Mont Sainte-Victoire

So this is the big mountain right outside of Aix, and we hiked to the base(only the base because we didn't have time, it's a 4 hr climb just to the top, but we're doing it again soon) of it on Sunday. It was awesome. This is the mountain that was featured in many of Cezanne's paintings. He was obsessed with this mountain and painted it a million times. It's a large limestone conglomerate, which makes it a little tricky to climb because the rocks like to fall apart and turn into gravel, but most of the mountain is well cemented. Mom would not like this hike, by the way. Here are some pics of the adventure, enjoy!!


Approaching Sainte-Victore with mon amie Nathalie!

Les mec sur la Sainte- Victoire. The boys on Saint Victoire.

Cultural Differences

I've been in Aix for a week now, and these are some of the differences I have determined.

1. It is pretty much impossible to make French friends. They say when you study abroad not to hangout with Americans and mingle well the locals to improve your language skills. Impossible in France. The French have very tight social circles and will not let you in, especially if you are American. They are also very shy, and will not approach you. A friend and I have tried on countless occasions to speak to French guys at bars or clubs, total rejection every time. But we talked to the owner of this grocery store we like to go to (who is amazing, he speaks the truth) and he said we must go to artsy stuff and meet upper class frenchmen who will be more accepting of us.
2. No eye contact, and especially no smiling. This is the hardest cultural difference to manage. For a girl to make eye contact with you, and especially if she makes eye contact and smiles, means she is inviting you for a tryst. THIS IS SO HARD! I'm so used to looking at people and smiling. I still don't have it down. I think all the people on the street think i'm crazy.
3. There is a social divide in France. There are the french, then there are the french immigrants. Not all of the french immigrants are bad, just like in most situations, but they can cause trouble. You can tell if they will cause trouble, because they are the french that will approach you. They have a degrading view about women, and love to harass you if you are fair skinned and have light hair. The other blonde lauren and I had an incident yesterday in the grocery store, but luckily our beloved store owner, handled it. You just have to be careful, and be aware of your surroundings.
4. The french are HORRIBLE drivers. Purely insane. I fear for my life on a daily basis.
5. The french do not like to party..well most don't. If you see a group of drunk kids in the street, bet is they are Americans, Brits, or Aussies.
6.There are no sidewalks, you just have to walk in the street and dodge vehicles, this goes back to my point of cultural difference 4 and fearing for my life.
7. Dogs and dog crap. Dogs are EVERYWHERE. In the stores, cafés, streets...everywhere, and so is their poo. Walking in the street is like having to dodge land mines. I'm constantly having to watch where I step. Luckily I haven't had the misfortune of stepping in it yet, and I hope I never will.

I'm sure there are more, and I'm sure I will discover more the longer I am here, but it's time to peace out for now.

Today I Sketched a Naked Chick

That's basically all I have to say for today. First day of art class, never sketched before, and what do they have us sketch? A naked model. Très awkward, but now I am more cultured. Here's a couple of pics of Aix. The first one is  looking at the fountain from the main street Cours Mirabeau t The next is he fountain in le Routonde. Very famous.. More will follow ...once I take them. 

Le Mistral

So there's this crazy wind in the south of France called the Mistral. It is an "atmospheric phenomenon" that happens in the winter and spring. It's this cold wind that blows insanely hard, knocking everything over and wrecking havoc. Don't even think about eating outside, your plate will blow into your lap. This guy I was sitting with, his wine blew out of his glass, all over his shirt. The locals claim it has this maddening effect. Just before the Mistral arrives, everyone gets depressed, then during the Mistral everyone has a headache and is cranky. It also makes the children act crazy too....Thalia has been extra hyper. It's also supposed to be very tiring. That I believe. I have been insanely tired. But the good thing about the Mistral is it makes the sky crazy clear, and a wonderful blue.

London, Gingers, and Aix is Awesome

Tower Bridge, with typical cloudy London weather

My host Louis and his sister Sara. We are out celebrating her birthday!
Classic black London taxi in Picadilly Circus


Ok, I was a bit pressed for time in London, so I was unable to update. Therefore, this may be a long one...I'll try to keep it condensed.

Right, so London was AMAZING. Pretty sure it's one of my favorite cities now. My hosts were great. They showed me around, fed me English things like Bangers and Mash, and we drank loads of tea (the British really do like their tea, that isn't a lie). We saw the Tower Bridge, Picadilly Circus, and some beefeaters. Coolest thing we did was see Cirqu du Soleil at the Royal Albert Hall( Cirque show Varekai). The show was incredible and the Hall was something totally royal.I even got to see the royal box with a bunch of royally posh people sitting in it.

So the funniest thing I think I have ever heard, was the British dislike for redheads, or as they say "gingers". They seriously look down on people with red hair! This is totally beyond me, and when I asked why, they just said, because "being ginger is just downright awful". (Ginger Kids South Park episode)They also dislike the welsh quite a bit, they call them "sheep shaggers", which i also find really funny. Oh those crazy Brits and their random prejudices.... I can't wait to see them again in May!

So now for Aix. After hauling my luggage across London (pretty much the least amount of fun I have ever had in my life), I arrived and Gatwick and flew into Marseille. Some old guy put us on a bus, which dropped us off somewhere in Aix, where I was finally met by my family. Oh man, my luck was on target when it came to families. I am pretty sure I got the best one. They are sooo nice, Mr. Trajbert and Mme. Brunet. They are from Paris and are professors at the Université; Mme. Brunet is also an amazing artist. They have a 7 yr old daughter who is super cute. We picked her up from a birthday party today, that was at the house of these British people who own a vineyard. That was really nice. It looked like your typical French vineyard from the films! Oh, and to complete the family, there are two really pretty gray cats.

Ma famille lives in this ridiculously nice flat that was built in the 16th century, and is a two minute walk to my school! I have my own room and bath which is also really nice. My room is painted hot pink and light pink, which of course I totally love! Also, once again I will have my beloved european pillows I loved so much from Germany. I think I am going to have to buy one and bring it home. They're basically just a large square pillow, but the feathers they are stuffed with are so soft. The bath, however, will take some getting used too. It's a tub with a spray hose thing. I haven't taken a bath in 6 years, so we'll see how it goes...

We had dinner tonight, and boy is it really an event. First we have our aperitif. Which is some sort of alcoholic drink and pretzels. Next is the appetizer, bread with some sort of spread. Tonight it was some sort of crazy fish pâté, very good stuff. Then is the main course, we had boulgaksjfics (no idea how to spell it), it is some sort of french ragù dish, which is basically a beef stew with potatoes and carots slowly cooked for a long time. Then you eat your salad, which is just lettuce with an oil dressing, and I like it, because there are no tomatoes. Next, is the bread and cheese platter. Now what are the odds, I am pretty sure I find the only French family in France where the dad and daughter do not like cheese, so I was not forced to eat the cheese!! They completely understood if I did not like it, but I tried it anyways...and found out I still do not like cheese. And FINALLY, there is dessert, which is either yogurt or fruit. This all takes about two-three hours to complete. French dining is awesome.

I am still getting used to the time change, so I am awake at 6 am. Hopefully I will get sorted out soon.

Luckily ma famille is really modern, unlike some of the families in Aix, so once again I lucked out, and will be one of the students with constant internet access!! Therefore I'm sure there will be constant updates about my Adventures in Aix!

My pink room in Aix , and my bath/hose thing

Preparations

Like any one who reads this actually cares about my preparations, but this post is really only a test, be it that I have no idea what I'm doing, I'm still kind of confused what a blog is, and I want to see if it works..
So for anyone who doesn't know, I'm moving to Aix-En-Provence, France (featured on the bottom right) for the semester....and I'm totally excited!! My friend who I am staying with in London, before I reach Aix, sent an itinerary of activities we will be doing while I'm there and it sounds awesome. We're going to see Buckingham Palace, St.Paul's Cathedral, Big Ben & Parliament ( featured on the upper right) , and other touristy things. Possibly see a show at the Royal Albert Hall (according to my friend, it's very English).
I started packing today, because my parents are tired of my crap being in their house, so I have to move it to a storage unit. However, this packing business is hard. Trying to narrow down the wardrobe, especially the shoe wardrobe, is a seemingly impossible task.
So in classic Lauren fashion, my visa appointment is on the 10th, which is 2 days before I leave, ...everything better work out alright! Other than that, I'm pretty much set, and the countdown continues. 2 more weeks!!