ces jours audacieux

There is no way to capture an experience fully but here I will try. Aix-en-Provence Fall 2014

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Ce n'est pas au revoir, c'est à plus Aix.

Today is it, day 106, my last day in Aix. I want to say I can't believe it's here already, but looking back at all I have done in the last 105 days I can believe it. But with the amount of time spent traveling to other countries, exploring Provence's beautiful cities, learning French through conversation and daily interactions, eating mind-blowing cuisine, and meeting friends from all over the world it makes sense how 106 days can fly by. 

I don't think I've fully realized the reality and impact of my study abroad experience yet. Nor should I, the lasting impact will become apparent over the weeks and months to come: the first time I realized the ease of speaking English in public places, the first time I'm overwhelmed by being able to understand all the conversations going on around me, and the next time I'm able to speak French with a native again. The reality is that I moved my life across the Atlantic for three and a half months and threw myself into a new culture and that reality ends tomorrow. But the impact that this experience has had on me will continue on for years and years to come. 

Of course being abroad has changed my perspective on other cultures, but has also allowed me to form a new view of the US and my hometowns (Chicago and Madison). I am excited to return to Chicago in January and take on my city as if I'm seeing it for the first time, take in all the art and culture I've ignored as an accustomed resident. I cannot wait to go to the Art Institute and admire what I've come to realize is one of the most impressive impressionist collections. I look forward to heading out to Humboldt Park and take in the Puerto Rican culture. Traveling has taught me to never be over-comfortable in my home city, to push myself to find new corners and cultures to explore. 

Being abroad has also fueled my desire to make learning French a life-long journey. I'm already researching ways that I can come back to France and work or teach. I've looked into French conversation groups in Chicago, so that my comprehension and fluency doesn't diminish. I also thought about trying to find a job or internship in a French-speaking institution (the Alliance Française or a french bakery). I don't think I'll be able to contain the excitement when I encounter the first person on the street speaking French. 

I am looking forward to going home and seeing my sister for the first time in 4 months, spending the holidays with my parents, and seeing friends, but I know that despite my excitement, after two weeks of being back in the states I will give anything to be back here in Aix, traveling on the weekends and hanging at cafés during the week. 

Ce n'est pas au revoir, c'est à plus tard Aix. 

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A day in Marseille. 

11/16/14

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A weekend in Paris. (parents included)

11/7-11/9

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Aix's Christmas Celebrations are in full swing. 

Top: Paul Cezzane enjoying the beautiful Christmas lights by the Rotonde Fountain.

Bottom: Aix's famous Santon Christmas market where you can buy Provencal santons which are small figures used as Christmas decorations. They either depict the nativity scene ("la creche" in French) or daily Provencal life. 

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The glorious stupidity that occurs when you're stuck between two languages.

There is this sort of glorious stupidity that emerges from being here in Aix, surrounded by native French and English speakers. I find myself in the midst of a conversation in English (on the phone with my parents or in person with an American friend) and I'm stumped for a full fifteen seconds or more, trying to search through the back of my brain to find the word I need to express what I'm attempting to say.

Sometimes I have the French word in my head and can't figure out how to translate it (see conversation with my mother: trying to translate "voie" into "train platform" took a good minute-long, roundabout description).

But, other times I only have the image of what I'm trying to say in my head and its a matter of ten or more seconds to find the word in either language.

It's not an issue of me being suddenly fluent in French (I've still got some work to do) and its not an issue a lack of use of English (fortunately and unfortunately I have plenty of American friends to speak English with). 

And of course, I am always stuck searching for French words that I know somewhere in the back of my head but take too long to find and I end up using adjectives, basic verbs, and similar nouns to try and go about explaining what I'm getting at. 

While I may come off as an idiot who has forgotten basic vocabulary (in either language) there is this sublime feeling that overcomes me that tells me that I'm learning. The struggle that occurs in these situations is a marker of improvement, I am somewhere in between two languages, native in one and on my way to fluent in another, and somewhere in there those wires get crossed resulting in a loss of words. 

So I'm adding to my list of things learned while abroad: the struggle is real (don't hate me over that awful line) and from that struggle emerges a glorious feeling of things accomplished with even more to come. 

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Local treats (from top to bottom): Ratatouille, baguette and chèvre (goat cheese), quiche lorraine, and pain au chocolat and café au lait. 

These are just a few of my favorite foods to eat here in Aix.  

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Vacances d'Automne Partie 3: Berlin

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Vacances d'Automne Partie 2: Amsterdam

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My favorite fountain in Aix, out of the hundreds that are sprinkled throughout the city. 

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Vacances d'Automne, Partie 1: Brussels

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A beautiful weekend in Zadar, Croatia. 

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This weekend my friend Allison and I traveled to Zadar, Croatia. On the last day of our trip we took a day excursion out of town to Plitvice National Park. Plitvice is a UNESCO protected world heritage sight and is a series of 16 beautiful lakes that cascade into each other. The water is so clear and blue you can see straight to the bottom of all of the lakes. These photos do not to the park justice in the least. But it was nice to finally get a taste of Fall here in Europe (ignore the fact that it was still warm enough to be in a tank top and shorts). 

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This is where I spent my weekend, Zadar, Croatia; personal photos to come. 

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Week two of cooking class. We made "Alouettes sans Têtes" (which literally translates to larks without heads). It's not actually bird though, we wrapped pork and a mixture of onion, garlic, and parsely in a thin cut of beef. Then we cooked them in a red sauce and put them on top of scalloped potatoes. 

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Provençal Cooking Class: Last Wednesday I had my first traditional provençal cooking class. The class is held at Genevieve's, a retired French woman's, house. This week we learned how to make Agneau ménagère (lamb) et ratatouille. Ratatouille is a very traditional dish in the south of France, it is a vegetable dish made with peppers, zucchini, eggplant, onions, and tomatoes cooked in olive oil.

The lamb in Provence is some of the best, the lambs spend part of the year up in the mountains eating herbs and therefore are known for their specific herby taste. We used the lamb's shoulder and were taught what to ask for at the boucherie (the butcher) and how to remove the fat. We then took chopped garlic and stuffed it into the muscle of the lamb to add some extra flavor. The lamb is then placed into a large pan surrounded by pommes de terres (potatoes), smothered in good Provençal olive oil, and whole cloves of garlic are put in amongst the potatoes. 

The ratatouille is simple to make if you follow Genevieve's seven rules: 

1. Wash all vegetables before you cut them. If you wash them after cutting them there will be too much moisture in the vegetable and when introduced to the hot pan they will boil instead of roasting. 

2. Cook all the vegetables separately. The five vegetables in ratatouille all cook at very different speeds so it is important to cook each type of vegetable in a different pan in order to avoid burning or undercooking any of the vegetables.

3. Cook all the vegetables quickly at a hot temperature except for the peppers. 

4. Speaking of peppers, always cook green peppers separate from the red, yellow, or orange peppers, they cook very differently. 

5. Always cook the tomatoes last. They require a lower cooking temperature and become too mushy if left waiting too long. 

6. Always put the vegetables in the pan first and then add the olive oil. If you add the olive oil first to the hot pan you risk burning it (as olive oil burns easily) and you will ruin all the vegetables. 

7. Lastly, but most importantly, olive oil, olive oil, olive oil! Don't be afraid to use tons of olive oil when making ratatouille. We ended up using 4/5ths of a standard sized olive oil bottle just for this meal. 

Thanks to Genevieve for an amazing and delicious first cooking class. We enjoyed her instruction and the company of her and her husband throughout our 3 and a half hour cooking class and traditional dinner (rosé, baguette, tarte, and all). Can't wait to see what we will be cooking next week.

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Journees du Patrimoine: Art and Culture for All

This weekend marked a special French "holiday". Les Journées du Patrimoine happens every year throughout France and cities open their museums and historic homes and landmarks to everyone for free. I spent all day wandering the streets of Aix finding open gardens, homes, and museums enjoying the French culture and beautiful sights. While I was absorbing the beauty of this city and its art and history I couldn't help but think how different the accessibility to art and culture is in the United States. 

France takes pride in its art and culture but they choose to share it with the public in a highly obtainable way. Museums here have lower entrance fees (in general) and offer a lot of free tickets for students. Historic monuments are not fenced up and do not require tickets to see. Parks and historic homes are frequently open for public viewing every day of the week. I love the unrestricted access to art here. I believe it keeps the French connected to their culture and history and allows visitors to enjoy and educate themselves easily without paying a mighty fee. 

In contrast, I believe the U.S. keeps a lot of its history and art behind closed doors that only certain people can afford to walk through. While there are free entrance days once a month or slightly reduced fees for students I think the U.S. could benefit from a huge shift in how we view our art and history. Often people attribute museums to school field trips and boring vacations, but what if more people started to see them as parts of our cities and a large part of our cultural and historical context. If we made museums more accessible I think Americans would begin to feel more connected to our culture and history.

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St. Tropez Saturday: Yesterday I went on an excursion with my director's friend George. He lead a group of us to St. Tropez and the beach at Cap Taillat. St. Tropez was a bit of a culture shock (even though it's only an hour from Aix); it attracts a lot of wealthy tourists who sail in on their yachts and shop high-end designers and eat at fancy restaurants. That being said, the views and the water are absolutely beautiful. After exploring St. Tropez we drove 20 more minutes to Cap Taillat and hiked for 20 minutes to the most beautiful beach I have ever been to (see photo above). I spent the rest of the day swimming in the clearest blue water and picnicking on the sand with friends. It was an amazing trip and I am more than thrilled that I can travel to places like this after a long week of classes.