...and the livin' is easy

Things that I find confusing:

- The post office! The confusing ticket machine, 10 different lines, flashing numbers, oh my!

- What exactly should be said when someone says "ça va?" to you, nearly any response is suitable it seems.

- When dogs poop in the street or on the sidewalk.

- What is ratatouille?

- Most irregular french verbs.

- How heavy a kilo is... the whole metric system actually.

- How a macaroon is different from a standard cookie.

Thing I've learned:

- How hard Vincent Van Gogh's life was. All he wanted was someone to love, but he died an early death after suffering many years with mental illness and what is thought to be epilepsy.

- Van Gogh was a genius who made about a billion masterpieces in only about 8 years.

- Not to walk on the cobblestone after it has been washed... very slippery!

- Painting from nature is harder than it looks!

- How easy it is to nap in the park...

- There is a light inside the apartment door to help you get to the next door that turns off automatically!!!!

- Southern France gets HOT in the summer.

- Marseille is much bigger than Aix, especially when walking to the beach.

- Traffic round-abouts are easier for cars, but tricky for walkers!

- Sun burn is real.

- Chevre (goat cheese) is the bomb!

- It is better to play soccer with the little boys in the street than to be on time to class.

Things I will be experiencing soon:

- Painting in the countryside... tomorrow!

- A random french play we decided to read instead of going to french class :-) (Don't worry, I was just auditing the class anyway)

- Nice, this weekend with Lynnie-Pooh

- Paris for 3 days with Sarah and Lynn

- French sale season

- Nutella banana crepe... sounds like heaven

J'aime Aix

Painting:

-It is crazy to think that I am in France and I am painting... life is so so good. Literally my dreams come true.

-We get to class, take our paints and easels outside, paint, eat lunch, paint, and talk about art.

-My teachers both like the way I paint and one of them said "They sure know how to grow 'em at Truman State"... I'm pretty sure that's a good thing?

-I love to paint.

La Fête de la Musique:

-Literally translated... the party of the music.

-Basically it is a huge festival where all sort of people play all sorts of music on the streets all night long. Every corner or every street has someone playing their music. It is to celebrate the longest day of the year and happens all across France and some other countries! So much fun.

-I learned a new sweet line dance from a drunk old French man.

-Lots of fun was had in the streets of Aix

Other things I like:

-When people continue conversations with me in french, meaning I'm not extremely terrible.

-Seeing people carry dogs on mopeds

-Nutella and the panda container it came in!

-The other student from a different program who lives here for this week, Katie.

-Some sort of zucchini, cheese, ham dinner I had the other night.

-Watching the world cup in Europe where people care

-How much people here love the book Le Petit Prince (they have him painted on walls and ceilings and stuff)

-The big yellow hat that I bought.

-The idea that you guys are still reading this :-)

Until next time

My first week here...

It has been absolutely lovely in Aix. I've only been here for about a week, but its starting to feel like home already. Here's what's been going on:

Monday-

Went to orientation at the school... finally english speaking people! I met two girls, Lynn and Sarah, who are both in painting with me, they are both really nice and I think we will get along great!

Tuesday-

Classes begin! I have french at the Aix centre and then the art classes are at a different school called Marchutz. After french, John, one of the Marchutz teachers walked with us out to the school. It is a beautiful walk that takes about a half hour. It will be even nicer when it is not raining :). Alan and John are my art teachers. Both are very nice, encouraging, and funny!

Wednesday-

Classes: and then Lynn, Sarah and I walked around the city for a long time seeing what there is to see. Everything is gorgeous in Aix.

At night: I went to see a french movie with Lynn, Sarah, and another girl names Libby. I think the movie was cute... I didn't understand most of it, but the people behind me thought it was pretty funny.

Thursday-

Classes: We learned how to set up out easels (which is harder than it sounds) and are preparing to start painting on Monday! YAY. We went with John to the art supply store which was full of paint and brushes and all sorts of fun french things!

At night: Sarah and I went to a pub, ate dessert, and watched France lose terribly in the world cup. We were joined by a random french guy who was very nice. He got progressively more drunk as the game went on so we refused to give him our phone numbers when he asked... but we learned a lot about France and Les Bleus (the team) from him.

Friday-

We had our first field trip. We went to the villages of Luberon, Gordes, and Roussillon. All three are absolutely beautiful. We saw where Albert Camus is burried, cliffs of ochre, and the hills and fields of southern France... no words can describe how lovely it is here. After, a bunch of us went out for someone's birthday. Lynn and I drank wine by the fountain... it was pleasant.

Saturday-

Lynn, Sarah, and I hike up Mount St Victoire which is located just east of Aix. It is gorgeous! It was about 2 hours to the top and it was very very windy. We were exhausted, but the top was worth it! The way down was much quicker until we ended up not on the path anymore and got to make a new one. At night, we went out to eat at a fondu place where we were really confused and made the owners laugh at us.

Sunday-

Lynn and I went to church in the Cathédrale Saint-Sauveur d'Aix. It is ancient! I was very confused the whole time a) because I've never been to Catholic mass before, so didn't really know what to do and b) I don't know very much french... or latin for that matter. After that, Sarah, Lynn, and I took the bus to Marseille. We walked all around, saw the Mediterranean and enjoyed the very windy day!

Things I've learned:

-Seafood isn't so bad if you don't know you're eating it.

-Goat cheese rules!

-Cars do not stop for you

-Gelato is the best thing ever

-French guys are very forward when they like you

-Allez Les Bleus! (this is useful during the world cup)

-When your host family asks you about the weather in Chicago, it is weird to tell them about your hobbies

Traditions that have been started:

-Baguette and fruit and cheese for lunch

-Daily french time between us girls, forcing us to speak french with each other

-Saturday night date night where we pick a restaurant to eat out at

-Cherry pit spitting contests all over France... Marchutz, Aix, Gordes, from the top of Mount Saint Victoire so far

Now it is almost time for dinner and homework. Sorry this is so long.

Painting begins tomorrow... for real this time!

Le premier week-end en France!

Hello friends!

I made it to france after several plane rides... all went smooth until our plane from Dublin to Marseilles somehow had damage to the door, so we had to get inspected and okayed by the official plane people in order to go ahead... turns out this takes about 2 hours.

Madame Perrier met me at the airport and informed me that we would be traveling to an island for a birthday celebration. I didn't really know what that meant, but I like islands so I figured it couldn't be too bad. I slept the entire way there in the car, and when we got there I learned that there were 150 people at this beautiful resort for Vincent's (I don't know him either, don't worry) 60th birthday. This was all really exciting and all especially because none of them spoke much english and I don't speak much french. Luckily there were some kids around my age who I hung out with. All in all the weekend was filled with music, fancy food, boats, and enough french to make my head hurt.

After this I returned to Aix with Mme Perrier and her boyfriend Chrisophe. They showed me around Aix a little bit. Today we had orientation at the school. It was fun meeting people that I will be here with. They all seem very nice. The art instructor told us all about Paul Cézanne and where he painted and how our painting school is connected with him. It is so exciting to be here! Tomorrow morning at 8:30 I have french class, and then the 4 other art students along with the teacher and I will walk to the studio and begin learning!

This weekend I:

-asked for help from more strangers than ever before in my life (if you know me well, you know how I hate to do this)

-ate more seafood than I have eaten my whole life

-drank more alcohol that I have my entire life combined

-kissed more people on the cheek than you could imagine

-was unaware when people were speaking to me... oops

-harpooned more fish than would normally be expected

Gotta go eat dinner! I will let you know if painting in France is as magical as it sounds :-)

Leaving for France in 2 days!

Who: Me! (And no one else who I know)

What: Study abroad!! Painting, drawing, and french

Where: Aix-en-provence (in the south)... according to the tourist website it is the "city of water and art" could that sound any more wonderful??

When: SOON! I leave on Friday for 6 weeks

Why: Because I've always dreamed of painting in France...

How: My sense of adventure led me to this awesome opportunity and with the help of my parent's its become a reality!

To do still:

-pack

-learn french

Kenya Finale

Day 13+: Nairobi and travel

Saw: Nairobi at day time. Amsterdam by air. Detroit for a long time. Kansas City and the Maynards. The kind and familiar Megabus. Union station. Parents! Train to Schaumburg. Home sweet home!

Learned: Bartering can be fun if you laugh at yourself and hold hands with a friend the whole time. Bartering away your watch is a bad thing when you need to meet your group and have no clue what time it is. Riding (or surfing) the tram at the Detroit airport back and forth can kill a good 45 minutes or so.

Laughed: I dropped my malaria pill and it flew away from me and landed underneath the man behind me on the plane's foot. He thought I was strange and tried to charge me $10 for it... jokester.

That concludes my day by day re-cap. Here are some other things that maybe I forgot, or didn't quite fit into one of the categories.

-Kenyans as a people are extra sweet and loving.

-Donkeys sound scary at night, but they do not charge your tent no matter how sure you are that that is what's happening.

-Chapati is the best food ever.

-Time is not an issue. There is no hurry in Kenya.

-So much can be said with a smile and laughter.

-The way the sunlight hits the African land is gorgeous, someday I will go back and paint for as long as the sun is up... someday.

-The children are inspiring in their eagerness to learn, their unshakable faith, their joyous spirits, and their ability to love unconditionally.

This trip has taught me so many things that are impossible to express in a blog.

The earth is huge, Africa is massive, the plains are great, mountains are tall, people are many, animals are endless, but we are unified under the same sky, stars, and creator. This has been a trip of humbleness for me. I am but one small person witnessing the beauty and love of everything around me. It has changed my life and I can not wait to see my sisters and brothers of Elangata again... until then, they will remain in my heart.

Kenya Part 3

Day 8- Last day at Elangata (Friday)

Saw: Members of my team give short sermons to the students. Kids running after our vans and waving goodbye as we unwillingly left.

Learned: How difficult it is to say goodbye to a class full of students who have shown you nothing but love and blessings.

Laughed: Tried to teach hundreds of kids to stand up and sit down at the proper time during Hallelujah/Praise Yee the Lord. Another bumpy ride through the African bush

will always bring laughter to my face.

Day 9- Africa Hope, Narok

Saw: The faces of many Kenyans staring at the large group of mzungos (white people) roaming around the city of Narok.

Learned: It only takes about a half hour for 15 people to move some dirt around. Making sloppy-joes with none of the right ingredients can be really fun and still taste okay.

Laughed: Participating in the completion of a crossword after consuming large amounts of coffee magnifies my stuttering and difficulty with spelling. A small child walked up to me in Narok and called me fatty... thanks kid.

Day 10- Day with University students

Saw: The liveliest, most exciting church service in the world.

Learned: How fun it is to run around a church shouting for Jesus and how refreshing an energetic church service can be.

Laughed: When playing volleyball with Kenyan college students using a soccer ball and wearing a skirt. The guy I ate lunch with told me he liked the movie Home Alone.

Day 11- Working at Africa Hope

Saw: A man cut 2x4's straight from a tree freehand with a chainsaw. Impressive.

Learned: That it takes 2 people to carry 1 piece of wood up a mountain. If you nap on a corduroy pillow, you will get lines on your face and your friends will make fun of you.

Laughed: A bird with red eyes got into one of our rooms and gave my friend Chelsey quite a scare. Also, it requires about 20 minutes and two people... one with a towel and the other with the curtain as a guide to get the bird to go out the window.

Day 12- MAASAI MARA

Saw: On our safari we saw ALL THE ANIMALS OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM... or so I like to believe. This includes lions, hippos, buffalo, elephants, ostriches, a rhino, hyenas, zebras, giraffes, GAZELLE (so graceful, just like me... hah), warthogs (pumba!), colorful birds, and everything else beautiful in the world. No joke. Africa rules.

Learned: That seeing a wild lion in the beautiful african plain nearly brings me to tears. The many ways Africa Hope helps the people of Kenya and how sponsoring a project or a student can change lives.

Laughed: While waiting to get into the mara, we were being heckled by women trying to sell things. We bartered one of them down to a good price for 2 bracelets. One of them broke about 1 minute later and the woman just looked at us and laughed... cruel, yet funny.