Another beautiful day in the South of France...
Unfortunately, another bout of financial issues have left me playing in Aix today, with some stolen bread, nutella, and fruit to live off of. Eh, I'm still in France, it's hard to feel too depressed. Besides, it'll give me a chance to upload the ton of pictures I have.
Anyway, so the original plan for yesterday was to head back to Cassis, which was the beach town that I fell completely in love with last week. However, the direct bus line between Aix and Cassis doesn't start until "summer' (which despite the whole solstice thing and the >85 degree days, doesn't really start until July 4 here. Hmmm.) Anyway, after a brief pow-wow with the 3 others I was adventuring with, we decided to head to the beach in Marseille instead.
Ok, so I have been DYING to go to Marseille since I was in high school. Being there was... wow. Another dream come true. The town was so cool, and the beach we found was perfect. I spent a wonderful afternoon soaking up the sun, playing in the Mediterranean, and talking to Ann, Mary, and Erin, the other teachers I was with. They were from Milwaukee, Milwaukee, and St. Paul, respectively. It's been fun to pick the brains of other teachers while I'm here, for sure, and to see them as regular people out having fun.
Then, after our Marseillaise adventure, I came back and went out to dinner with Shannon and two of the other teachers from our ISE group, Kim and Nikki, who are from Athens, Ohio. It was Nikki's birthday yesterday, so we celebrated that. It was also La Fete du St. Jean, so we ran in to some celebrations of that, including what looked like a dance in the street, and then a giant bonfire in the Centre Ville and live traditional music. Definitely cool.
We realized at breakfast this morning that we have hit the halfway point of our France adventure. We left a week ago, and we go back in a week. I think I'm going to be very, very sad to leave France. I love it here so much, and now I am really, really disappointed that a chance for me to do a study abroad never came up. Between seeing this place, and hearing all the stories from Shannon and the other profs, I realize now how much I really missed out on. But, then again, I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. There's a reason one never came up for me, and while I may not understand now, I will eventually.
In fact, right now I'm seeing how life can sometimes balance itself out. Take for example, last fall and the early part of last semester. Massive problems that almost resulted in the end of your engagement? Here, have a once-in-a-lifetime teaching experience and gain an amazing mentor! Have a huge falling out with people you thought were becoming your best friends? Here, have a trip to France! The balance is really kind of cool once you start to see it...
Anyway, that's enough jet-lagged rambling for now. Amusez-vous bien, mes amis!
Anyway, so the original plan for yesterday was to head back to Cassis, which was the beach town that I fell completely in love with last week. However, the direct bus line between Aix and Cassis doesn't start until "summer' (which despite the whole solstice thing and the >85 degree days, doesn't really start until July 4 here. Hmmm.) Anyway, after a brief pow-wow with the 3 others I was adventuring with, we decided to head to the beach in Marseille instead.
Ok, so I have been DYING to go to Marseille since I was in high school. Being there was... wow. Another dream come true. The town was so cool, and the beach we found was perfect. I spent a wonderful afternoon soaking up the sun, playing in the Mediterranean, and talking to Ann, Mary, and Erin, the other teachers I was with. They were from Milwaukee, Milwaukee, and St. Paul, respectively. It's been fun to pick the brains of other teachers while I'm here, for sure, and to see them as regular people out having fun.
Then, after our Marseillaise adventure, I came back and went out to dinner with Shannon and two of the other teachers from our ISE group, Kim and Nikki, who are from Athens, Ohio. It was Nikki's birthday yesterday, so we celebrated that. It was also La Fete du St. Jean, so we ran in to some celebrations of that, including what looked like a dance in the street, and then a giant bonfire in the Centre Ville and live traditional music. Definitely cool.
We realized at breakfast this morning that we have hit the halfway point of our France adventure. We left a week ago, and we go back in a week. I think I'm going to be very, very sad to leave France. I love it here so much, and now I am really, really disappointed that a chance for me to do a study abroad never came up. Between seeing this place, and hearing all the stories from Shannon and the other profs, I realize now how much I really missed out on. But, then again, I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. There's a reason one never came up for me, and while I may not understand now, I will eventually.
In fact, right now I'm seeing how life can sometimes balance itself out. Take for example, last fall and the early part of last semester. Massive problems that almost resulted in the end of your engagement? Here, have a once-in-a-lifetime teaching experience and gain an amazing mentor! Have a huge falling out with people you thought were becoming your best friends? Here, have a trip to France! The balance is really kind of cool once you start to see it...
Anyway, that's enough jet-lagged rambling for now. Amusez-vous bien, mes amis!