Host Family, Orientation, and more

I'm thinking this is going to be a long one--surprise!

So I got to the airport in Marseilles and was greeted my Yamina, in charge of housing, French, freaking amazing and everybody loves her, and Dr. Jacqueline Chanda--the Dean...definitely didn't know that at the time. Glad I didn't know that. Half of us left to take the bus to Aix (20-30 minutes away), and the rest of us stayed b/c our families could drive--wahoo! met some people who have the same history class from 6:30-8pm, we grieved together.

Host father showed up, Olivier Jeulin, and shook my hand like an American. He carried all of my bags for me (HUGE rolling duffle and little duffle that I filled as much as I could), despite protests, and we spoke English out to the parking lot. Where he then found out I could speak French...for the past nine years haha It was a slightly awkward car ride, as you can imagine, just me and him for 25 minutes, trying to point out this and that or bring up something interesting. But English! Then we got to his house and his wife greeted me at the car, did the double kiss thing, and then we walked my bags to my room.

My room. Is huge. I have my own entrance to the back garden--a little fenced in area with a clothes line and swing set. My doors are two wooden shutter like things, and then two doors that are glass windows on top and wood on bottom. Classic French. My room has a twin bed in a wooden frame immediately to the right, a closet bureau in front of it against the wall, and then that's the end of that wall. Against the wall facing the door, is a couch that I think is a fouton, a coat hanger, a bookshelf with books from the family on them (one empty, for me I'm assuming), and another closet bureau for family storage. Against the last wall is a set of drawers--I have so much room for clothes between the closet bureau and the dresser, that I have two open drawers, if that tells you anything. Finally, against the same wall as the doors and part of the bed, is the desk. I'll get pictures up or something...if I can figure out how to do that...which I just did.

The family: the father speaks english, but we speak french 95% of the time because, 1) I've mentioned that it'll help me anyway and 2), the mother doesn't speak English really. the mother is unbelievably cute. she cooks all the meals, is a great cook might I add, and is funny in her own without-meaning-to-be way. They are extremely accomodating and I probably have the best family haha The IAU (my program) has the deal with families that they provide breakfast every morning, dinner 6 days per week, and one load of laundry a week. They weren't here for lunch one day and told me I could have whatever, they leave to my own thing for breakfast letting me take whatever (cereal...I'm boring), and they do laundry every day because of their kids, so have told me to just put my laundry by the door whenever I need it done and she'll do it. The kids: oldest is Theo (don't pronounce the "h") at 14 y/o, and youngest is elyse...I think. I've only heard her name twice, I'm not a horrible person. Anyway, she's 10 and may be the cutest 10 year old ever. She's starting to warm up to me--Theo? Not so much. When I was introduced to him, he apparently tried the double kiss thing and I completely missed it...so he may slightly dislike me. But I've got the girl and that's okay. She asked me if I'd been to New York the other night and asked questions about it, and this morning stuck her head in the kitchen to say, "Bonjour!" It was a first, and I was happy. She also said, "Bonne journee," meaning have a good day. She's teeny and blonde, very pretty.

They don't care when I get back, if I leave, whatever. If I'm out late and don't feel safe walking back Olivier told me to call his cell phone for a ride, that it's happened before and is fine. They're very nice. We've been having seminars about culture shock and what to expect, and pretty much none of it applies to my family. "Don't eat like this, the French think you're shoveling food..." WRONG. "Eat slow, the French eat slow..." WRONG, my family eats fast, but they stay and talk. It ends up being me and the parents at the table talking, the kids normally peel off. We've had discussions about America, Provence, Obama, and the Israeli Palestinian conflict...in one of our seminars at IAU they said the French like people who talk, so hopefully that part is true!

Orientation...boooring. Dear Lord. Let's begin with getting to school for the first time, because that? That was not boring? I would have made Colombus embarassed at how lost I got on Monday, dear Lord. I am about 5-10 minutes away from school, yet I was 35 minutes late to class. I left 10 minutes before class started. Awesome. To get to school, I walk down the main street from my house to what you think is a roundabout, but everytime I look at it...there are more streets that I find branching off of it. And the thing about Aix? Every ALLY has a freaking name. And the map they gave us that I thought I put in my purse? Yup, I forgot it on the couch or something...So I couldn't find the right street off the "roundabout" and it was all downhill from there. I asked for directions at like 5 different places and everyone gave some different way to go. Looking back, pretty sure the pharmacy lady told me the exact WRONG way to go, but whatever. I finally found it, basically, and hated that day. We had a tour later and I was walking around like...cool...I've already seen all this on my little adventure.

Orientation was all about where the three buildings are for classes (right next to each other, each one older than the next from the 1500's), how to be safe, what to expect from life in France, etc. We got lunch to ourselves, as we will everyday. We ate at this fountain by the Town Hall, which I got pictures of today. Really cool Town Hall. All of the buildings in Aix are from centuries ago, except for one ally that was built a few years ago. That was a good part of orientation--two Aixois our age or a few years older telling us wher all the good clubs, pubs, and bars are. When ladies night is (ahem--tonight at Mistral), information like that. That was nice. After class yesterday we went out to a bar just because, but I didn't have any euro yet :( So I could have bummed money from someone, but I'd already dont that...so I passed. However, good place and cheapest beer yet so it was a good find.

First day of classes was today; orientation until 12, more info about culture shock, break for lunch, and class. So I missed my morning class (french grammer--wahoo!), but got to meet two professors.

Psychology: Human Development in Cultural Contexts, looks good. The professor is a woman, Annabel Martin, and prefers to be called Annabel. She's a clinical psychologist which is nice; I like that we have someone who puts what she says into practice. Lots of reading I feel...but she says that students normally get good grades in her class, A+, A, and B+. Unless you don't do the work, and then she sees random bad grades. So that looks good...we'll be looking at developmental psychology, and the whole cultural contexts part of the title is just in reference to the part where we're learning about it all in France.

European Union: our professor walked in and first thing we all thought was...he's hot. Then he opened his mouth and had this different, almost British accent. When he told us about himself, he asked if he had an accent and we all said yes, but he's grown up in the US, american education, marine for 8 years, but being in aix for the past 8 years or something has given him the accent...and it bother him. Really funny, seems like it'll be an interesting class. Couple of assignments throughout the year, but he doesn't like working students too hard. Both classes seem very discussion based, and both professors are okay with the schedule moving around if discussion warrants it or if the class needs time or whatever. Which I approve of.

That's all for now...hopefully pictures will make their way up here soon, I took some at lunch today, but for now I have to get ready to go out :) Bar and then a club! I'm exhausted, but I've got to get out and start having fun with friends. I miss San Diego like nobody's business (and family, too :) ), so out it is.