Santons and Sushi

My last few days here have been fairly exciting.  I definitely like the four-day weekend concept.  I have so much freedom and so little stress (cue contented sigh).  On Thursday I went on a tour of Santons Fouque, a local santon factory.  Santons are little terracotta figurines that make up the traditional provençal crèche (nativity).  And these are no ordinary manger scenes.  In addition to Mary, Joseph, the wise men and the shepherds, it is necessary to have every member of provençal society present, including nuns, politicians, gypsies, Paul Cézanne, and countless others, even a man caught in le mistral, the previously discussed heinous north wind that torments Provence.  This particular santon is a specialty of the local factory.  Named, Coup de Mistral, it was first made in 1952 and is really the crowning glory of Santons Fouque.  All of the santons are formed and fired at the factory and then meticulously painted by hand.  Pretty much amazing.  I forgot my camera, but the website is HERE if you want to check it.

My homestay parents went out of town to go skiing this weekend which left Raquelle and I much to our own devices.  On saturday morning we went to the grand marché in town and bought some beautiful flowers and some fresh produce.  Most of the day passed pleasantly and without much todo.  But, we decided to go out for dinner since we had the night to ourselves.  We both love sushi and we are so close to the sea that we figured going out for sushi would be the perfect plan.  Suffice it to say, we were sorely mistaken...

Walk with me a while, and I will tell you a story. The story is called "Aix-ventures in Dining: Live and Learn"


Our story begins with Raquelle and me hanging out in the house on Saturday afternoon.  We had previously discussed going out to dinner since Yvonne and Jean-Pierre were out of town.  Raquelle, being of a proactive and go-getting disposition had done some research and suggested either sushi or traditional provençal dining.  She presented the options and I thought sushi would be nice.  Being in the habit of eating around 8, Raquelle and I decided that would be an appropriate time for a reservation.  Raquelle called the restaurant, Yamato, to procure said reservation and was told 9:30 is the earliest available time. Okay, a little later than planned, but not too awful.  

We set out from our house around 9:00 and arrive at Yamato at 9:25.  We are greeted by a woman in a kimono who is very uninterested in anything to do with us except hurriedly closing the door properly, which I apparently had not done.  (That is to say, I had closed the door, and she wanted it just slightly propped open, not so far open as to let in a draft but just enough so that the double doors were no longer in a straight line.) We are led by this cross woman to a table and are left alone for 15 minutes.  In that time, two other tables of guests are seated and given menus and drinks.  Eventually, the cross woman returns and asks us what we want to drink.  We would each like a glass of water.  We are given a giant glass bottle of Evian.  Hmm. Disconcerting.
Another ten minutes pass and not one of the bustling servers (not to mention the grouchy hostess) looks our way.  After taking the dinner order of a group who was seated after us, the hostess walks past our table. "Pardon," I say politely.  I am shushed by her as she walks quickly away. Another five minutes pass.  She walks by and I try to catch her eye and ask for menus.  She waves her hand at me as if to swat away a fly.  However, she does arrive soon after with menus. 
The prices were...high.  Unsure of what to expect in portions, we each decided to get a demi-order of the sushi assortment, and Raquelle gets a bowl of miso soup.  When the hostess comes to our table for our order, she explains to us in loud and highly-gestured French that there are but cinq, CINQ, (five fingers) CINQ pieces of sushi in the demi-order.  Are we sure we do not want the full order?  Yes, yes we are sure.  The price of this sushi just went from high to exorbitant; excuse us while we scrape our jaws off the floor.  After she left, we decide to buy fries from the Greek food-vendor on the way home.
The food arrives.  There are technically more than five pieces.  There are five pieces that are just rice with fish on top (tuna, shrimp, salmon, and two different kinds of white fish that are unfamiliar to me) accompanied by two small rolls and a sweet egg substance.  We eat quickly.  It is tasty and fresh.  After our...meal...we return to our former state of invisibility.  One server asks us if we would like dessert.  No, we would not. She leaves.  A few minutes later, another server comes by, he asks if we have finished.  Yes, we have.  Would you like dessert? No.  Coffee? No.  He clears our dishes.  A third server asks us if there is anything else we would like. No, really. As she walks away, I request the check and she seems genuinely surprised that we would not want to continue sitting in this restaurant forever, just talking to each other about the terrible service and waiting to be asked for the nineteenth time whether we want dessert because it's 6:00AM and green tea crème brulée makes an excellent breakfast.

Our total - for one bottle of Evian, one bowl of soup, and 10 pieces of sushi - came to just under 50 euro.  Ridiculous.  We stopped at a late night Greek food stand and each got a deliciously warm and salty order of fries for 2 euro each.  It was quite satisfying.  The night ended well with a large bowl of chocolat chaud and a private screening of Les Aristochats, which may just be the best thing that ever happened to an animated Disney film.

Day trip in Provence

On Sunday, we went on a trip around the provençal countryside.  Our first stop was in Île-sur-la-sorgue.  We walked around the market there for a few hours.  They seriously had everything from fresh fruits and vegetables to cheese and sausage to clothing and knick-knacks.  There was also an antique market that boasted such valuables as Budweiser glasses and and old Oklahoma license plate.  It was pretty awesome.  I was amazed at the colors and varieties of foods that were available.  From there we went to two small towns in the Lubéron valley, Roussillon and Gordes.

Olive selection at Île-sur-la-sorgue

Roussillon gets is name from the red color of the earth there.  There is much ferrous oxide left in the soil from millenia past.  But, the French (being oh so French as the are wont to do) have a more...dramatic theory concerning the soil.  Apparently a man's wife was having an affair, and he found out about it.  So, he killed his wife's lover and cooked him.  He served his wife her lover's heart for dinner and waited till she had eaten it to tell her what it was.  She was so distraught at the death of her lover and the thought of what she had just done that she threw herself out the window and down onto the hills and it was her blood that gave the earth it's red tint.
C'est une histoire très fraçais, non?

Me, at Roussillon

After that, we went to Gordes which has been declared one of the most beautiful places in France.  It is a small town built on a hill in the middle of the Lubéron.  It was essentially carved out of the mountain and is very secluded from the rest of the country.  The view was amazing. Ironically enough, there was no sun on Sunday, and the lack of natural light resulted in less than ideal photos.

Gordes, from afar

I started classes this week.  Thankfully, they are not as hard as I was expecting, so it looks like I will only have class on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.  (Aside to my friends in Europe this semester: expect a visit some weekend).  I am taking a history class, a poetry class, and a translation class.  Super excited!

In other news, there is currently a baby in the house.  Yvonne and Jean-Pierre's son and daughter-in-law went to the Lille-Marseille match in Marseille tonight and left their two-month-old daughter in here for the night.  Her name is Jeanne; she has a full head of think, dark brown hair and enormous black eyes. She is precious. Yvonne and Jean-Pierre are great with her.  She is their first grandchild and it is obvious that they just adore her.

Next weekend I am going to Paris with some other girls from the program, and the week after that I head to England to see all my friends in Nottingham! :)  The semester has just begun and I already feel as though it will not be long enough.

Moved in, Unpacked, Relaxed

This week has been very busy and it's nice to have the time to just relax for a while.  Thursday we went to a medieval castle/village called Château des Baux.  The Baux family were said to have been descended from Balthazar (one of the three wisemen).  It was definitely an amazing castle once upon a time, but now it is in ruins.  There are parts of it going back as far as the Roman Empire, and in the surrounding mountains there are signs of civilation going back to around 2000 B.C.  The village (photo above) was very quaint.  Many of the houses have now been turned into shops of various sorts, but I believe that there may still be people living in some of them as well.  Le mistral was pretty intense, but with all the climbing we were doing it was more refreshing than anything.

For lunch that day we went to the home of an old man named Lolo.  He is in his eighties and still making renovations to his house and farm.  Again, parts of the house have been around since the Roman Empire, and it has been in Lolo's family since the time of Louis XIV.  The deed was signed by the Sun King, and he still has it. HOW COOL IS THAT?!?!  Anyway, Lolo made us lunch.  It think it was somewhere between 5 and 7 courses. Aperetif, pâté, olive omelette, ratatouille, meat with green beans (we couldn't figure out if it was lamb or pork or both, but it was delicious, cheese, clementines.  All of it was wonderful and took about 2 hours to eat.  Afterwards we got to look at a Roman quarry on his property that is now an olive grove.  Fun fact: Lolo lives in St. Remy and his property is juxtaposed to the insane asylum that Van Gogh checked himself into after he cut off his ear.  It still functions as an asylum today.

We checked out the Aix nightlife on Thursday evening.  We had a good time.  French boys are not great dancers, but they are nice and quite entertaining.  We have been warned that smiling at and talking to French boys is dangerous, but they provide an opportunity for us to work on our language skills.  Apparently French girls are cold and unfriendly, but we Americans are having a difficult time fitting into that mol.  (Below is a photo of the city from my hotel balcony. The mountain in the background is called Mont Saint Victoire).

Yesterday I got my class placement.  Somehow I tested at the highest level (5), and I'm not really sure how that happened.  I know that I write well, but the person who tested my oral proficiency said I was at a level 3, so I think there is a disconnect in my placement.  If I stay at this level I will be able to have class only Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, which would be pretty cool.  But, I really think I need to be in a level that focuses more on perfecting my grammar than on course content.  We'll see how it goes for the first few days.

I finally moved into my homestay this morning, which was such a relief.  I was so sick of living out of my suitcases.  Yvonne is a wonderful cook.  I am so excited that I get to eat her meals every day for the next four months.  I will probably get fat.  I don't think the French paradox applies to Americans in France. :(   But, their house is wonderful, and it's nice to be back in a room of my own.

Bienvenue à Aix-en-Provence

After months of anticipation and a thankfully uneventful drive to O'Hare, I boarded my flight to Europe at long last. While standing in line to get on the plane, I recognized my study-abroad roommate, so we were able to chat a little on the plane and get to know each other. Her name is Raquelle and she is from Kentucky. She is great, and I think we are going to have an amazing semester. She moved into our homestay on Monday, but there is still a student from fall semester in my room, so I will move in saturday. I did go meet my homestay parents yesterday, and they are great. Mine and Raquelle's rooms are on the third floor and we each have a double bed and our own bathroom; plus, they have a pool. :) I can't wait to move in. Until then I am living in a hotel with four other girls who are in the same situation I am in. This situation definitely has its benefits. We have had a lot of freedom to explore the city, and we've spent a lot of time sharing stories and getting to know each other. It's nice that I have made so many connections with fellow students so early in the program.

Aix is a beautiful city. Parts of it date back as far as the Roman Empire. The city center is pretty confusing at first because none of the streets are on a grid. I have a tendency to be wandering aimlessly and suddenly happen upon a familiar part of town that I did not realize I was near. But, I think I'll have it figured out by the end of the week. I love it here. I've met several people who care here to study abroad and loved it so much that they just stayed...for like 30 years. That actually sounds really appealing right now.

We took our placement tests today, which were pretty low-key. We get our class schedules Friday and classes start Tuesday. Although I like having the time to just walk around the city, I am looking forward to having a set schedule. Tomorrow we are going on a tour of a medieval town, but Le mistral has been predicted for tomorrow. Le mistral is a brutal wind that occurs on occasion down here. And when I say brutal, I mean 60 mph winds. So excited. I might die. In the event that I don't, I will write again in a few days.