La Fin

So here I am. 101 days since I first arrived in this city- and somehow everything feels different. This bed that I sit on isn’t so uncomfortable anymore. The bread and cheese at dinner have become a part of my daily routine. The walk up and down the big hill outside my apartment doesn’t really phase me anymore. And sitting through an hour long conversation in French isn’t nearly as exhausting. It’s been 101 days and I can’t believe that tomorrow will be the last. I currently should be studying for my French final that I have tomorrow morning at 8:30 a.m. but in the grand scheme of things that one test feels pretty insignificant right now (don’t worry dad I promise I will study eventually). 

101 days ago I arrived in France and was absolutely terrified. Marysue could barely say good bye and walk away from me in O’Hare because I couldn’t stop crying. And looking back now, I’m not really sure what I was so afraid of. I remember arriving here, having no clue how to talk to my hostmom — let alone anyone. I remember my first crepe, baguette, and pain au chocolat. I remember being in awe of everything I was surrounded by. And on my last few days in Aix, I find myself being drawn back into these feelings. The past few days I’ve been taking time to simply walk around and soak in all the beauty that I am surrounded by here. The beautiful fountains, shutters, and tiny roads. The endless amounts of fresh food at the markets and boulangeries. The incredible view of Mt. St. Victoire out my back window. Things I will never find in the United States. I’d like to think that years from now, long after I’ve forgotten the taste of a fresh baguette in the morning or Madame Bachelot’s fresh apple tart after yet another amazing meal, I can look back at the pictures I’ve taken over the past 101 days and remember exactly what it felt like to be in awe of everything — of this amazingly unique and wonderful place. I don’t think I’ve really understood how much I am going to miss this place and how much I am going to miss the feeling of being adventuresome and free. I feel like the most blessed person in the world to be able to experience a journey like this. I’d like to think I’m coming home with a better understanding of who I am as well as a better understanding of how large and incredible this world really is. Along with that, I’m also bringing home a better understanding of French, a zillion pictures that I hope to decorate my new house with, and about 5 or 6 lbs from all the bread, cheese, and chocolate 🙂 But let me tell you it’s been more than worth it. Aix-en-Provence is incredible. France is incredible. I have no clue when I will be back, but trust me I will be. Thank you to everyone who has supported me in my journey to get here – this is the greatest gift I could have ever received and my memories from these 101 days will not soon be forgotten. Until next time, Aix! 

IAU Talent Show & Marchutz Exhibition

Within the past week I’ve had arguably the most fun since I have been here. The semester is coming to an end but we’ve been super busy with lots of fun events going on. Wednesday of last week we had a Christmas party at IAU. All the students and their host families were invited and everyone was supposed to bring some sort of food or appetizer with them. Pretty much every single host family brought quiche. Literally, there must have been at least 25 quiches at this dinner. It was hilarious. But the night was spent mingling and meeting new people while enjoying champagne and lots of little munchies. Afterwards IAU held their first annual talent show in the main hall. The French Honors Program preformed the famous French song “aux champs elysées” and another French class did the Gangam style dance. My friend Jake wrote a hilarious poem and Grant made a delicious punch for everyone. As the night went on more and more people started going up and singing and the night eventually turned into a giant sing along featuring songs like “Wagon Wheel” and “Sweet Home Alabama”. It was a hilarious night with both the staff and most of IAU there to enjoy.

And last night (Saturday night) was the Marchutz exhibition. All of IAU was invited to come and see all the beautiful artwork that has been created during the past semester. Lots of people showed up and there was plenty of snacks and wine to go around J It was a blast being able to share and see everyone’s artwork. The night ended with lots of swing dancing and I even got the chance to dance my art teacher!! It was an amazing way to end a really great semester of painting—I’m really going to miss Marchutz. 

A few photos :)

Olive Oil festival!

One of the 13 desserts!

Beautiful shadows in Place Richelme

Cours Mirabeau with the Christmas chalets on the left

Flower market

The steps of Cezanne

Art vendors outside of IAU

Chez Camille

Last night my friends, Grant and Jake, invited me over to their host moms apartment for dinner. Well actually, they told me that their host mom had heard my name come up so many times at dinner (probably them making fun of me in one way or another) that she told them I had to come over. So after Marchutz I headed back to Camille’s apartment with grant. We had to take a cab because the buses weren’t running. For those of you who dont know, I am a 15 minutes walk away from IAU, where I go to school. Grant and Jake have to take a bus every single day. And the days when the buses decide to not work or when they go on strike, they are forced to either walk or take a cab. The wind has managed to make it beyond bone chilling cold here, so lately they’ve been taking cabs. Camille lives in a big apartment complex that is at least a 45 minute walk away from school. I had heard many stories about how crazy and bizarre this woman was, but I still had no idea what to expect. (one of the my favorite stories they’ve told me: grant and jake have been served chocolate pudding for dessert every single night since they have arrived in France. every single night. and Camille forces them to finish it. every single night. Grant says that he “needs to leave Aix in order not to eat pudding”) but anyways I walked into their cozy smoky apartment to find a cute little old lady that was beyond ecstatic to see her host son arrive home. She was instantly joking and laughing with him and sat us down to enjoy some apertifs, which consisted of straight glasses of whisky. The four of us sat and chatted while Camille smoked 3 or 4 cigarettes before dinner. For appetizers we were served foie gras with some bread (yes i ate foie gras. it did not go down easily) and for the main portion we had pasta with bolognese sauce. It was great. For dessert Camille served chocolate eclairs. YUM. The conversation during dinner focused on the many women in the lives of Grant and Jake and the fact that it was “mardi party” (mardi=tuesday, all the kids in IAU like to go out on tuesdays). It was a beyond hilarious meal, I wish somehow I could show you all how incredibly hilarious this woman is. She was smacking Grant and Jake for making inappropriate jokes and pouring them endless amounts of whisky and wine while she smoked almost an entire pack of cigarettes. Obviously this woman is very different than my own host mom, Madame Bachelot. I really enjoyed dining chez Camille but I dont know if  I would be able to handle her the same way that Jake and Grant do. But I certainly enjoyed getting the chance to see the woman that so many of their stories revolve around. 

 Sorry it has been so long since I’ve last written- I’ve been busy! In the past two weeks, John came to visit and I went to Paris!

Having John here was incredible. I got the chance to show all around which was a blast. We went through the Christmas market on Cours Mirabeau, got hot wine, and had way too many nutella bananacrepes. On Thursday night, after walking through the streets and showing John around for a bit, we got steak frite sandwiches for dinner(a baguette with a cut up hamburger, fries, and spicy sauce inside), one of my many favorite guilty pleasures in Aix! Afterwards we got a glass of wine at a cafe I had yet to go to before meeting some friends to play pool at a local bar. After that we took John to the Cathedral to meet our entire IAU program for a really fun night out on the town. On Friday, we got crossaints and crepes in the morning (woops) and spent the day relaxing around Aix and showing John around IAU. I brought him to meet Madame Bachelot and show him the apartment and afterwards we went out to dinner at Pasta Cosy! It was a fantastic italian dinner- ravioli with caramelized pear and gorgonzola. Yummmm. On Saturday Grant, Jake, John, and I picked up some bread and wine and spent the afternoon painting at Marchutz, it was wonderful and by far the best way to share the true Aix experience with John. We spent most of the day there, just soaking up the wonderful atmosphere of Marchutz while watching the sunset.That night we got sushi for dinner at our new favorite spot called Naruto and went out with friends. Sunday was spent drinking lots of coffee and eating pastries at a local cafe and once again exploring the Christmas market. More crepes may or may have been eaten. That night John Grant and I stopped by the Cathedral to see a Christmas concert that a local church was putting on! All of the carols were in english which was absolutely wonderful. It was such a fun way to end the weekend. Afterwards John and I quickly grabbed burgers for dinner and walked to the Gare Routiere to say goodbye. It was by far one of my favorite weekends of study abroad and once again went by way too quickly. But there definitely is something to be said for  lots of relaxing and zero running around to see tourist sites. I really enjoyed just taking it easy for a weekend. 

 And just 5 days later I took off for Paris! It was my first time taking the TGV- which I of course loved. It was super fast and I felt like I was in Harry Potter the whole time. The train went through Lyon so we got to see a little bit of snow along the way! It was a beautiful ride. Friday night was spent eating Chipotle. I know what you’re thinking, “you go to Paris and eat Chipotle?!” Trust me, it was very much needed and even more appreciated. Afterwards we met my friend Jake and some of his friends who are studying in Paris at a tiny bar and spent the night hanging out with them. The next day we woke up early, walked past the Louvre and then went on to see Musée d’Orsay. This was my second time going, the first time was when I visited Paris with my mom 4 years ago (while Max was studying in Versailles). I remember loving the museum but I honestly forgot just how incredible it was. For those of you who don’t know, the museum is inside of an old train station (I believe the one depicted in Hugo) and is literally so pretty. The building itself is an incredible work of art, not to mention the pieces inside of it. The highlights of our visit included Monet, Cézanne, and Van Gogh. I found that I now have a newfound appreciation for painting after taking my class at Marchutz. I am much more aware and appreciative of the use of color and the techniques that the artists used while creating these masterpieces. There were a few times while looking at Monet’s paintings that I was literally speechless. And then I found myself in front of Cézanne’s many paintings of Mount St. Victoire just thinking to myself how incredible it was that I got to paint the same mountain- and get to look at it every single day. This journey continues to get more and more amazing every second.

 After the museum we headed to the Champs Elysees to check out the Christmas Market. Along the way we passed through the Tuilerie gardens and Place de La Concorde. We also got the best hot chocolate that I have literally ever had at a place called Angelina’s. Note to all: If you ever go to Paris get this hot cocoa. It will change your life and undoubtedly be the best 5 euros you ever spend on a beverage. After experiencing the wonderful Christmas cheer on the Champs Elysees we headed to go see the Eiffel Tower. I would argue that no matter how many times a person sees this monument, it will never get old. This was my second time seeing it- but it seemed more amazing than the first time. The intricacy of structure is incredible. We enjoyed some hot wine while viewing the tower from and far and afterwards headed towards Notre Dame, the Latin Quarter, and Shakespeare and Company bookstore. We grabbed dinner in the Latin Quarter at a little restaurant with a 12 euro fixed menu and I tried escargot!!! And surprisingly liked it. A lot. I also got mussels as my appetizer. I am making serious strides in the world of food. Let it be known I am coming home an actual eater.

 That night we hung out at a tiny apartment that my friend had rented for the weekend- it was extremely small and we all felt that we got the true French experience. We tried to see the Eiffel Tower at night but the lights were off by the time we got there which was a bummer. The next morning we woke up early and went to see Sacré Coeur and Monmarte and once again it was even more magical than I remembered. We walked into the church just as mass was starting which I enjoyed seeing a bit of. Afterwards we saw the Christmas markets and got to walk through Place du Tertre, where lots of local artists gather to paint. It was a wonderful way to end our quick trip to Paris and gave us a chance to look over the whole city from the top of the hill before saying goodbye for a little while. Who knows when I’ll make it back to this incredible city, but I know I’ll be back one day.

Christmas time is coming to Aix!!! The Christmas market is in full swing- and the lights are up!! There are endless amounts of amazing treats to buy- chocolate/caramel covered apples, cotton candy, crepes, pain d’epice (spiced bread), and hot spiced wine. Its beyond wonderful!

As you can see pictured above, the Cours Mirabeau (the most well known street in Aix) is decorated beautifully for the Christmas market. Along the right side of the picture are the chalets, where each day vendors will set up a variety of items that you can buy: soaps, lavender, food, and later in the month they will be selling handmade figurines for a nativity scene. I am so excited!

I also thought I’d share one of my favorite french traditions with all of you. On christmas, the french indulge in 13 desserts with their meal (Les Treize Desserts de Noël). These desserts refer to Jesus, and the 12 apostles sitting at the last supper. The desserts range from dried fruits and nuts, fresh fruit, and a few sweets, including Callisons (which are typical to Aix). I’ve decided this is a tradition I want to bring home. How much more wonderful would Christmas be if we could have 13 different types of desserts?!

What They Don’t Tell You About Study Abroad

Today in our creative writing class our teacher gave us the prompt of “what they don’t tell you about study abroad”.

Today is November 26^th and I’ll be boarding a one way ticket from Marseille to Munich to Chicago on December 19^th. I cannot believe that I have a little less than a month left here. Everyone said it would fly by faster than I would realize- but I never thought it would be this fast. This wasn’t I wrote for my creative writing class- I actually ended up writing about the fact that no one told me my host mom would serve me blood sausage for dinner…and I wouldn’t realize what it was until I was almost done eating it. Needless to say that was a rough night for Katie.

But in all honesty- there’s a lot no one tells you about studying abroad. And I don’t mean this in a self centered privileged kind of way, I mean it in a “there’s no way to put an experience like this into words” kind of way. I mean if I would have looked at you four months ago and told you that I would appreciate all sorts of new foods in a couple months would you have believed me? Cause I wouldn’t have. I’ve traveled to a lot of places while I’ve been here- most of them in France. And I’ve met a lot of amazing people. But I find myself time and time again coming back to the fact that my home stay makes up a large majority of my experience in Aix.

I have a single host mother: Brigitte Bachelot. She’s 72 years old and has a deceased husband who passed away from both pancreatic and lung cancer. She started being a host mother after her husband passed away and has been one ever since (I believe 20 years or so). She’s an amazing cook and an even better friend. I guess I came into this experience assuming that the host family experience was just part of studying abroad and it wouldn’t make or break my time here. But boy was I wrong. Madame Bachelot welcomed me into her home with open arms. Her tiny little apartment decorated with reminders of her life back in Vietnam (where she was born) has become a home for me in Aix. She is constantly interested in what Joanna (my host sister) and I are up to and loves hearing all about our weekends when we return from some sort of adventure. Each night while I relax or do homework in my room I can hear her watching France’s equivalent of Jeopardy. She shouts out the answer and each time she is right I hear an adorable cheer or “Yay! J’ai gagné!!” (Yay! I won!) As both my dad and marysue can tell you, she has an incredibly young soul and is very proud of her grandchildren. She has a lot of love to share with the world and I am incredibly blessed to be able to receive some of that love. So I guess what I am trying to say is that no one told me I would become so attached to someone who was a complete stranger to me three months ago. And that it would be an older French woman. But I guess that’s part of the beauty of this whole experience. I came here hoping to change and grow in new ways, and honestly who knows if I have, but any sort of progress (even if we are just simply talking about me eating blood sausage) I have Madame Bachelot to thank for. She’s put up with my awful French, shared some amazing aspects of the French culture with me, and become part of my family for the past three months. Look how cute she is!

A few more photos from my Black & White photography class. This assignment was focused around texture. Hope you enjoy!

Photos from the Saturday Morning Market