La Premiere Jour

So I woke up on Saturday super early , 4 am because I got a Charlie horse in my left leg and I couldn't sleep. The time zone jet lag was causing havoc. I decided to hop online to talk to my people while I still had Internet access not knowing if my host would have it or not. Next thing I knew it was 6 and I was staying up to Skype Thad who was still at dinner with his work group for another half hour. I was tired I could tell but too excited and nervous to sleep. Finally I skyped and then took another nap until my alarm went off at 9:20.

Then I took another shower and got water all over the floor again. By then it was only a few minutes and breakfast arrived. I happily ate it though i wasn't hungry and then packed up my stuff and headed down to checkout. From there I took the shuttle to the airport to meet an IAU representative at 11. Only I didn't know where to meet them.

So after 10 minutes of walking around I decided they weren't there and that if they didn't arrive in half an hour that I was going to go and call them. But then while I was standing there an older lady on the phone saw me and came over and started telling me she was from the college and stuff and that Madame Raibaud (my host) was so sad that I didn't come stay with her for last night and that her son in law was going to come get me but that fell through so she was putting me on the bus to Aix and paying my ticket. She rushed me on and told me not to get off until I stopped twice paid my ticket and ran away.

So I sat on the bus while we drove out of Marseille looking like a total tourist as I took a bunch of pictures. But whatever. We stopped and I didn't get off. And then once we got to Aix I wasn't sure whether this was really my stop because I wanted to be totally sure.

 The driver said it was so I hopped out and saw an older woman and a little ginger boy holding a sign with my name! We got my stuff out of the bus and Madame insisted on carrying one of my bags. Ginger headed Paul tried to help but was discouraged that my duffel was heavy but was delighted to find that my suitcase with four wheels could be pushed around. Once he got tired of that Madame and I both pushed it around stopping to lift it out of little storm drains or holes in the ground. Madame pointed out budings to me as we walked about 15 minutes to her house. It was also really hot and my vocal cords were starting to act up from carrying this heavy suit case up hills.

Once we turned onto Rue novembre Paul ran ahead to a man that I learned was Jean-Claude who is Paul's dad and Madame's son in law. But not because I guess they aren't really married yet but they say they will be. He speaks some English so he started asking me how my trip was. We spoke English a bit and then Paul got mad so we switched back to French. Paul is probably like 7 or 8? They call him "Paul the Terrible" because he is a free spirit.

When we finished lugging my suitcase to the third floor (Paul, Jean-Claude and Madame's daughter live below us) Madame insisted that we eat. Which as really not high on my want to do list since my stomach already wasn't handling eating breakfast well. I begrudgingly said sure. We talked while she made lunch.

She asked me what I wanted to drink and I said whatever she had was fine. Then when she came and set the table she put a one liter bottle of absolute vodka on the table. And my bought was "ohhhh no this lady goes hard I do not want to do this." And then she says " it's water" and I felt so much better!!! But I was still apprehensive drinking it! :-)

She asked about what I like and don't like. Then made me lunch which was tomatoes and mozerella, salad; and an avocado. Not wanting to be rude I tried to eat it even though I a) wasn't hungry b) don't want to be picky but I really can't stomach tomatoes well at all. Avocados either but it is easier to chew those and not taste them than it is a tomato. So after trying to eat them and getting most of the avocado down I had two bites of tomato and my tag reflex kicked in and sold me out... I literally almost threw up... Which made me feel really bad because I was trying to be good about it. But she told me I didn't have to eat it so I didn't. I told her my stomach wasn't adjusting very well and I wasn't very hungry. She sort of understood. Then we went back into town and walked around. She showed me some buildings like the office de tourisme and the marie which is like the town courthouse. We also passed by a church that was super pretty and old looking and of course a lot of fountains.

We stopped at the monoprix which is like the only supermarket place in town, otherwise everything oh buy comes from a store that is specific to a type of product. There I bought soap and face wash, lotion, an adapter for euro plugs and toothpaste. We had to go to a pharmacy to get contact solution. After walking around we came back and I was so tired that I took a nap for 3 hours. Oops...

After that we had dinner which a was pasta with stuff in it. Really specific I know but I dunno what it was perhaps spinach stuff? Again I wasn't very hungry and she told me that if I didn't eat more I would come back skinny and my mother would say that I was never fed! After every meal she offers me fruit or cheese or something but I am always so full. But it is nice here.

After dinner we watched a really cool game show that I can only compare to the end part of Legends of the Hidden Temple but harder and one room at a time. The concept is that there is this big castle and the wizard has a treasure so you have to collect keys to unlock it by winning them doing all these crazy things in each room. It was really cool. And had no commercials for two hours! What! I wish American game who's were like that. Anyways at the end they won 18k € which all go to charity so it is pretty cool.

After that we went to bed and I figured out how to get Internet for my iPod. So now I have communication again! My room:

Flights and Hotels

 This whole time difference thing is really going to take some getting used to. I got excited when I got to London because then I would have some contact with people... Nope joke is on me no one is awake at 3am there... Oh well.

 The London airport was a little crazy. They have you get off and walk a long ways following some signs. Only they split the connecting flights and staying in the UK people. And then somehow you are following the connecting flights signs and come to a customs and you are like oh I probably have to do this. So you get in line only to discover (with the nice older couple in front of you) that that line is for people staying in the UK. Oh. What. How did that line end up with us then? And why does the connecting flight have an arrow pointing directly at this line/ customs thing? Oh. Because you have to walk another 50 yards and then turn right. Totally makes sense. Not! So then you do that and find out that line is for people connecting to Ireland or other UK places only. Oh. Thanks for the sign! Not. So I said bye to the couple as they were going to Ireland and went adventuring again. This time I found the right line which had like no people in it. Yay! So I went through security again and went on my jolly way. Get it because I was in England and everyone says Jolly there!?

 So something interesting I found about the London airport and maybe other European Airports (though I will have to see) is that they have all their flights listed but they don't tell you the gate number until it is time to board. So everyone ends up sitting in like the area where all the stores and restaurants are waiting to find out where to go. Which is a lot different than the American airports that I have been to where you sit at your gate and go to whatever food or shopping places that are near you. I suppose it gives those waiting for planes more food choices that are together which would be useful for families who's kids didn't want to all eat the same things. And I bet it encourages people to buy things in the stores, so I bet that is why people do it. 

 I also noticed that on European flights they like to feed you. On American flights that are relatively short i.e. two hours they tend to just give you like pretzels or a little snack bag. On my London to Marseille flight they gave me a whole sandwich wrap. What! That's crazy to me! I think it may be part of the European hospitality stuff. America is always trying to get money for stuff... Which is why they want you to buy a tiny sandwich or salad for ten dollars (which I did not). 

My arrival to France was kind of awesome. My seat number and letter actually matched our gate number which makes me think it is a sign! We flew right over the Mediterranean Sea which was super fun too. I am arriving a day earlier than my program wanted because it was considerably cheaper for flights,  so there wasn't anyone to meet me at the airport. Instead I had to find a courtesy phone to call a bus from the hotel. Which I found easily enough. But no one answered three times it just beeped a lot like a busy sound but then sped up suddenly. So I tried 4 times then decided I would go wait for it... But then I didn't know exactly WHERE to go! So I went outside and stood under the sign that had all the hotel names on it and waited. Sure enough I flagged down the shuttle and was on my way! Checking into the hotel was no problem but plugging in my laptop to Skype my family was! The converter I have doesn't work in the plugs they have at the hotel because their sockets are round and my converter is square. But luckily this happens a lot and the front desk had a spare they let me borrow :-) So I am happy to say that I am here, safe, and excited to meet my host family tomorrow!

Sorry the video was so long! I haven't talked to anyone in too long and I tended to ramble I noticed...

Also I just tried getting room service to get a side of fries and he asked me how i like my meat. No idea what I'm getting so this will be an adventure! also a small bowl of banana split ice cream.

OOOOOOOPPPPPPPSSSSSSSEEEEYYYYY.....

That's a lot more.... oops... We will just pretend this didn't happen... This will not be a regular occurrence! But oh well :-)

Night before the Flight

Look! I made a video! I am so talented! Play it in full screen or on youtube by clicking the youtube button on the video. or full screen by clicking the far right corner with the outline.

But yeah packing is done! Woo hoo!

Now I just have to leave!

Letter to Host

So recently (about a week ago) I sent a letter to the woman that I am going to be staying with explaining who I am and where I come from. I did this so that she could get to know me a little buit before I showed up at her house and also so that I could get to know her. If she emailed me back... Which hasn't happened unfortunately. So naturally I wrote it in French. Knowing that few of you followers out there can actually speak French I thought I should probably translate it for you. But naturally I don't want to write the whole thing out AGAIN. So let's play a fun game! It is called laughing at translators!  

FUN FACT: When you write in a foreign language it is a TERRIBLE idea to write what you want to say in English and then translate it into French. Language doesn't work that way. It would be the equivalent of trying to take Shakespeare and put it into words that a 3 year old would understand. It just doesn't keep the same fluidity and meaning. But this is what translators are made to do. At least on the internet. And because many words can translate as other words or tenses in a translator, bad things will happen. As you will soon see!

The following is the French version of the letter put onto my blog. I then used the translate feature located on the right toolbar and put it into English. Below is the copied result:

Madame Raibaud,

My name is Kacy and I am the woman who will live with you this fall. I am twenty years old and I'm American. I live in Oregon and that on the north-west coast of the country. I am from St.Helens which is a small city with nearly twelve thousand people. My parents live there now. Unlike many others my parents are not divorced. My father is a nurse and my mother is a Spanish teacher. I also have a brother who is three years older than me who got married in July this year.  His new wife and I are very close and she is really like a sister. I have a boyfriend who also takes courses at another university in Oregon and we are the same age. Now I live with three roommates closer to the university where I'm taking classes. This may be a two-hour drive from my parents' house. My family has two dogs, two cats, and also goldfish.

My major is English literature and my minor in French language at that time. But I think maybe I'll change my major to French. I started studying French in high school and I took classes for four years there. Then I took two years of French classes at the university. I chose to study French and not Spanish because I think my mother corrected me all the time if I spoke Spanish.

I chose to go to Aix-en-Provence because I want to speak better French. I know that my French is not very good but I hope I can speak better after this semester. As I come from a small town I wanted to study in a city that is less than great. Sometimes when I'm surrounded by a lot of people I'm stressed so I chose a place with less people.

I play the flute for a set at university and I played for about ten years. I'm not very good because I do not practice much. I like to read more books recently I read the first two volumes of the series by George RR Martin called "Game of Thrones." This is a series of fiction with kings and dragons. It is very popular in the United States now. I likes to take pictures but it is not an activity that I often do. When I took courses in high school I do lights for theater and dance concerts. This is something that I like. I do that when I have the temple. So I have a great desire to go to Lyon for the Festival of Lights in December if possible.

I'm allergic to pollen but it is not very large. I'm not allergic to foods I know. But when I eat eggs sometimes I'm sick. So I do not eat eggs very often, but only I can. I love strawberries very much and my mother gave me the name "Queen of strawberries." But it is not serious. I must say that I sound a little weird sometimes every day. I have vocal cord dysfunction and this is when the vocal cords almost closes completely when I do a lot of exercises or walking on the slopes. When it happens, it's hard for me to breathe. But I know when it will start and I can stop walking or some things like that. This is not something that frequently happens but it is something you want to know. This noise is a small indirect effect that happens all the time. The noise sounds like a bird or a dog that is very fast and strong. This is similar hiccups but only one or two at once.

I think I get along well with others. Sometimes it's hard for me to find good words for my feelings. I am very shy when I meet people for the first time too. But I want to know new people. So I do not stop trying to do something. I think I'm going to miss my family because we are so close but there is Skype, yes?

Thank you for allowing me to stay home. I hope we be good friends. And if you have time is that it is possible to give me some information from you? Are you married or have children? What do you do? What activities are you interested in? Do you have other students before me? And is that there is something that you think I have that I do not think so?

Thank you a thousand times and waiting to meet you.

Sincerely,

Kacy M Helwig

Also, I have attached a picture of me for you.

See? Wasn't that just weird and silly sounding!? It is much better in French believe me! But that my friends is why you do NOT use online translators!

Pre-Departure

So as part of going abroad with Western I have to post to a separate blog each week. I think it makes sense for the class that I do this but I can't help but find it a bit annoying that I have to post each week to a separate blog and then make comments on other students posts that are in totally different countries than I am. It seems a bit stupid to me... But the most annoying part is that each week I have to meet certain grading criteria. What? I thought this was supposed to be about my experience and I am supposed to write about it. But no I have to meet criteria... Okay grumbling over. So each week if a post seems a but repetitive or odd it is because I just copied it over from the other blog. But it will be all the same information, or with more on this blog. :-)

I'm getting ready to leave for my term abroad on Thursday this week, and I have to say that I can't help but be nervous. I have heard a lot of things about the French that both are exciting to me and a little scary.

I am very nervous to leave because I have fears that my fluency level is not high enough to really be able to express myself in French. I know that many people at my college will be able to speak English but I am scared of not being able to articulate myself. I know that this is a normal fear for most foreign language students but I can't help but feel a bit nervous. I'm excited to be going to a less touristy part of France to do my semester. Aix is much smaller than Paris and I think that because of that I will be more accepted as a foreigner than I might be in a larger city like Paris or Lyon. I hope that because it is a bit more remote that I will be able to assimilate faster and easier into the culture. 

One of the things I am most excited about is the open markets that happen during certain days of the week. These markets sound to be a great way to get fresh and local produce from farmers in the area. I really enjoy supporting those that produce things close to where I live in Oregon, and I am excited to be able to do the same in France. In addition to food, there are also flower markets. I hope that I will be arriving in a time that flowers will still be around and in season. I think that going to a French flower market would be really beautiful and I would love to be able to experience the smells of all the flowers and to see all the colors together.

I have also heard that the French drink a lot of wine and mineral water. I am not a very big fan of either, but I would like to be able to go there and experience them as any French person would. While I am not twenty-one yet, alcohol is not illegal for me in France. I have heard that because of this when a lot of students go abroad they have a tendency to go crazy and drink a lot. I really don't want to follow suit in this. While I think that I will indulge in wine at dinner or the like as with the normal French customs I don't want to be drinking all the time nor do I want that to be the goal of my trip. I hope to enjoy the customs and culture as it is.

It is to my understanding that most drinks don't come with ice in Europe. I know for some of my friends that use ice constantly in their drinks this would be a problem. But I don't usually tend to put ice in my beverages. So I think that I will be okay with this custom. 

As far as getting ready to leave I haven't started packing yet. I leave in four days and mostly I have just been making piles of things that I think I want to bring which I am sure will be twice as much as what I really will bring. I have been buying a few last minute things recently. I went on a mission to find a boring black purse that will be boring enough to not tempt anyone to mug me.  I think I have a small fear of that happening. Today a friend of mine bought me luggage tags as a going away gift. I still feel like there are so many things that I have to get done even though my to do list is dwindling. 

The past few days I have been almost apathetic about leaving. I haven't been excited or nervous but rather "whatever" about the whole thing. It hasn't been until today when I started cleaning and putting some personal things in boxes in my bedroom that I am beginning to feel sad to leave my friends and family. I had a small party with my friends last night as a way to see everyone before going away. It was hard to say goodbye to them and also many of my family members the last couple days. I know that I have a lot of support to leave but it doesn't make it any easier to know that I won't see them for quite a while.

I am also nervous that I haven't gotten any information about my host family other than their address and an email. I sent them a letter about myself a week ago and haven't gotten a response back yet. I was hoping to know if I was staying with a family with brothers and sisters or just the single woman whose name I was given. So it has been a little disheartening to wake up every morning to check my email and find nothing... I know it will not be a big deal once I am there but I think I would feel better if I knew a little bit more about the situation I was walking flying into. 

I am happy to be going and I don't want to make it sound like I am not excited, but I can't say that I am not going to be sad to leave my family and friends. It does help to know that I have support for this trip, and that if I need anything there are people I could Skype call. 

Overall, I have some last minute things to do... like pack. But I know that when the time comes to get on the plane on Thursday I will be ready and excited to start my life changing experience!

Location location location!

I just got an email that told me where I will be living! I got the address and name of the WOMAN that I will be living with. SO that is like WOW! Now I need to write a good letter. But I did what I' sure everyone else did and Google Earthed where it is! AND WOW AM I CLOSE!!!!

See look at that! That is like 5 minutes away! WOW! How lucky am I! I wonder if because I mentioned my vocal cord thing that reacts to exercise if they moved me close by. But I am A OKAY with that! The email said most people are 15-35 minutes away. Not me! I am a lucky duck!

My address is going to be:

3 rue du 11 Novembre
13100 Aix en Provence

But DON'T send anything there until at least after I leave. That would be super awkward for my family. But the funny thing is that the name of the street is roughly #3 street of the 11ths of November. Interesting? I think so! Maybe there is a story there! I am really excited now!!!! Ahhh!!! Hopefully I can find someone to proof read a letter for me so that it isn't full of crappy grammar things! Ahhh!!!! So happy!!!!

Bye Fish!

It has been a bit since I last posted... The reason being that I have sort of been busy/ too nervous to really be wanting to say anything. I had to get rid of my fish last week... This was a bit sad. I have had fish for 2 1/2 years now so it has definitely been bitter sweet. Every time I pass by a Petco I think, “Oh I should get a few more fish!” Nope... But they went to my friend Sam who is apparently going to use them in fish races at a bar in Portland? I guess they will be having fun! But she has had fish before so I decided they would be safe with her :-)

I just got back from our group trip to Disneyland so I haven't had France on the mind to much... But now I have no more distractions before I leave. I should be getting my housing assignment here soon. They say that they send them out two weeks before the program starts. Whether that is two weeks BEFORE the early program or not? I don’t know. But I hope I have the chance to at least send an email of introduction or something… Or vice versa. :-/

I’m going to be concentrating more on my trip now so stay tuned!