the 25k journey. It should be a great time. Look up the Calanques if you want to get a glimpse of some of the breathtaking views that are in store for me.


well, that is it for now. i got to get heading to that wine tasting. I will try and update you again next week.

The Semester is underway

So i have been in my new classes at my new school for a couple of weeks now. It is going great. My classes are generally britty big (all are taught in theater size rooms, the teachers have to use microphones, and i sit in the middle of at leaste 100 french kids). It is about as opposite as it can get from the school i was in last semester. But i understand a good bit of what is being taught. Actually in some of my classes i think i understand a little better than the french kids, and yes everything is taught in French. A couple of my teachers pass out some note sheets to help us, one uses powerpoint, and then a couple of them just sit on the stage and talk for 2 hours (and we are expected to sit quietly, understqnd, and take notes at lightning speed), but the french kids have a lot of trouble in these class as well. So you might be wondering what i am taking this semester: French constitutional law 2h, Market Economics 5h, Accounting of entreprises 5h and Demography 3h. It is proving to be a good size load. But i am welcoming the challenge

I am still staying in contact with my friends from last semester. In fact i want to a party with some of them the other day. Also, my grades are starting to come in, and it looks like i did pretty well (lots of 15's or higher).



um interesting story. So i am currently looking for work here in Aix (i will be looking for a job when i get back to america too, if you know of any). The only thing i have found so far was to help a doctorate student with her research study. So i called her up and set up an appointment. She is doing a study on how people from different mother maguages apprend the french language. So i met her at the hospital in town to get tested. Sh e proceeded to hook all sorts of electrodes to my face and then an electrode cap on my head. She hooked all of these up to a big computer. She thyen left the room and i had the test. For the test i starred at a copmuter screen (blinking was not allowed, as it would interfer with the signal from my brain) and i watcher sentences in french go by very fast word by word. at the end of each sentence i had to push a button saying weather it was correct gramatically and comprehension wise. The whole process took two hours, and boy was i tired after it ( i had stayed awake til 4am the night before watching the SuperBowl, but that is another story). So she told me the results. I am average in my knowledge of weather words are correctly written in feminine or masculine form. And my common sense and comprehension is a little above average. So all good news. I took my 15 euos and was on my way.



Well that's all for now, let me know if you have got any questions.

Le fete de Saint Marcel

the pictures say it all.

this is literally the craziest festival i have ever been to. Every year, all the people of the town dress up in these traditional Provencal clothing and parade around town. They dance, sing, jump, shoot muzzle loaders, and carry the bust of Saint Marcel down all the streets of the town. And every 4 years they slaughter a cow and parade it around town as well. This was my lucky year. So you are probably wandering just as much as i was, What is the point of this celebration? well the the story is pretty hazy at best. but i will try and tell it.

A few hundred years ago... when all the plagues and pests were hitting Europe pretty hard and killing a lot of people, there was one man who found the answer. This was a man who was walking down the road one day and saw a vision of Saint Marcel. The saint told him that if the people of his village ate the Tripe (cow intestines and stomach lining. gross, and previously always discarded as trash) then they would be safe. So the man told this to the village of Barjols and believe it or not the town prospered and was spared from the coming plague. Crazy. I know.

Well. we went, we saw, we jumped, we sang, we did not eat tripe, and we left. It was awesome. Definitely the kinda thing that tourists never hear about. I am glad to not be a tourist. I live here, and thus i sometimes here about these crazy events. I hope to find a couple more before i leave.

We made it to Paris

So we landed in Paris on the morning of New Years Eve! We had to take a train from the airport into town. On the train we met a cute french girl and an American girl. And the french girl is actually related to President Sarkozy! crazy!!! and she helped us find the right metro to get to our hotel, and she also had some pretty good stories. So we got off the metro and found our hotel like right outside the front doors of the station. We actually got our own room and shower and toilette. It was a real hotel. great way to end the trip and relax. So it is New Year's Eve, and their is no way that we are just going to sit in the hotel. Good thing i had friends in Paris. We met up with a guy named Nizar (friend from school, and the ambassador from Libya's son). We find the rest of our group (about 15 people) at the Arc de Triumph. From here we start drinking and walking towards the Eiffle tower for the big party. We get pretty good spots a little ways away and have the most perfect view for the countdown. There are thousands of french people around us. It was so great. Cinq, Quatre, Trois, Deux, Un, Bonne Anée!!!! it got crazy. Everyone cheering and happy. and then after a while there, we started the long walk back to the hotel and partied and met french people all along the 3 hour journey. It was truly a blast, and thus we woke up at 2pm the next day.

So for the rest of the trip we just took it easy and explored as many sites as we could (both durring the day and at night). This city is just magical really. I have been here before and i was still in Awe of so many things. So we saw: Sacre Coeur, Montmartre, Moulin Rouge, Galleries Lafayette, Bastille, Les Invalids, Arc de Triumph, Eiffle Tower, Mars parc, Champs de Essays, Louvre, Jim Morrison, Versailles, Sorbone, Parthenon, Statue of Liberty, Notre Dame, and so much more. And we ate some really good food along the way including my favorite; charwarmas (kinda like a Gyros, it's Lamb meat in a sandwich with fries and sauce. Awesome!) almost everyday.

So we spent a lot of time just walking around and exploring the city. All types of weather fell upon us except for rain. We got the sunny days, the cloudy ones and then the snow came one morning and covered the city. It was amazing being able to see this city in so many different lights. We also learned how to use the metro pretty efficiently after a day or two. It became second nature to take line 5 towards Place d'Italy and get off at Republique and catch line 8 towards Balard and get off at Concord. that is just one example, but it is fairly easy to get around the city if you know how to use the underground city. and that is exactly what it felt like when on the metro, you were in a whole other city. Sometimes the subway trains would surface and go thru Paris and give you some great views too. Like when we went to Versailles. This city which is not too far from Paris is owner to the Palace of King Louis XIV which is seated on a massive garden enriched estate. I would suggest this 10euro trip to anybody who has got an extra half day to fill in Paris. You get to see some incredible artwork, and be bewildered by the size and grandeur of the lifestyles that the former kings had lived.

The Louvre as expected was amazing. I feel like we saw the whole thing in half a day. We just kept moving. Everything from the infamous Mona Lisa to the Sphinx, to Aphrodite was before us. This museum is massive, and i would say to most it could easily deserve an entire day, but be ready to do a lot of walking. There are some other museums in town that i would have liked to check out, but we just didn't have any money left by the time we were in Paris. So we went to the largest cemetery in town to search for some of the greats. We got to the map and starred at it for a while along with 20 other tourists. I overheard a couple of cute french girls talking about going to see Jim Morrison, so i barged in on their conversation and invited us along. So all four of us started the journey to the other side of the grave yard. we passed some great looking tombs; fancy, new, shiny, old, big and small. I also was able to make some pretty good conversation with them (and i threw matt a couple bones, since he doesn't know french yet). we had a great time wondering the cemetery and yes we did find the great musician. As the day came to an end we left the graves and the girls and went wondering the town, like most nights.

So i will wrap up the Paris trip now. Matt left, and i still had one more day before i had my flight to get back to school. Some how my reservation for the last night was lost (go figure). so i had to hassle with the clerk, in french, to lower the price and let me stay, as opposed to sleeping on the streets. I got it down to 30 euros from 55. That was doable. so i got another nights sleep in the warm and then the next morning i woke up to more snow. And this time it was snowing hard. I caught my train to Beauvais (50 miles north) and we headed straight into the "little blizzard" as Aunt Angie would say. lol. The first problem was that the last bus shuttle that connects the train station in town to the airport had already left. And i am now out of cash. So what is a college kid to do? Write up a sign on notebook paper that says airport and go stand on the side of the road with his thumb out. Back Pack on, snow falling and a big smile. It took 40 minutes or so to get a ride. I was grateful! A nice lady finally pulled over, she said she lived by the airport and it wouldn't be a problem to take me. She said she remembered being my age. But she was from Antilles (some of the french claimed islands). I thanked her and was on my way. I sat in the airport for 5 hours waiting for my flight. And durring that time the runway froze! the 3 flights scheduled before mine were all canceled! big scare for a minute, but luckily my plane was able to land, and then take us to Marseilles. I little late due to de-icing the wings, we landed in MRS airport and i just had time to catch the last bus into Aix en Provence. I got home at 1:30am after traveling for 14hours (it would have been 4 if i had just gotten the train ticket. lol) I had fun, and now my trip was over. Time to go back to class. But then a snow storm hit Aix and classes were canceled for the next 3 days. so i was able to take a relaxation vacation from my vacation.

so that does it for that. I was safe and had a great time. And if you want to see more pictures then click the photobucket link on the right column. And PLEASE leave any comments or questions for me

London

ok, so i will try and keep this one a bit shorter. even tho London was more fun than Amsterdam. Part 3 of the Euro Trip and Matt and I are still having a blast

So we arrived in London at like midnight and on the completely wrong side of town. So the first task was figuring out transportation and quick. a lot of the bus lines were closing for the night and so was the tube. But no worries, i talked with a bunch of english people and we got it all sorted out and made it to the hostel by 1am. So we slept in the first morning and then decided it would be a great idea to walk into town instead of spending money on a bus pass. We walked for and hour and a half until we got to Tower Bridge. Long walk, but it was great to see everything by foot. You get more detail than you would just riding by on a bus. So on this day we saw; Tower Bridge, London Bridge, the Tower of London, the Bank of England, the Swiss RE Tower, and a whole bunch of other really cool buildings and monuments. Outside of the Tower of London they had a huge ice rink, and we must have stayed and watched people wipe out flat on their butts for half an hour. Literally within a minute somebody would have their arms flying in the air and then, thud. we laughed so hard. But alas we did not come all the way to London to see people fall down. We kept just wandering the city and exploring. This place is way bigger than i thought it was. So after we walked for a good few hours, we walked back to the hostel in Southeast London.

This Hostel was definitely the best out of the 3 we were in. I mean the beds were nothing special, but the sense of community that we got there was amazing. sometimes we would come back to the hostel just to chat with the people from all over the world. we were the only americans there, and everyone else was from about 10 different countries. We got exposed to a lot of different cultures. We heard so many interesting stories and really learned a lot from them. but i got to say there was a tv in the room, and boy does british television stink (so does most all of french, but we will get to that later)

So over the next couple days we kept being tourists and toured the city. we bought a bus pass for the city double deckers and also one for the Big Bus Company (tour bus). this allowed us to see Millennium bridge, Buckingham Palace, the London Eye, Big Ben and the houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Marble Arch, Hyde Park, Madame Toussards, and many other places. It was really neat, we could hope on and off the buses as we pleased for 48 hours. When on the bus we would get cool info told to us about what we were seeing. i would suggest it, but only if you are going to wake up early and get the full use of your 2 days. We checked out some other places in more detail like; the V and A museum, Shakespear's Globe Theater, and the Tate Modern (interesting art in here, and the word art is debatable) The museums in england are free to the public, fyi.

overall, i really enjoyed London, and i cannot wait to go back and see all the things that i missed. it definitely takes some time to see it all.

Christmas Vacation - Amsterdam

So. I think I have got some time to write now, the internet hasn’t been working that well lately.
This town has been crazy the last few days. We got 8 inches of snow. All the roads iced over and the shops closed. School also closed, for 3 days! There were many snowball fights, and people were out taking pictures all over town. I think this place only gets snow one time per year, if that (and has not seen a snow like the one we had since 1987! So… Now most of the snow has melted and things are starting to return to normal. I have got a lot of exams this week, some of which had review sessions last week that are now nonexistent. Oh well, wish me luck!

So my Christmas vacation was pretty awesome! My good friend Matt flew on over, and we toured Europe a little. So I already wrote about what we did the first couple days in Aix en Provence. So let me pick you up where the plane landed in Eindhoven.
So we got off the plane and had to walk down steps onto the runway and then into the terminal. Every plane we took was like this. None of them had connecting walkways into the building. Small time compared to ATL. Lol. Now we are in Eindhoven which is an hour and a half away from Amsterdam by train. And we had this assumption that everyone speaks English in the Netherlands, but this is not completely true (the signs are definitely not in English). But we did luck up and meet two 20 year old native girls who spoke our language. We buddied up with them to get to the train station and they helped us learn a few things in Dutch. They also showed us the right train to Amsterdam, very helpful. But sadly they were going to Rotterdam. So we had to say our goodbyes. Amsterdam here we come!

Our hostel is called “The Flying Pig, Uptown”. We got there at about midnight and had to go downstairs to the Bar to check in. We got all that taken care of and put our stuff in the room (4 sets of bunk beds, and 5 sleeping people). So we wanted to hit the town the first night so we went exploring a bit in the area of Leidsplein . We saw our first coffee shop, “The Bulldog”. It is pretty crazy what they can sell legally in this country. Lol. We also found ourselves a good charwarma place. We ordered a couple with the sauce Blanche and fries, and headed back to the hostel. We ate them downstairs in the chill out room, and starting meeting the other backpackers. There were people from all over the US and the world. Even met a couple French girls. So, we talked with these people for a couple hours and found out some cool stuff to do while we were going to be in Amsterdam. So we now had a plan, but we also wound up sleeping in everyday. The first day we walked all around the city and tried to find this Free Tour that we had heard about. It was supposed to be really good. But we could not find where they were meeting for the life of us, so we just kept exploring the town and got a good feel for the layout.

We were able to visit the Anne Frank house in Amsterdam. That was a really good experience to get to see and feel the history. We climbed the secret stairway and got to walk in the room they hid in for so many years. I am so glad that we got this chance. Also we visited a cathedral and a really interesting square. Begijnhof is a square that is completely surrounded by building, and you would not know it was there if you didn’t see a small doorway that led into it. Luckily I got pretty good eyesight. But it was interesting being in the middle of all these buildings. And a lot of them were not exactly standing straight up; I think something about all the water had to do with that.

So we finally found the tour on the last day and we stayed with it for about 30 minutes until we decided it was way too cheesy and ditched. So we hit the red-light district for a bit. Lol. You can find any type of girl, or man, you might want. But don’t worry we didn’t waste any money there. I can’t believe that this is a legal profession here. The girls pay a lot of money to rent out these windows, so in tern the clients have to pay at least 50 Euros for just about anything. And we definitely didn’t come with that kinda cash.

So we ended our trip with a nice walk thru Vondel Park. Just relaxed and took in the scenery and people. After this we went to this place called FEBO. it is a store where the walls are all like vending machines, but for hot portable foods that are made fresh and cheap. so we ate, and then it was off to Schiphol Airport to leave for London!!!