"There's Nothing We Can't Sell You..." (Sheryl Crow)

Mme took me shopping with her this afternoon so I could see the big stores outside Aix. I thought the French didn't do superstores - boy was I wrong! Carrefour is HUGE. Think Meijer, Wal-Mart, Target - whatevever your preferred superstore is... only bigger, like half of a mall big. The grocery store section takes up half the store and it's bigger than the Signature Kroger I go to in Houston. I didn't ever make it through the whole store. In fact, I felt badly that I didn't find the international foods section because that was the whole reason Mme took me. (We had split up and agreed to meet an hour later.)

The whole thing made me realize what a large role advertising plays in my life - more than I was ever aware of or would like to acknowledge. I walked by the toiletries and it occurred to me that I would need to buy more face wash one of these days. And suddenly, I was faced with 20+ brands and no quick way to discriminate among them. So I thought about how I choose in the States and it hit me that I go for price and whatever I saw the most recent ad for. Whoa. Do I honestly think that my skin will look just like the model's if I use her product? No. But if I think it works for someone else, be it a friend or a model, I'm more likely to buy the product. And there's certainly something to be said for name recognition. AHH! The marketers are winning! So how would I choose here? Well, first of all, it would take a lot longer. But it would probably be based on price, brand recognition and the presence of instructions/ingredients in English. I guess you never really know if you're getting the best product for you until you try anyway.

Site Update

Added a Map of Aix to the Around Aix section with important locations marked.

QAF - Questions About France (Answered)

I can't really call them FAQ, because it's really just questions that have been asked by one or two people, but they're generic questions so I figure it's worth posting the answers here.

Q: How's the weather?
A: Most days it's pretty gray, but warmer than Chicago/Ann Arbor so I can't really complain! If it's gray, it's humid - though not too bad. It's rained lightly quite a few times. Temperatures feel like the mid 40's - 50's according to my own estimation. We do get the occasional windy day, but I haven't experienced the infamous Mistral yet. Sunny days, though rare so far, are gorgeous here...

Q: What is homework like for your classes?
A: Homework thus far is laughable. The way French classes are run, you don't have graded homework assignments like you do in the States. In French universities, students have a midterm and a final in each class (that's it!) and it's up to them to keep up in class. My professors seem to have expanded on that a bit.

History of France: He didn't give us a syllabus so I can't really remember. I think it's two oral presentations and a final. Homework thus far is to read or watch French news regularly - in particular to keep up with the French politics.

History of Provence: two oral presentations, three quizzes, and a final. Homework involves reading assignments of 2-5 pages from our textbook.

Phonetics: two oral presentations, two quizzes and a final. Homework involves weekly transcriptions from written French into the phonetic alphabet.

Studio Art: midterm and final critique of work done in and outside of class. We're expected to spend 3-6 hours a week sketching outside of class... yeah, we'll see if that happens.

Q: What do you do for lunch?
A: Some days I buy lunch from the street vendors. (Getting it at a sit-down cafe would cost at least 9 euro.) When I buy lunch I generally get a slice of pizza (1.70 euro) or a cheese sandwich (3.20 euro). Maybe one of these days I'll get adventurous and go to Subway (yes, that Subway) or Crepes-A-Go-Go for one of their lunch crepes. When I take lunch with me it's protein bars (like Balance bars from home or the odd French brand, Gerlinea) and a piece of fruit. Next week, I'll probably buy a loaf of whole wheat sandwich bread and start taking various types of peanut butter sandwiches (PB&J, PB&Banana, etc.). Thanks to Mom for sending me the Jif!!! Now I don't have to try the light-colored, sketchy stuff they sell here... :o )

Q: Do you have a car?
A: No - there's really no reason to with the quality of public transportation here. I only live 20 minutes away (on foot) from the building where most of my classes are anyway so I walk most places. The French are kind of crazy drivers too and in the old town (which is really the city centre here), people will just park at the end of a street. I've seen people sitting there for 2-3 minutes honking at the car in front of them, not realizing it's parked and there's no one in it.

Q: Do you live in the city?
A: Sort of. I live in Aix according to my address, but I'm really close to the northern boundary of the city. I live in a very residential area so I have a good 20 minute walk to school. Since school is on the north end of town (in the oldest part of Aix), it's another 10 minute walk from there to the decent-sized grocery store, Monoprix... think about one fifth the size of your typical Kroger. Anything resembling an American grocery store requires a bus ride to another side of town. My host mom tells me she actually drives to a smaller town nearby to do her shopping because she hates the crowds in Aix.

Q: What is Petanque?
A: Petanque is a game much like bocci ball, but with metal balls. Does that help or do you want more explanation?

Q: How can I look French?
A: Follow these simple instructions for 20-something women. (Disclaimer: I can't make you look French, but if you follow these, you'll look pretty French to me!)
1. Get your hair somewhat long.. no super-short cuts, anyway, though there are always exceptions to the rule.
2. Get a layered/styled haircut and consider a few bangs or shorter pieces in front.
3. Dry your hair every day and part it on the side or pull it back very loosely.
4. Wear dark jeans or black pants - nothing too loose or baggy.
5. Wear a short skirt over the pants, if that's your style.
6. Wear a dark-colored turtleneck sweater with a funky collar or a zipper in front (but off-center).
7. When going out, wear a long, black wool winter coat - peacoat style, but longer.
8. This is perhaps the most important step to looking French - get a dark-colored scarf. The scarf is the accessory to have right now.
a. Fold the scarf in half end-to-end.
b. Wrap folded scarf around neck from back to front.
c. Put two ends on one side through the folded loop on the other side.
9. Wear the most comfortable (yeah, right), high leather boots with heels and pointy toes that you can find - in shoes, any color goes.
10. Don't forget the makeup and large, silver hoop earrings if your ears are pierced!

You're ready to go - just remember to always have a least one major piece of clothing be black.

Far Removed

Can you tell I'm bored since I'm home alone today? Ethan's been telling me about some of the news back home and things going on at work. I feel so far removed from NASA without any technical people here, even, to talk to. It will be odd to go back after eight months to a place where life will have gone on as usual and I'll be expecting it to be right where I left it because I won't really know any different. As far as other news - I catch glimpses of presidential candidates during the news sometimes at dinner. Otherwise, I'm not really aware of what's going on at home. I wasn't in the habit of reading/watching the news at home all the time so I haven't done it here either - though it would certainly be easy to check CNN or Google news every day. Last night, Ethan was telling me about the Janet Jackson Superbowl thing and all I could think was "How stupid". On so many levels - that stars go to extremes to get attention, that we give it to them, that we're so hung up on not showing any part of the body on TV... (The French have no problem showing half-naked women on tv... a topless woman drinking or eating a certain product in a commercial always makes for better sales, right?) And then I was thinking, "Thank God the French haven't gotten a hold of this craziness - I wonder what they would think if stuff like this was all they saw about Americans on the news."

And then, just now while I was typing this, with one of those crazy interview shows on in the background, they did a segment about it - the Janet Jackson thing. Oy vay.

Little Differences - Showers and Legalities

I finally took a bath figuring the steam might help my congestion. Standing under a hot shower isn't an option here. There's nowhere to hang the shower head - you have to hold it the whole time. Quite frankly, it sucks if you're used to washing your hair with two hands. On top of that, you really have to have good aim with the water, because there's no shower curtain. And, for the grand finale, there's a mirror right across from the shower. (I've talked to a number of other students who said they have the same setup here...) Do the French just like to watch themselves in the shower? Anyway, it all results in showers being a somewhat dreaded, and cold, experience. However, if they got the shower wrong, they got the bath right. The tub is incredibly deep and long - and there must be less surface area on top because it doesn't cool off nearly as quickly as the bath at home. I attribute all of this not as much to the tub itself, but to the emergency drain - that convenient little hole under the faucet that keeps the whole thing from overflowing. Now, I'm all for not having water all over the bathroom floor if I somehow manage to tune out the very loud sound of the running water and lose track of time in some other task. However, I'm convinced that tub manufacturers are putting those things lower and lower in the States, because they're afraid of letting the bath be too deep - oh no, we might not realize we've put in too much water and accidentally go under! Apparently the French aren't as concerned about possible lawsuits from people getting their hair wet because I'm actually able to take a bath that covers my knees here. It's fabulous.

Actually, as we all know, Americans are far more lawsuit-prone than other people so it's been a nice break not to be reminded that I need to be careful because the hot coffee I ordered is really hot. In fact, I've only seen two types of legal warnings here. The first makes sense to me - warning labels on food that inform people with allergies that said food was manufactured in a plant with or may contain nuts, eggs, soy, etc. The second is along those lines, but almost more stupid than the Americans. Of course, it was on a MacDonald's coupon so maybe that makes it American but anyway... on a coupon for a free sundae, it says, "Dessert lacté à base de lait." Dairy dessert based in milk. Well, yes, dairy desserts are based in milk. And quite frankly, the French don't do fake food so if it's a dessert that resembles ice cream in any way - you can be sure it has milk in it. Am I missing something here? Was there a point to telling me that a Sundae is a dairy dessert that is actually dairy?

At Home - Sick...

I'm at home sick today with a cold. Mme called a little while ago to check on me - I had told her last night I might stay home today. She was very concerned. Did I have a fever? Did I need to go to the doctor - there's a clinic right around the corner. Did she need to come home at lunchtime to check on me? Could I make it tonight if she wasn't home?

No, no, I don't have a fever - it's not that serious. I just don't have the energy to run all over town today in the cold with a stuffy head. It's nice to know someone here is watching out for me. Sometimes you just need a day off to stop worrying about everything. I really want to get out my guitar today, but haven't had the energy yet. I've been watching tv for about an hour at a time and then have to go lie down for awhile. It's been worth it for the commercials though...

There's one that reminds me of that Citibank commercial for identity theft protection - the one where the people don't match the voices. The one here shows a lot of different adults going through their hectic days singing "We Will Rock You" with little kids' voices. It's a commercial for evian - drink evian every day - keeps you feeling young and strong.

The other one showed an American man in a suit and tie standing behind a podium with something resembling the seal of an American government office. It was set up as if it was a news conference so he speaks in English and a voice translates... "It turns out, the nuclear weapons were, in fact, [holds up a picture] grain silos." Are you ready for new glasses?

hahaha!

At the Table - French Reality TV

As we were finishing dinner, a French reality show came on where two families trade moms for a week. The moms don't know where they're going until after they get in the car and drive away from their respective families. They switched a chic, black Parisian mom of two little girls (4 and 6, maybe?) with a caucasian, 33-year old woman with two teenage sons and a 71-year old husband in the country. oh boy....

The country-mom had never been to Paris, never interacted with blacks, never taken care of little girls. She was completely insecure and did everything for her family. She said the most important thing in her life was that everyone in her family be happy in her company. She did all the housecleaning and got up every morning at 6 to make breakfast and prep for lunch. She worked at a factory making garage doors during the day while her husband stayed home and watched TV, coming home at noon to give lunch to everyone.

The Parisian mom had never been to the country and had no problem telling "the old man" as she called him, what she thought of the shitty life of his real wife "who works like a man then comes home to work like an old-fashioned wife". In the Parisian family, everyone shared the cooking and cleaning responsibilities.

The country-mom was crying every time they showed her during the first few days. First when she left her family, and then when the husband cooked dinner instead of her, and then about how she forgot the family and should've been up to take care of them when she was woken up the next morning with breakfast. But she was having the time of her life when she got to take the girls sightseeing in Paris and get them ready for a photo shoot (they're fashion models for stuff like Gap Kids). The poor husband was going nuts as he realized that his girls were forgetting all the rules of the house (like wash your hands as soon as you come in, take your shoes off, etc.) because the country-mom had no authority whatsoever with kids. (According to her, you should never use an authoritative tone with a child because you might scare them.)

The Parisian mom was laughing it off the first couple days talking about how everything was dirty and everything smelled. Then when she realized she had to do everything for the family with no thanks - she was pissed.

I still don't know the point of the whole thing for the participants - is it just for fun or do they get something in return? I didn't have the patience to stay to the end... maybe that should be a goal of mine - to be able to sit through an entire French TV show.

Thoughts After Two Weeks...

-Why is it cheaper to buy snacks/coffee from vending machines than at the corner store?

-Why can't we have old sections of town in the U.S. where everyone walks in the streets and makes drivers wait for them to move?

-Why are CD's so damn expensive here? (18-20 euro is the average price for a French or import CD.)

-Can someone please teach the French the meaning of efficiency? Everything takes way too long to do here and the bus is never on time.

-Why do they put the fries IN the sandwich?

-Since when is the definition of a salad 'just lettuce'? I mean, I know the word for lettuce is salade - but who just eats lettuce?

-If half-creamed milk tastes like whole, I don't want to drink the creamed milk.

-I miss the way ribbed sweaters shrink back to the right shape in the dryer and everything comes out soft and pliable instead of stiff and bent in half.

-Why don't we have more kinds of cheese in the US? Some of these are really good!

-Why is the phone system here so far behind? Each local call costs money and it costs more to call a cell phone than a landline. What gives?

-Why is it cheaper to get a glass of wine than a Coke at the bar?

-Why does a glass of wine at the bar cost just as much as a bottle at the store? (You can get a decent bottle for 2-3 euro or less at the grocery store...)

-How on earth did my host mom memorize so many great vegetarian recipes?

-Why does everyone in France (that I know of anyway) eat dinner at 8 pm?

-How did I forget to record the Maroon5 album to my computer?

Site Update...

Added photos from St. Paul de Vence and Antibes to Travels section.

Site Update...

Added photos from Nice and Eze to the Travels page. I'll add more from St. Paul de Vence and Antibes tomorrow.

Travels - St. Paul de Vence and Antibes

We woke up this morning to find a view of the Mediterranean in front of our room. (It was dark when we arrived last night.) After a quick breakfast, we drove by Monaco and then on to Saint Paul de Vence. I ended up with two hours to wander around the town since I didn't go to the nearby modern art museum. Half the shops were open - most are artisan shops, either painters or jewelers with some unbelievable artwork. I loved just looking at all the different paintings. If they had had prints or postcards, I probably would've run out of cash. There was also a chocolatier shop advertising the day's selection of hot chocolate as plain, chocolate with cardamom and chocolate with violets. I knew it was Mimi's (my aunt) type of shop so I went it to look around. They had some of the most incredible looking jars of jams and sauces - all with chocolate, of course. They also had a selection of 32 chocolates to choose from, identified by a letter or character. Things like black chocolate with Provencal thyme, milk chocolate with Earl Grey tips or black chocolate with almonds praline and black olives. I got a few to try later - one with violet, one with lavender, and one with nutmeg, cinnamon, Bourbon vanilla and lemon peel - should be interesting! Saint Paul de Vence was, by far, my favorite part of the trip. After everyone else went to the modern art museum, I got to spend awhile just wandering around by myself taking pictures. It's such a beautiful town with only one entrance through the medieval wall, narrow streets, a couple little dogs running around, men playing Petanque just outside the wall - in other words, perfectly picturesque, historic France. Fabulous - my new camera and I bonded quite well.

After St. Paul de Vence, we all went to Antibes. Antibes was beautiful as well - clearly a town with a lot of money judging from all the boats in the harbor and all the people out sailing. We ate lunch on the beach and spent time just sitting on the rocks overlooking the water. It's such a striking contrast to see people sailing in front of Mediterranean beach towns with the snowy Alps rising up behind them. I definitely need to explore more of this region. We spent a little time walking around before we had to catch the bus again. I went in a small art gallery where I saw the most amazing abstract oil paintings done by a woman named Nash. She travels all over the globe, creating her paintings that are inspired by what she sees in nature. Her colors are so vibrant, I could stare at those all day. Unfortunately, the gallery owner told me she doesn't have a website since she spends all her time painting, but I'll see if I can find any articles.

The bus ride home was uneventful. It dropped us off in the middle of Aix and since there are no buses on Sundays, we walked the 45 minutes home. After all the walking this weekend, I'll sleep well tonight.