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