less than 48 hours

i never felt like i would reach this point.
the time that marked that i have just one more day left in Europe and a full day of flying until I am back on US soil.

i am sitting quite comfortably on my friend Ian's grandmother's couch-- in the Hackney burrough of London-- right in the very very veeeeeerrry orthodox jew neighborhood. Ians family has lived on this street for nearly 60 years and his sweet grandmother lives in a BEAUTIFUL old townhome.  She is 86 and with a group of her friends in Malta right now.  So its just me, Ian and his girlfriend Carrie.  I am so so so unbelievably happy to be here and so fortunate that they let me stay here with them. Having one place to stay for more than 30 hours where I can actually move and do things freely without locking them in a locker first-- is a godsend-- also -- not having to sleep in any more airports-- is just beyond amazing.

so it has been a while since i have been able to update-- but here's whats been going on in my crazy and last few days in Europe.

The last time I posted, I was leaving Spain and sitting at the Stansted airport this time instead of Gatwick. Wahoo. Switchin it up. This time, I was able to get a nice little space on a sofa in a coffee shop. It was loud and not really that comfortable-- but it wasnt the floor of the airport-- so it was luxurious.  My flight was at 8:55am and I flew into Shannon Airport-- I did some research before I left-- but not as much as I had liked to-- thank God there was a very nice Irish couple on the plane with me who gave me lots of helpful information (although it was through much difficulty that I was able to determine what they were actually saying-- those Irish accents are NOT easy) they told me the best thing to do when I arrived-- was leave Shannon as there is nothing there but the airport-- which is the closest airport to America (interesting) .. so I did as they suggested and boarded a bus in the direction of Cork.  Unfortunately a pitstop in Galway to see the Cliffs of Mohr was just out of the question as it was not within a day's journey to appreciate it fully.
All of the extremely nice Irish folks suggested that I head to Cork but pitstop at the Bunratty Castle-- a Medieval Castle and town built in the 1400s and thriving today as a tourist site and homage to the wayward times of the Irish culture.  I stopped there - paid 10euros and the lady let me leave my giant backpack while i walked around the grounds.  It was a beautiful beautiful day and i really enjoyed walking around by myself-- reading all the history and laughing at all the little Irish kids who were there visitng on a fieldtrip.

I didnt stay long but jumped on the next train towards Cork-- decided to hop off in Limerick-- again, knowing nothing really of the town-- just had heard the name-- i also had to mail a 2 kilo package of clothes home due to the fact that my back was breaking and RyanAir was trying really hard to get me to pay 40euros to check the bag. NO WAY JOSE. so i wanted to see a little of Limerick but hunger took precedence and I stopped into an Irish pub for a Guinness and some chips, of course! I sat there and relished in the atmosphere while watching Queen Elizabeth herself wander around the English Market down in Cork.  Pretty boring considering all she did was walk around the food stalls while everyone gushed at her.. what a life that would be ..

After finishing up-- I didnt want to carry my backpack all the way through town and so I jumped back on the bus for Cork.  I had arranged to stay with friends of friends there-- and when I got there-- Eoin (pronounced owen) picked me up and took me to his house he shares with 2 friends.  They were Irish as they come and just the most hospitable, welcoming and funny guys I have ever met.  They saved me their couch, and another girl was visiting too and so we immediately all hit it off- swapping stories and tellin jokes and such. 

One thing that has been hitting me pretty hard lately-- is that the types of conversations I am able to participate in.  Most Europeans my age, have been and done some incredible things (glacier surfing in Iceland and snorkeling in Thailand) but to be able to participate and say things like -- where the best place in Milan is for pizza-- how to get to the best beaches in the south of France or what country has the best nightlife-- is incredible to me.  At first I was jealous of all the Europeans I met, and other nationalities as well, who have done and seen so much of the world-- not realizing how quickly I have been able to join this special club. 

Speaking of clubs... French is the language of sophistication.. royalty .. finance.. and it is also spoken by fewer and fewer portions of the world.  It is still the official language of the Olympics, UN and EU, France and her colonies-- both present and former-- and is still widely acknowledged as a language of affinity. Hence, there is not a large number of Americans who speak it-- or so I am told by every French person I encounter- no matter how brief.  No matter where I am-- especially since May 15th when I left France-- If i overhear people speaking French and they look nice enough and like they wont be offended/creeped out by my friendliness-- then I start a conversation with them-- Parlez- vous français? .. i do this because 1) i miss France so so so so much and hearing it when im traveling in Spain, Ireland, etc.. makes me feel closer to it 2) I am incapable of not being friendly 3) i want to keep my french going-- and speaking it is the best way to do it 4)why not do it? .... so on the metro in London, on the river bridge in Sevilla, in my hostel.. on the steps of Trafalgar Square and dozens of other places .. I have commenced conversations with fellow francophones.  they dont last very long usually-- just oh where are you from? im American, just finished my studies, I love France, I miss France, I study International Business, yes of course I will return to France, etc... -- but every time they always are so complimentary and friendly (disproving all stereotypes of rude Frenchies) and they always tell me how impressed they are because so few Americans speak French-- and thus, I feel so honored to be in this special little club-- worthy of French praise-- :)

i am incapable of staying awake past like 11-- sleep cycles are going to be so off when I go home--- but I willhave lots of time to write tomorrow!! Well maybe-- its my last day in Europe-- we'll see!

check points. check marks

I love flying. I really do. I think airports are romantic. but i have spent FAAAARR too much time in them lately.   Security checkpoints are so much fun. Not. Well, actually I lied, yes they are. I love getting stamped, smiling giddishly at the border patrol officers and watching people who dont know what theyre doing get escorted away for questioning because they cannot produce sufficient answers to the questions like "what are you doing in the UK?" .. so so so fun.

I just left Spain-- and the 85 degree weather of the beautiful city of Sevilla. Oh man was it incredible. Sangria, tapas and flamenco dancing for days.  I had such a great time with my friends Kory and Kevin and I met all their friends in their program. I just went through the nasty buisnes  of saying goodbye to the city and the people that i fell in love with for the last 5 months and I had to be there and watch them do the same.  It is really powerful--studying abroad-- you know its going to be awesome and change your life-- but you can never imagine to what extent until you are giving the final hugs and walking the streets for the last time.  I cry thinking about how much i miss france.

well-- need to go hop on over to my boarding gate. There is a group of travelers next to me dressed as a banana-pirate-- dracula and a gypsy -- interesting. the English are so weird

Off to Ireland!! Gonna kiss the Blarney Stone and hopefully see the Cliffs of Mohr!
BON VOYAGE A MOI

backpackin like a champ.

So, I have been in 3 countries in less than 48 hours.

I said my final goodbyes to my family at the airport. Quite teary eyed, obviously. The whole time during take off I just reflected on the amazing experiences the south of France gave me-- and ever since I left- I have missed it so much.  I already miss the bakeries on every corner.. being able to speak French .. the beautiful sunny weather.  Needless to say the weather in London was a tad bit more cloudy than Aix was .. but it was really neat-- the 8 hours of it that I saw!

I met up with my friends Ian and Carrie and could finally rest and put my suitcase down after lugging it all around.  Turned out to be about 55 pounds .. and they let me through, thank God. It was nice to be with friends and I got to meet Ian's grandmother who is so sweet and elderly but she has been all over the world and shared some wonderful stories with us and made us macaroni and cheese for dinner! We grabbed a pint of beer at a London pub and caught up and swapped travel stories!

They had an early flight to Lagos, Portugal and I had an early one to Sevilla, Spain.  So in the spirit of true backpackin and livin like a college student in Europe should -- I spent the night in the Gatwick airport.  What a sight-- because there are so so many people- you wouldnt believe- curled up in all corners, benches and hallways. Families with small children and lone travelers-- i found a nice nook and started a new book and updated my journal. I really prefer traveling alone I have decided. It may sound a little daunting because of all the media attention and terrible stories of abductions and such-- but if youre smart, as I think I am, then it can be quite a valuable and rewarding experience.  I love meeting and talking to new people but I know which ones to avoid and when to be cautious. I was raised right and I am no dummy. Also, it is SO nice to be in total control of my adventures-- doing as I please and not accommodating a group--I feel like it is a wonderful chance for me to grow as an individual and its only been 2 days really and I am just so excited!

I arrived in Sevilla this afternoon. 6am flight. Ouch.  But I made a nice friend with an Indian woman who was coming from visitng her investment banker son who went to the London School of Economics.. aka the BEST business school in the world .. and she and I had some great conversation on the plane about the world and traveling and I really cannot express enough how much I love listening to and learning from other people and their travels.  There are so many places I want to go and see and hearing other people's experiences makes it all the more exciting.  I also love learning about their opinions of Americans especially and I have got to say, I have had 100% positive feedback and have learned interesting things.  This woman for example told me how she admired the tenacity of American youth and their willingness to open their minds.  Another gentleman told me that he thought Americans were so friendly and outgoing and that they carry themselves well.  Obviously there are people who give Americans a poor reputation but it makes me very proud to hear things like that-- especially when I know that I have kept in mind throughout my studies-- that I am a representative of my country and how I act and behave reflects on that.

Well, I am waiting for my room to be ready at my hostel in Sevilla! Going to power nap and shower before hitting the sights with kory!

A bientôt

well this is it

today -- is my last day in france. and as tender and heartbreaking as that sounds -- i find so much comfort in knowing that its definitely not going to be my last last  day. i have absolutely fallen in love with this country, these people and this way of life -- i am going to continue working on my french and come back to work/live/play. i have learned so much about myself since being here-- and also about what it means to be from a diferent culture and i am so so appreciative of all the opportunities i have had-- i wouldnt change a single thing.

part of me wishes that i was packing up my suitcase and sending it on to the states-- im also really hoping that its under 50 pounds! needless to say, i added some things to my wardrobe since being here and bought some souvenirs-- so after sending a 6 kilo (80 euro) package home -- i REALLY hope this bad boy is still under 50 pounds. but in fact today is the day i leave france.. but not Europe!

When i made my plans to come here I decided i would want 10 days after my program ends to travel and my parents were gracious enough to agree. So-- here's my last big adventure for Europe 2011

I leave Marseille- to fly to London--where I am meeting up with my pals Ian and Carrie from USC. Ians grandparents live in London and they are gracious enough to let me leave me suitcase there so I dont have to take it with me!
I am in London for one night before i fly out to Sevilla, Spain-- one of the best cities so Ive heard-- where my friends Kory and Kevin and a lot of other USC students are studying.  Spanish heat- bring it on!!
I fly back to london- for a few hours before I fly to Ireland! I am flying into Shannon- hanging out all day there-- and then taking a bus to Cork! Why you ask? Because the flights were 10 euros and 8 euros respectively and Ireland is supposed to be beautiful. My mom went when she was around my age and i am SO excited to go too!
I fly back to london-- yeah, Im going to be very familiar with Gatwick and Stanstead airports! Where Im going to spend my final 3 days with Ian and Carrie - hanging out around London before flying back on the 25th of May !!

phewf.  i am so excited/exhausted thinking about it. but this will be so good for me and im taking advantages of opportunities i elsewhere wouldnt have had.

I could write another sappy sappy post about how i feel right now-- but currently-- i am starving, need to put the final touches on my suitcase and there is a pain au chocolat calling my name!

Ill update when I can!

surreal.

well, my "studies" are officially finished which means that after my last "final" today .. i am done with "school" for the semester .. the time i spent "studying" which translates to .. i spent every day this week laying in the park! but for not having grades that transfer back .. i put a lot of effort into my classes so I am confident I did well!

however, today during my french written and oral exam, tears literally fell from my eyes. the first tears i've shed in preparation for leaving this dream like world ive been living.  one of the questions on my test and the perpetrator for my tears was quel était le meilleur souvenir de sa semestre? what is your best memory of the semester? besides the fact that i had to choose an answer amongst the millions of amazing times i have had here-- i had to choose one i could effectively write about in french. and as i quickly sorted through the millions of amazing times and experiences i have had here-- there was one overwhelming part of my semester that has really made my time here beyond amazing. ma famille.

Robert et Mireille circa 1957?

as i sat there trying to put into words-- french words-- how amazingly lucky i am to have had such a great host family-- i was overwhelmed with emotion. it finally felt real. the fact that i am leaving in 2 days, the fact that i had the absolute best family in aix and how my semester would have been completely different without them. in so many ways, they remind me of my real family-- in the way that we tell jokes, use sarcasm--also in the way that my parents bicker and tinker back and forth and how they take an interest in my life, especially my love life (when there is one). from the amazing meals my host mom cooks-- to the deep discussions we have about cross cultural differences, generation gaps and which American actors are the best. From laughing and playing scrabble to tonight where we looked at their old photo albums and wedding pictures .. they took an interest in my daily life, in my travels, learned the names of my friends and even which foods i do and dont like. they can tell when i was upset and generally cared about me. my host dad packed my lunch before i went to the beach or went hiking. my host mom and odile helped me pick out outfits before going out and my host dad called me his princess of the south. being away from my real family was really tough but having another family here who cared about me like i was their own, meant so much to me. i have lots of friends here who's families could care less what they did and hardly ever spoke to them which made it nice when they wanted to go out at night and not come back til 7am .. but thats not what i wanted my study abroad experience to be about.  my french is 100 times better thanks to my family and  they really defined my experience here and as excited as i am to return and see my real family, i know its going to be so tough to leave them.

the delicious smell of homemade couscous

i am SO excited right now. as i sit here, watching the final moments of the movie Young Victoria about the early life and reign of England's Queen Victoria and the Mother of Europe while simultaneously playing the highly addictive Words with Friends App on my Itouch .. I am dying from the smell of dinner cooking in the kitchen making its way into my room.  both my host parents are from Morocco, Casablanca to be exact and she has been dying to make us couscous all semester. tonights the night! Alex and I have been looking forward to it since last week!

Cousous  is a grain from the wheat plant called -semolina- made from crushed durum wheat. It is a staple of many North African countries, it tastes a bit like nutty pasta. It's about the size of a large grain of sand. Its served with spices, meats, vegetables and it is AMAZING.  Ive only had it once when a friend I made here took me out to dinner. Their son and his daughter Carla, whom they absolutely adore and fawn over, will be joining us and I am just so sad to think this is one of our last meals. Bonjour reality, thank you for hitting.

The last few days have been quite spectacular. Trying to enjoy it all, soak it all in and not have any worries.  I feel like I have done a pretty good job! I specifically did not make any travel plans for the last weekends in May that I have here-- because I will be traveling for 10 days after finals before leaving from London and that was such a good decision as I have really enjoyed the quiet days here in Aix.  On Friday my economics professor made us all come in at 1 so that we could have our last class-- as she would be in Canada and unable to attend our official last day on Monday. You can imagine ALL of our excitement.  Especially given that the weather on Friday was absolutely to die for and even more so given that we all had a wonderfully adventurous and quite unforgettable (by some definitions) Thursday evening.  It was possibly one of the most painful and annoyingly long afternoons I have ever spent. There is nothing worse than being cooped up inside  when all you really want to do is frolick in the sunshine. but alas, c'est la vie.

We stayed in Friday night as a bunch of friends and I decided to catch the early, and I mean EARLY bus to the beach. 7:50 to be exact.  We decided to go back to our favorite little port town of Cassis.  It is just north of Marseille but MUCH more beautiful.  It is dotted with calanques, which I hiked back in March. This time, we were feeling less adventurous and more in the mood to soak up the sunshine and final days with our pal the Med Sea. Unable to break tradition, we each bought a bottle of rosé, a baguette, some salami and of course -- our favorite cheeses-- brie and this garlic/herb cream cheese.  I dont think you can spell perfection in any other way.  We got there around 11. There was actually quite a large group of us-- but half decided to hike up the calanques before grabbing some beach time-- so it was just the girls- my friends Morgan, Libby and Sarah and Sarah's friend Leslie who is visiting from Madrid.  When we first got there it was quite chilly and windy and a little cloudy. Nonetheless, we were determined to spend the day in the sand, sleeping, chatting and continuing the dream life. Libby brought her Tales of Beedle the Bard book (a small collection of stories JK Rowling released after the HP series ended) and she read aloud while we all listened intently.  before I knew it, I was sound asleep to the precious story and the sound of the waves crashing on shore.  the only that that disturbed me was the occasional sandstorm (quick reference to the USC football season theme song) whipping across the beach.  Content and blissful yet stupidly .. none of us paused a moment during our day of relaxation to put on sunscreen-- mainly because the cloud cover and wind were so strong we didnt think we needed to. WRONG. whatever, im tan and Im happy ( reference to the Family Guy episode where Stewie gets super tan) .. exhausted, crispy and a little tipsy from all the wine and sun - we made our way back to Aix.  I had a delicious dinner with the fam and we watched this variety-esque show where they had overly dramatic French magicians, amazing acrobats and people with all crazy talents (unicycle riding girls?) it was great fun, but I had an early night (which means I went to bed before 2)

Sunday was equally as French and delightful.  Every weekend there is a market of various items that they sell in the street.  Markets are such a popular concept here in Europe and Ive been to around about 230 in all countries.  They are great fun!! They have such interesting, fun, homemade, things and Ive acquired some gems along the way (can't mention them here as they will turn into souvenirs for the folks back home) the Aix market has to be my favorite though.  Every day there is a fresh produce market and honestly -- I dont know how I am going to go home and shop at Publix and BiLo when I have been spoiled with non genitically modified or pesticide overdosed produce.. Anyways, the shopping market is so fun and I ventured down with my friend Kat and soon we ran into practically every one from school-- all doing the same thing-- snagging up some last minute souvies! Its always so nice to walk in and around the stalls, smelling the fresh soaps and chatting with the locals.  A lot of the merchants speak English- or atleast try to when they hear us-- disproving the notion that the French are uppity and disproving of all cultures/languages besides their own.

My friend Sarah and I in front of our work

i feel like my whole experience here has been one contradiction to everything that I had heard previously. the french DO shower, and quite frequently.. the LOVE foreigners, especially Americans. Yes they respect/prefer for you to speak French.. but do we as Americans not get equally as frustrated when we have to deal with someone who only speaks Spanish in our country.. they do enjoy their berets and there are bakeries on every corner.  cheese is smelly, but there are SO many types and theyre delicious (well the ones ive been brave enough to try).. every French person walks around with a baguette under their arm and they are HUGE wineos! infact, the French are not the largest exporter of wine, but they are the largest consumer and producer. The reason they are not the largest exporter (second to Spain and Italy) is because they keep a certain percentage for themselves. Thats why French wine is so elusive, expensive and the best. i could probably and should actually write an entire blog about wine and what Ive learned.  Cause it is so interesting.

I painted the big blue tree and the littler tree on the right

Last night was quite special.  I have been taking an art class all semester that has certainly given me some grief (daily sketches I was supposed to do .. the45 minute walk to school .. the bogus artsy fartsy commentary they spoonfed us and the fact that i really dont know how to paint) .. but it was one of the coolest and culturally interesting things I have done and I am so glad I chose to take this course.. how many times can one say .. I took a painting class in the South of France.. well I can say it exactly one time.  To celebrate the end of the semester, Marchutz, the art school, hosted an exposition of all our work this semester. Besides my one class of 24 students, there is a full time group of students who take art everyday-- theyre exactly the quirky, eclectic and talented students you would expect and their work is AMAZING. one of the students paintings was actually bought by a member of the community.  everyone was invited to hike all the way to the literal outskirts of town and come to the open bar for snacks and culture and walk around and admire the students work. Much like the picnic we had the other niight, a lot of students families did not come. mine did and they absolutely loved

we stayed for a while, mingling with familes and friends who had come all the way out for this really cool evening! after the majority of people left, my friends and I stayed and they had pizza, music and a dance party in the moonlight.  it was so much fun and I got to hang out with a lot of people I had never really talked to before for various reasons but some of them I just did not have the greatest impressions of

I love it when that happens.  Meeting new people is obviously a favorite pasttime of mine, but lately I have really enjoyed getting to know other people in my program who I really had not interacted with much.  To be honest, two girls just really gave me a bad vibe and we never really interacted.  One of them, Amelia, is from Brooklyn and is very self assured and while she is super nice, we just had never talked before.  But at the market on Sunday we ran into her and ended up going together to the park to soak up some more sunshine (not that I needed any) it was just the two of us after a while and we had such a great time swapping stories and just watching people in the park.  Turns out we have a lot in common and though we are VERY different we got along great.  She had some really nice things to say about me-- things that she just got based off impressions and the conversation we had that day and its experiences like that that just make me smile... getting to know someone with real conversation, especially when they turn out to be different than you originally thought. on the opposite hand, I HATE realizing that someone you thought you knew really well starts to show personality traits that make you want to bang your head against the wall .. such as getting caught up in petty girl drama, talking SOLELY about themselves, telling you every boy that whistled, hollered or hit on them, interrupting your stories .. etc... we all know people like this .. and with one week left, I am choosing the high road and learning that there are some people who you do not need to be around all the time.  Those types of friends are great for acting as demonstrations as exactly the friend that you do not want to be .. so really you have to thank them ..

well .. dinner is finally ready! 

bisous!

picnic'ing, picnic'ing YEAH

Closing activities of the semester have officially commenced. how terribly sad.

The first of the end of the year festivities was a picnic in our favorite park with our host families. The families all brought their own snacks and dinners and we sat on the top of the hill in the park in the beautiful Wednesday afternoon/evening sunshine. Apparently, it has rained every semester for the past 2 years.  We had beautiful weather!!! None of knew what to expect, but since my family has had 30 students, they are seasoned pros! Unfortunately, some students families either were unable to make it (understandable) or just didnt come (completely ridiculous).  I felt so bad for my friends who got to see everyone interacting with and eating with their families.  My host mom's cousin, Josettte is the host mom to my friend Molly and their neighbor Colette is my friend Clare's host mom. So theyre all friends and we all sat together and dined on homemade pizza, quiche, tomatoes and mozarella, eggs, bread, cheese and sausage of course! It was so cute to see all the host families hanging out--gossiping no doubt.  We all swap stories about our host families, naturally, and all of my friends are jealous of my wonderful situation and my beyond hilarious host dad.

lookin' like a G in the hat I almost convinced him to buy

They were all really excited to meet him-- which made me nervous cause I needed him to live up to their expectations. and boy did he.  He was in rare form.. giving me wet willies (a trick i mistakenly taught him) and cracking jokes about me, la princesse de le sud, and he made jokes about me being a monkey, a member of the KKK and a little slow because I am from the south. HAHAHA. I really just love this guy so much. One of the host dads brought his drums, amplifier and his 2 young English friends and they had a nice jam sesh while games of frisbee and rugby were started with students and host siblings alike.  Some professors even came and brought their children.  It really was such a wonderful evening.  I had so much fun laughing with the host families of my friends even and a few of the host mothers and I gawked over a TIME magazine I stole from the school library of the Royal Wedding. We talked about their hats, her dress, his hair loss, oh it was great fun!!

Sarah (Boston), moi, Lindsay (Colorado), Molly (New York), Clare (New York)

Tonight is the closing, awards ceremony at the Hotel de Ville (our pregame spot before soirée activities) and we get to get dressed up and meet the mayor!! I am looking forward to it... but it also means that the end of the semester is really upon us and the dream of an extended, cultural vacation that we have been living is coming to an end ... :(

Oh well.. like Scarlett O'Hara said "Oh well, I cant worry about that now.. Ill worry about that tomorrow"

Im just looking forward to the weekend! ... and if you have been living under a rock in the past weeks and haven't heard this song that has gone viral for its horrifically composed lyrics yet surprisingly catchy tune.. then here it is for your TGIF blues