Dimanche, 30 Septembre 2012: Wine and Vine in the World of Au Pairs

I got up late today. About noon as appropriate on any Sunday. The first thing I did when I got up was check my e-mail. Alors! I got some news about potential au pair jobs. I've been looking for an au pair position for a few months now but nothing promising until today. It's more difficult to get an au pair job from the U.S. because most families don't want to deal with the process of the visa and travel arrangements. But since I'm already here my inbox is filling up! There are about 10 families that are interested in me, all with at least 2 children but no more than 3. The most recent message I received was from a german woman named that lives right outside of Aix. She wanted to meet for a casual interview today at 16h30 so Yann and I ate a huge breakfast and I got ready.

I walked down to the Office of Tourism where we were supposed to meet. I didn't see anyone that seemed to be searching for someone so I went up to the huge touch screens in the pavilion and sent out a few e-cards to e-mail addresses that I had memorized. I turned around after sending my french prof in college a card and saw a family of 5 blondes with blue eyes. All of the children were girls, it was unmistakable that this was my potential family. I immediately walk up to greet them and they just beam at me with their bright blue eyes. The girls were so polite, a little shy, but welcoming all the same.

We walked to a nice restaurant off of the Cours Mirabeau. The dad took the youngest of the two girls to get some snacks. The oldest girl opted to stay so she, her mother, and I walked into a restaurant and took a seat. The mom has worked in Germany, France, and the U.K. so her english is perfect. She thought that it would be the most appropriate language to speak so that we would fully comprehend one another. She's basically looking for someone to be with the girls after school while she catches up on her work. It's perfect because I'm completely available the hours that she needs help. 

She told me a little bit about the girls' personalities and habits. They don't seem like they would be too much work, being very independent themselves. While Simone is working at home, my job would be to cook, play, and help the girls with their french homework--which would most likely help me with my own french. Being the oldest of three kids has had its perks. You're already used to taking care of others'. I've been cooking my whole life and playing? Well, I'm a pro at that :-)

When the whole family reconvened, I tried to converse with the children. They answered abruptly and with my french at a beginner's level, it was a bit difficult to understand. They're all still getting used to me so they are still a bit shy. It's just how kids talk when they don't really know you.

Other than discussing family habits and the type of work that would need to be done, I also asked about any problems they might have encountered with previous au pairs. I guess the last one from the U.K. spent most of the day sunbathing and completely ignored the girls...WHAT?!? But I guess if you saw where they lived, you might be tempted to do the same. They live on a vineyard.

The mom invited me to have lunch on Saturday and see the property. I'd also get to see how the girls spend their time. This seems like the family for me but we shall see. The girls seem really sweet so far but I've been in so many situations where the kids turn out to be monsters when they're more comfortable around you. These are french/german kids though, so...I think they've had a more strict upbringing. If it isn't meant to be, I can't fake it. I would suck it up if I had to, but this honestly has to work for everybody...Wish me luck!

Samedi, 29 Septembre 2012: Grands Marchés

Yann and I got up around 10h30. I immediately called Danielle to make sure she was awake. Today we planned to go to the "grands marchés."  This would be like America's farmer's markets except it's 100x bigger than the one in Harrisonburg. There's fresh fruits, vegetables, spices, cheeses, fish, etc...There are even musical acts in the middle of the street. I LOVE THIS PLACE!!!

Though the morning began clear, it ended up raining halfway through our shopping. This didn't dampen our spirits though. We, Danielle and I, were excited to experience it first-hand. We had heard so much about it already. The market occurs on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, though on Saturdays it is the busiest and placed all throughout the center of Aix. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, it is typically only on the Cours Mirabeau and includes more clothing than produce. This was a fun experience. It was fun when Yann let us go off on our own because we got to practice our french more, and by more, I still mean barely. I got some fresh figs, green plums, and a creamy sort of cow cheese. Danielle bought a basket of delicious raspberries. And Yann bought a ton of vegetables and greens. We all spent less than 5 euro! I was tempted to buy some fresh fish but it is so expensive here, even at the market. A tuna steak cost 35 euro...I think I'll buy that next time.

We went home after our little shopping experience to drop off our groceries, then headed back out after the rain had subsided somewhat. We walked for awhile until we found a place where we wanted to get lunch. We ended up at Le Patacrêpe, and if you haven't guessed yet, their specialty is crêpes. Yann and Danielle each got some type of crêpe while I decided to go for a salad that was served on top of a crêpe. Components of this salad are tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, raw ham, pesto, slivers of parmesan, romaine lettuce, spices, on top of a crêpe...My plate was huge! They definitely gave me my money's worth, probably more. I ended up needing help to finish it.

After lunch, we walked around the shops to find Maggie some cough drops. Everyone has been sick here...Except for me. We had to take cover at Danielle's apartment because it started raining again. After the rain officially stopped, Yann and I dropped the lozenges off at Maggie's then went home to rest.

We pretty much laid low for the rest of the night. Only getting up for dinner. Tonight I introduced Yann to 28 Days Later--one of my favorite 'zombie' flicks! He seemed to enjoy it enough. Zombie/Horror/Vampire education has commenced :-) Good night y'all!

Vendredi 28 Septembre 2012: What the Hell Happened Last Night?!?!

This morning I had a dream about Ben Charlton fighting with one of my old gym teachers from middle school. Ha haha. I woke up thinking I was home but then I looked around. Yann laughed at me and told me that I was a wreck last night. Apparently, I made fish when we got home and spilled the sauce all over the kitchenette. I also puked in the sink and I know it was me because I'm the only person that does that. Idiot. I have no recollection of anything past leaving the club. I think that drink last night really had a rufee in it...All of the girls agree.

I'm so hungover but it's a weird hangover. I just feel dead. I haven't done anything all day except drink water and lounge around.

Yann brought a friend over tonight. He was cute ;-) I left for Danielle's the same time he came in though. And now she and I are going to explore the food places in her neighborhood. It's 22h30 and the party's just getting started ;-) Except I'm too hungover to party. We're going to eat some good french food. à bientôt!

Jeudi, 27 Septembre 2012: Rufees and Creepy Club Owners

I arrived at the Cours Gambetta early today to take my written exam. It turns out my exam wasn't until 10h30 so I had a bit of waiting to do. Like I said before, my study abroad program doesn't give me any information, so instead of staying in the dark, I decided to ask another student about the plans for the day. There was were two people in the hallway with me. I decided to go to the guy that looked like he knew what he was doing. Oumar is from an African country called Guinea, near Senegal. My french is still awful so our conversation was pretty funny. When I didn't know how to say something in french, I would ask in english. Oumar speaks perfect french, it's one of the official languages in his country. He knew very few english words but we spoke for a good amount of time, mixing french with english which resulted in full comprehension somehow. It's kind of like when my parents talk to me, switching between vietnamese, lao, and english. Right before the rest of the students arrived, a girl walks out of the lounge toward us. Her name is Georgette and she's from Miami. She was so excited that she heard english being a foreigner on her own as well.

Today was a big day for IEFEE students. We met at 9h30 for a program-wide breakfast. Oumar and I sat down with Georgette and two others. Andrew is from North Carolina and Francis is from Ghana where english is one of the official languages. Breakfast was a very social ordeal, but since we were all speaking english, I made sure to translate as much as I could into french for Oumar (with Francis' help). It's surprising how much that helped me with my own french skills. I didn't realize I knew so much. I guess it's all up there in my noggin, I just needed a reason to drag it out.

Our petit dejeuner consisted of juice, brownies, and heavy, sweet breads. For those of you that know me well, you know I hate sweets. I felt so sick. The entire time the directrice was making her welcome speech, I thought I would puke. Once breakfast ended, I went upstairs to take my exam. It seemed pretty easy, but I skipped the last 3 pages so I could get in the lowest level possible. I really wanted to start with a blank slate and learn everything as if I'd never taken french. I feel like if you want to do something right, you need to start at square one. 

After my exam, I went downstairs to see what level I had been put in. Zut! They put me in level 3. They're crazy!!! There are five levels. 1 being beginner's french and 5 for advanced students. Though my reading and writing in french is pretty decent, I have horrible speaking skills. I guess I'm not going to argue and just stick with it. If they think I can handle it then I'm just going to suck it up. 

Francis met up with me after he got his assignment and took me to a boulangerie for lunch. We made sure to stop at an authentic french spot. The sandwiches here were delicious! I'm not a fan of bread but there's something about the baguettes here that entice me. My sandwich had feta, corn, tomatoes, romaine, and olive oil on classic french bread. Yum...

After lunch, we ran into Oumar in the street. We decided to explore the old part of the city together before we had to be back at our facility to meet our professors. I learned a lot about the guys during this time. Oumar is here on scholarship. Coming from an extremely poor country, he is certainly blessed. I'm always impressed with people like him. He's such a pleasant person to be around too. Francis is studying in France for the third time. He was previously in Lille and before that, he was in the Burgundy region. He's also studied in the U.K. Francis is a mover, like me. He has this extreme yen for travel. We will certainly be good friends. 

After meeting our professors, Francis and I get lost in the town, literally. We end up on the Cours Mirabeau and checked things out for awhile. Francis had to catch a bus back to his village so we parted ways after a bit of grocery shopping.

Later in the evening, Yann took me to a mega-store for groceries. I believe it was called Monoprix. It's so helpful for my language absorption to see familiar products with descripts written in french. Yann must be so annoyed with me. I'm always asking him what this word means or what that word means. He's so helpful though. I don't know what I would have done if I didn't meet him. 

Yann made me dinner tonight. We had steak with vegetables and lardo. It was trés délicieux! After dinner, we went to Maggie and Lydia's apartment on Rue Villars. There, I met Liza who is from Utah. She's super cute. We all down a few glasses of wine and take shots of this vodka with gold flakes. It looks a lot like Rumpleminze but doesn't taste anything like it. We eventually head out and go towards "Bar Street." We run into other students we know on the way who are drinking out of beer luges--like those Lube Tubes at Quaker Steak. Every bar pretty much has them here.

Maggie, Liza, Yann and I split up from the group temporarily. We were anxious to get to a bar and sit down. I ordered myself a Cuvée des Trolls which was a pretty decent beer that I also spilled all over myself. And then somehow the four of us and the rest of our crew end up on top of the tables, dancing. Ay yi yi...

On our way out of this pub, a random guy hands Maggie a creme de menthe type drink. Armando is telling her not to drink it because it probably has rufees in it but I'm a dumbass and I want to taste it. She lets me have a sip and then pours it down a drain in the street.

We end up at Scat Club where there is a huge dance party. Just my place! I get tired and try to make my way home but get lost so I go back to the club. The club owner intercepts me and takes me down to the bar for some shots. At this point, I know I've had too much and he's creeping all over me. Ew...He ends up kissing me somehow, on stage, in front of everyone. I don't know what's wrong with me. I'm an idiot. Luckily, I see Yann and grab him. We were out the door in seconds.

Mardi, 25 Septembre 2012: Americans in the City

Yann got up early for work and I meandered around the apartment for awhile, struggling to wake up. I finally got myself together and took off towards the Cours Gambetta where my program is apparently housed. I made my way up to the third floor and found all of the international students who had just finished taking their written exams. I'm going to take a moment here to say that my study abroad program SUCKS!!! They haven't helped me do anything. They didn't help me find housing, they didn't tell me when the exams would be or give me an agenda of any sort. There isn't even a program ambassador on campus. All they did was forward the money I sent to them to the university, which I could have easily done myself. It's a good thing I'm resourceful because if I couldn't take care of myself I would probably be on my way home by now.

I signed in with the secretary. Here, I met some Israeli students. Everyone met downstairs to take our oral exams. While waiting, I met some americans. There's Lydia, Kari, Maggie, Lauren, Kendra, Molly, and Camille. They're really cool. Each of them have a personality trait that mesh perfectly with me. The girls invited me out that night and I made sure I could bring my bestie Yann.

When I got home I immediately told Yann that I made 7 new friends. He said he was proud of me. Ha haha. I explained to him that we had plans that night so we began our preparations with a nap :-) We woke up, got ready, had dinner, and headed toward La Rotunde to meet Kari and Lydia who led us up to a spanish-style apartment. 

There are about 7 people sharing this flat so it was pretty big with a nice terrace. There, I met a few more american students: Danielle from New York, Armando, Jean-Michel, and Elizabeth who was in the program the previous year. There is also Julie who is kind of like a peer advisor. Of all of the people there, only Yann and Julie are french. 

Yann had an early morning coming up so he went home. The rest of us slammed down a few bottles of wine before we headed out to the bars. Our first stop was Wahoo, the international student bar. It was "Dress Like Your Childhood Hero" night :-/ We weren't really feeling the vibe there and it was super packed so we left. We ended up walking around, checking out the other bars but not really stopping anywhere. I got so tired that I went home for the night, a whole two blocks away. 

Heels and cobblestone don't really mix in case you were wondering. 

Lundi, 24 September 2012: IEFEE

Yann got up relatively early this morning to visit internet service providers to see who could get him on the net the quickest. By noon he was back and I was still passed out. I was completely deceived though! His windows are covered by huge doors that keep creepy people from wandering into his apartment, but they also block out the sunlight so I thought it was still early. 

About an hour later, I was up and about and Yann left for his parents' house on the other side of town. He had just moved into this apartment so he needed to gather the rest of his things. He directed me to an internet cafe just a few doors down and I sat there in a booth completely surrounded by old french men on chat sites. When I finished my work, I went up to the counter to pay with my debit card. The shop owner informed me that he didn't take cards so I pull out my US dollars. He smiled at me, shuffled me out the door so that the next patron could take a seat and said in broken english "Tomorrow! I see you tomorrow." 

I walk the 10 seconds back to the apartment and Yann is home a few minutes later with some french bread topped with ham, a cheese that tasted like brie, and spices. We have that for dinner along with some leftover pizza. Once we finished dinner, Yann offered to take me to the university campus so that I would know where to go on Tuesday. Just a 20 minute walk from his apartment through the old part of the city is a huge college campus. It's three universities put merged into one. Université d'Aix Marseille is made of up my school Université Paul Cézanne, Université de Provence, and Université de la Méditerranée.  These schools have housed a lot of famous people internationally--mainly politicians and artists. 

We got lost on campus so we asked a few people for directions. The first we came across were a pair of Mormon missionaries which reminded me of the time that I was baptised in this church. My parents raised me to believe whatever I thought was right and exposed me to everything by the time I graduated high school. I don't know why I chose to go Mormon other than the fact that the missionaries were super cute. I'm an idiot. I never should have declared anything. If I were to give my faith a name, I'd say I'm agnostic. 

We ran into one of Yann's friends shortly after the Elders walked off. This is the first time I witnessed the "bises." French greet their friends with kisses on the cheek. I don't know if I showed it but I was completely horrified because I had forgotten about this custom as well. His friend greeted me and I did this awkward hand wave--hoping that she didn't come anywhere near my face. Ha haha. We followed her directions and finally found the Paul Cézanne administrative building. 

At the front desk, Yann is speaking for me and the woman seems confused. She informs us that there is no Institut d' Études Francais pour les Étudiants Étrangers program at her school that she knew of. With that little side note, we journeyed on home and I immediately wrote to the Center for Study Abroad administrators. They assured me that nothing was wrong and that I just needed to check in at the international student office that is off-campus. I went to bed hoping that I didn't spend $5K on a scam...

Dimanche, 23 Septembre 2012: Day 1 in Aix

We eventually land in Marseille. The weather here was considerably different than it was in London. It was hot and humid. I immediately regretted changing into boots and a jacket at Gatwick. Once I got my luggage, I put my flip flops back on, packed up my jacket, and called Yann.

For those of you that don't know, I never found a place to live in Aix. All of the ads seemed sketchy. Most of them were asking for double the rent for a deposit and I checked with my friends overseas--this is not normal. I've known a lot of people to get screwed over by online phishing scams so I opted to stay with a local until I could meet with some property owners face-to-face. 

The guy I'm staying with is named Yann. I met him on Couchsurfing.com. This is a pretty amazing site. It's basically a huge network of trust. The idea behind CS is that you post your travel plans online, people living in that area will see those plans and decide whether or not they want to offer you a place to stay. Out of all of my offers, Yann was the only one I was really interested in. He's my age, speaks english, and loves to travel. Other than the fact that he doesn't like pictures (you all know I love my pictures), I felt like I could trust him. Others who offered me a place to stay either had negative references, looked/sounded creepy, or made it perfectly clear that they would only let me stay with them if they could get into my pants...This Yann, he's a good guy. He was up-front from the beginning and seemed really laid back. Just what I like. 

I took a bus from Marseille to Aix-en-Provence for 7 Euro. Yann met me at the bus station just like he promised. He offered to help me carry my luggage but you all know I like to bear my own problems. Halfway up the street he just grabs my suitcase from me, which was a lot heavier than I thought. It's because I'm so damn strong! Or...it was because I was used to lugging it around.

We get to his apartment just a few minutes from the bus station which is a small studio, situated in the middle of everything. Perfect for a bachelor. I put a few things away, shower, then Yann takes me out to show me the town. It's a Sunday so most places are shut down. He points out all of the restaurants and bars, assuring me that I will get a job in no time. We stop at a pizza place and grab a pie for home. The entire time we're out he's quizzing me on my french and making sure I'm catching onto regularly used phrases like "Avez-vous commander?" meaning "Have you already ordered?" Trés importante! 

We get back to his place, he cracks open some beers that I've never heard of called "1664" which I immediately taste. Yann stops me abruptly, reminding me that I forgot to toast! Mon Dieu! I took 4 years of french in high school and got a french minor in college. How could I forget such a thing?!? I definitely have no clue about french culture. Anyway, the beer tastes like a pilsner which nicely complemented the pizza avec champignons (my favorite). Over dinner, he hands me a copy of his keys and we try get to know each other better. At this point, I realize that if he and I had met in states we would naturally be friends.

By the time dinner's complete, I'm tired of drinking so I suggest a movie. He doesn't have a TV so we hang out on his bed and watch Fargo on his laptop. I wake up halfway through the movie to Yann laughing at me, telling me that I had been snoring. Of course I'm appalled but I'm too tired to care too much and he says he's going to bed too. I noticed earlier the air mattress that was meant for me but we both pass out on opposite ends of his bed, no pillow barrier needed. 

Dimanche, 23 Septembre 2012: My First Day Abroad

After a 12 hour flight we arrived at the London Heathrow airport. The time there was approximately 6:30am (1:30am at home). I had to reclaim my luggage for my next flight which did not depart from the same airport. Though I had more than 6 hours until my next flight, I decided to go ahead and get to Gatwick. From previous research, I learned that the National Express bus was the cheapest way to shuttle between airports in London. Cheap being 25 GPB ($40).



I eventually made it to Gatwick with hours to spare. This airport in particular does not announce the departure gate for your flight until 30 minutes before boarding so everyone hangs out in this gigantic lounge which is much like the food court at a mall. Some people were shopping at the duty free stores, others were in the restaurants eating, but most people just hung out in the lounge waiting for gate information. I was so exhausted at this point, having dragged a 28kg (61lb) suitcase from Point A to Point B to Point C. As soon as I sat down, I passed out. 

I woke up startled, with my mouth wide open and 6 Nigerian women smiling at me. Though I was embarrassed, I smiled back. After a short conversation with them, I found out we were going to the same destination. They talked me into laying down and passing back out, assuring me that they would wake me once they found out where our gate was. And they did. While the women were carted to the gate by an airport employee, I walked ahead. 

En route to my gate, which consisted of about 6 escalators going both up and down, I stopped on a walkway to take a picture of how cold and dreary London was. After I snapped a picture this cute, rugged french guy grabs my phone and says something that sounded like "I'll take your picture." Knowing I looked like absolute shit, I said no which he strongly backfired with a "Si!!! C'est belle." I chuckled, grabbed my phone, and walked on. I felt awful for being rude, but how bad do you think I felt after I had to sit across from him on my 3 hour flight to Marseille? Ha haha. He smiled a forgiving smile at me. I was content with that and thoroughly passed out. 

A few minutes into the flight the ride was so turbulent that it woke me up. Sure, going through the layers is normally a bit rough but we must've dropped several hundred feet at times. I thought this was going to be a scene out of Final Destination 1. Everyone around me was freaking out, even the men. The turbulence lasted about 7 minutes according to my phone. Once that was over I was back to snoozing. I didn't even bother with the drink service.

Samedi, 22 Septembre 2012: My Departure

First of all, I was already freaking out. Second, when we began boarding, I saw that some people were being directed upstairs. I strongly dislike double decker planes. The idea of a small jet falling through the sky is scary. Imagine a plane the size of an elementary school. The last time I was on one of these I was flying to Singapore from New York. Time did not ease my worries. I was seated "bitch" between two older men so I knew that if we crashed I'd have a good chance of using one of them or both as an impact cushion. Hey! Survival of the fittest!

As soon as we started coasting the beverage service started coming around. I, of course, order a vodka cranberry. The flight attendant raised his brow but I'm sure he noticed how nervous I was because he handed me a double. 

About 4 hours into our flight we were served dinner. Our magnificent meal consisted of a garden salad with a creamy balsalmic vinaigerette, tortellini in a tomato sauce (U.S. portion size), a dinner roll, and a slice of chocolate marble cheesecake. Most of you know that I hate chocolate. I ate it anyway. Though I was on edge, the meal made me tired enough to sleep. Besides snacks and drinks, I slept the entire flight but it was the type of sleep where you're constantly uncomfortable so you aren't really rested when you wake up.

Samedi, 22 Septembre 2012: The Drive to the Airport

So, let's recap on my journey to France, shall we?

It all began the spring of 2011. I was taking the last french class for my 2nd bachelors degree. Monsieur Gilman tells us about a long-standing program known as a French Government Teaching Assistantship. I'm immediately interested. What's better than getting paid to travel???

Applications opened up for the 2012-2013 school year and I immediately applied, gathering all required documents as well as 2 letters of recommendation from my favorite college professors. By April of 2012, I had been accepted into the program! I immediately applied for my long-stay visa at the French Consulate in Washington, D.C. Little did I know that the "2 week" processing time would take up to 4 months! I push my flight back month by month, until two months had passed.

By the end of August, I find out that the ESL program in my academy had been closed due to budget cuts. Not allowing my fate to be decided for me, I applied to a school in Aix-en-Provence--Université de Paul Cézanne (also known as Université d'Aix Marseille III). About a week later, I find that I was accepted and given a small scholarship! Thrilled by this fact, I immediately applied for an ISIC (Interational Student Identification Card--discounts galore) and booked my flight for $500.

In keeping with french style, I threw myself a fancy farewell and birthday party. You all looked great by the way. I don't know if I've mentioned that enough times :-) I got smashed to avoid the stress of moving, said my goodbyes, and packed up though I had been packed since July!

Now, that it's the day of my flight...I can't sleep, I can't eat, I'm burning a fever...I'm finally freaking out!!! I so nonchalantly made these plans. I didn't really think about the people I would be leaving behind, until today. I guess I had comfort in the fact that I'd still have Facebook and Skype, but that's not the same. I walked into Billy Jack's today to drop off Ian's car keys--which he had kindly let me borrow all summer after I had wrecked my Tiburon. Soon after I walk in, Hannah gives me this great big hug that kind of strangled me in a loving way. I immediately burst into tears, shaking with sadness because she is one example of a great friend that I won't be seeing for a long time. Everyone is walking up to me, hugging me even though I think "hugs are for pussies", but today I needed it. Ian is the last to step up, the person that everyone in Jacktown affectionately knows as my brother. I lose it again but am comforted in his relaxed demeanor and stern confirmation that I'd be okay.

Dai and Mikey picked me up from Billy Jacks to go to the airport, I was still in tears as they pulled up and they chuckled as they saw me, a hardass, sniffling. We went to Chili's where Lauren was working. The hostess calls her on the headphone and she's immediately skipping out to the lobby. I wrap my arms around her and it's water works all over again. Lauren was a constant factor in my life and I shared a lot of good times with her this year. She's taken good care of me. I kind of died when I thought about who would keep me in line in France.

Halfway to DC, I had a nervous breakdown. Dai and Mikey tried to calm me down but I couldn't find any humor in their jokes with my blood pumping so hard, so I called Smokey. She catches me up on how to use my global phone and answers all of my questions to put my mind at ease. Smokey and I have been good friends for about 7 years so she knows all too well how to get me to relax. She knows that she has to be honest and blunt. I can't handle sugar-coating, it makes me worry more. I like to know what I'm up against.

45 minutes later...We arrive at Dulles...