Aix-cellent!

Bonjour, mes amis! When I woke up (at 3pm today) I remembered I had not even started writing this blog of mine. So I'd better start at the beginning...

Journey to Aix (via Frankfurt & Marseille)

The first part of the trip went swimmingly. The plane to Germany had TVs showing where in the world our plane was, how fast we were going, etc; and, since I'd already watched the on-flight showing of a Hannah Montana episode about 3 times (ironic since I saw Miley twice in Nashville the week before I left), I watched our cartoon plane intently. Around Limerick, the outside temperature was -90 degrees Fahrenheit!

I got to Germany at 6am, which was quite an experience. What I learned about Germany was that, on their airport food, they don't report calories, they use kilocalories, which is confusing! (Shoutout to Margaret Choo) But anyways, it's futile to try to eat healthily in a German airport, unless by "healthy" you mean Toblerone chocolate, duty-free liquor, and pornography. (Let me emphasize that again: there was a porno store in the German airport!) 

I found my gate, thanks to the German passport checker who looks completely non-plussed when I told him in my involuntarily over-enthusiastic voice, "It's my first time overseas!" and I made my first French friend, Cedric. While looking for a seat, I kept accidentally making eye-contact with a giant guy sitting across the way; at first I just sat at a random table & started reading....but then a little voice (a voice that sounded an awful lot like Allison Stohl's) told me to be bold, reminded me that I have to seize every opportunity over here! So I picked up my stuff & asked the Frenchman, in French, if I could sit with him. We had a nice conversation of which I did not understand 70% of, but I think I must have been smiling & nodding at the right intervals, because he didn't seem to notice.

Finalement! Aix!

When we flew into Marseilles, everything was covered in a thick blanket of untouched snow. Everyone said that it hadn't snowed this much here in 20 years! My bus to Aix was running late because (just like Nashville), no one here knows how to drive in snow. After the bus, I took a Mercedez-Benz taxi to the Vanderbilt Center (classy, non?) 

(Lesson 1) French people drive their tiny cars VERY fast & no, they could not care less if they street-sweep a couple people every now & then. French pedestrians are equally aggressive & don't pay attention to the "walk/don't walk" signs. 

The Vanderbilt Center is this big house with a grand staircase & really high ceilings. I met my new tutors, Jerome & Jean-Michel...then they took me to my new digs. We walked about 15-20 minutes (dragging my enormous suitcases through the snow & slush while trying to keep up a conversation in broken French, without passing out),  & then I was introduced to....

Bellegarde

Bellegarde is the name of my new house....I have a house! It's the envy of everyone in the program. It's 2 floors: we have a really nice, new-looking little kitchen, dining room, 2 bathrooms, living room (complete with a stuffed squirrel on the wall, complements of my roommate); upstairs there are 3 bedrooms, a terrace, & a room that's just a big closet. We have a cute backyard (plenty of room for a little soccer/futbol) & a screened-in porch. Right now there's also the biggest snowman I've ever seen in my life. French people must take classes on snowman building in grade school. It's expert.

Mes colocs (roommates)

-Adeline: a French girl from Toulons who goes to the University of Aix 

-Alyssa & Lizzy: Vanderbilt girls who share a room with me

-Kevin: a French guy from Nice, who goes to the University of Aix & plays soccer on the Aix team

...and last but not least,

-Renaud: a French guy from a nearby town, who is not a student at all, but is a 23 yr-old professional motocross freestyler

Culture Shock

...is real. Even though I'd just gotten to my beautiful new maison, I felt completely shocked. Exhausted from trying to understand the language (most people in France do not speak English), embarrassed for all the times I didn't understand (it's bad when you have to say "Quoi??" more than 3 times)...the first time I went in the bathroom & saw that I didn't even know how to work the damn toilet, I felt like crying. 

So I went to sleep. I dreamt of American things, Nashville things: going running through Burton Hills, getting fig bars at Kroger, etc. When I finally woke up, to the sound of a male voice speaking rapid French downstairs...I thought about how I'd made the biggest mistake of my life: why did I think I could come live in France?? Why didn't I go to Ireland or England like a normal person?? 

But amazingly, that passed. I've been here less than 3 days, & while I still don't understand most of what's being said, I've grown slightly more comfortable with not understanding. I know I'll get better...& you can read a lot about people's personalities without having to understand what they're saying.

Interesting Things I Didn't Know About France

1. They all wear black. My roommate has this great purple jacket & she stands out like a sore thumb.

2. It's damn near impossible to go running around here. The sidewalks are ~20 inches wide and cars, as I mentioned, seem to have no qualms about sideswiping people. (I'm going to break down & join the gym this week)

3. THEY EAT TONS OF MEAT. They eat the liver, heart, fat, etc of everything that moves. If you were to stand in one place long enough, they would chop you up, wrap you up in a pastry & sell you for too much money. It's a challenge being a vegetarian. The other day, I stopped in a store for a Coke, & asked the guy about a big spinning blob he was selling; he said it was "doder" (??) & offered me a piece. Pretty sure it was something pastrami-ish, but I have a "don't ask-don't tell" policy here. 

4. Diet Coke ("Coca-Cola Light") here is made differently & tastes like heaven. 

5. If you want plastic bags at the grocery store, you have to buy them.

6. They don't sell coffee "to-go." This is not a Starbucks-friendly town.

7. Counterfeit money is floating around. Today apparently I tried to buy a "tomate mazzo" panini with a fake 5 euro. So I've already been punked once.

Nightlife

The last couple of nights, the whole program has gone out to dinner. Wine here is insanely cheap (Matt got a bottle for 1 Euro) & very, very good. ALL FOOD is very, very good. Everything is so flavorful, beautifully presented. Las tnight we went to a crepe restaurant & then a few different bars. It's true that they play lots of techno & old American pop music (e.g. last night I heard a Michael Jackson medley) Also, apparently it's perfectly acceptable to have a 4 yr old on a dance floor around midnight. (That kid could move.) There are tons of young people in this city; lots of college students. People stay at clubs until 6 or 7 in the morning!