A day in Marseille

I haven't even been here for 2 full weeks and I can already tell I am not going to want to come home.  Sorry mom and dad but it's the truth.  The moving in process and getting acquainted with the city and people is beginning to set in and has made it easier to adjust to a completely different culture and way of life.  I have been here long enough to really pick out differences between the US and France.  Here I go to the grocery multiple times a week to buy only a meal or two worth of food, where as in the US I could go to the grocery once and buy enough food to last 2-3 weeks if not a full month.  The stereotype that all French people are rude and snobby is not true.  I'm sure all cities whether in Europe or America have their fair share of rude people, but I have not run into any problems with a French person being just down right rude to me because I am American.  Like I said in my last posting I miss grass.  Sounds crazy but all the streets and sidewalks are cobble stones or cement, there are tall buildings everywhere that were built in the 17th and 18th century (so lots of history) and people and cars everywhere.  Granted it is still winter and the flowers have not bloomed and the leaves are not out on the trees, but I will miss the vast spaces of grass on IU's campus.  One thing about the US that I do miss is the convenience of everything, which just goes to show how spoiled we can be sometimes.  At home I could just heat a frozen pizza or defrost some leftovers or just pick up dinner from a fast food joint, but those don't exactly exist here.  There are places like quick burger that try to make American food, but it just isn't a good substitute for the real thing.  In France I have to plan out my meals for each day go to the store to buy my ingredients most everyday and then come home to cook everything from scratch and try to eat the food I have made in a short amount of time because there are few preservatives and I have no means of tubber ware storage.  I am definitely a spoiled American.

This past week we had an intensive French acquisition course which counted for a grade and will transfer back to IU as 1 credit.  We were in class for 4 hours Monday-Friday.  We'd do grammar exercises and practice speaking and debating topics and then we'd go to a listening lab located in le FAC (where I'll be going to school).  The course was definetly helpful to see how classes during the semester might be conducted and having to sit in class for 4 hours at a time while your professor speaks to you in only French.  We do get a petit pose (small break) at the half way mark during the class to go buy coffee, use the restrooms, or just stretch and walk around.  We have also been in the dreaded process of signing up for classes, or should I say "signing up" for classes.  Apparently the way to French academic system works in comparison to the US is that in France or at least at the university I am attending, you pick out the classes you'd like to take and then just go to them.  It's once you go to class that the professor takes attendance to see who is in the class and then you are signed up for the semester.  In the US you have to meet with advisors and go through a long electronic process of trying to find classes that work day and time wise and then make sure there are still enough spots on the class list and then enroll and you're already on an attendance sheet for the semester.  I like the US process better, because there is so much uncertainty with the French system of whether you'll get into the class or it will be too full.  As of right now I will have class Monday- Thursday and have one class Monday and Tuesday and Wednesday and then 2 classes on Thursday.  Each class is 3 hours which equals 3 credits and I hope to dear god that when I get back to IU I can present my case for each class well enough to get all my credits to transfer.  That will be another process.  Luckily all but one of my classes is in the same building which is within walking distance.  My other class is a bus ride away and on the complete other side of town from where I live.  Wish me luck! haha

This week was my lovely room mate, Cathy Chung's, 21st birthday and Natalie, my room mate from freshman year came to visit for her birthday and stayed for a couple days.  We celebrate the special day by going to bar and ordering her drinks at midnight and celebrate with other friends in the program.  Our stay with Natalie was very fun and very busy.  Cathy and I were still taking the intensive course in the morning and then had academic meetings in the afternoon and evening, but we still had time to catch up with Nat.  We made lots of home made french meals, like a spinach quiche and more stir fry and couscous and of course ate lots of bread and cheese.
                                                

Les soldes have started.  Les soldes (sales) is a Europe wide mega sale in which all the clothing and shoes and jewelry from the previous fall and I guess summer season goes on sale starting at 50% everything for a week or two and then drops down to 60% and then to 70%.  The stores are trying to get ride of inventory to bring in their new collections, which is good news for us poor college students trying to fit in as french students.  I have found some pretty good deals, and can't wait for the next mark down so everything is even cheaper.  Cathy and I have done so much shopping we now need to move to another city, like Marseille to shop, because we've basically already scoped everything out in Aix.

We took a trip to Marseille this past Saturday.  We left at 9h (9:00 am) and got back to Aix at 19h (7:00 pm).  Marseille was BEAUTIFUL!  I will attach pictures with this blog entry.  When we first got off the bus in Marseille I was very cold because Marseille is a costal city in France and a main fishing harbor.  Our tour guides Cecilia and Claude took us on a ferry ride to iles de frioul.  It was a small island with a fabulous view and lots of cliff climbing and exploring.  There is a small population of some very wealthy Marseille citizens who live on the island.  They have to take the ferry everyday to get to work or do any shopping.  We also past the chateau dif (sp?) where the movie the Count of Monte Cristo was filmed in part.  Once the sun came up and it was mid day the weather was perfect.  I didn't want to leave the little island we were exploring.  We took the ferry back into the mainland of Marseille and were given an hour for lunch.  We found a small cafe right off the port docks and were all so hungry we decided to stop here to get a quick bite of lunch.  An hour later we were served our lunch and were not able to go with the rest of the group to an art museum.  One of the tour guides stayed behind with us to finish eating and show us how to get to the museum.  The museum wasn't very impressive, but it made for a nice break in the quick pace of the day.  After the museum we took the bus to the highest point in Marseille where there is a catholic church.  The view was perfect and right at sunset over the ocean.  Cathy and I stopped into the church to listen to service for a while and took many pictures of the intricate architecture.  We were all so tired on the trip home and slept most of the way.
          

I found out yesterday that my mother is officially coming to visit me from Feb. 25th- March 6th.  I will now beginning making travel plans and plotting out all our stops for our European vacation.  This will be fun!

Well my faithful followers I end my blog entry here and thank you again for reading about my adventures in France.  Until next time stay beautiful America, but not as pretty as France.