"Which knee?"
"...My ELBOW hurts, and I have to go to the BATHROOM!"
"I asked you about that FIVE minutes ago!"
"Well I didn't have to go then! I don't wanna walk anymore, can we stop?"
"Russel! If you don't hurry up, the tigers will eat you!"
"There's no tigers in South America; zoology!"
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CP1vjGT8tJw)
Pretty much explains how I've been feeling the past couple of days. I've tried to ignore it, keep myself preoccupied with other things, or play it off, but nope! I don't feel great. Alot of people in our program have been getting colds or sick, and my group of friends happens to be one of them. We've all had sore throats since we got here, compliments to the unbelievable amount of second-hand smoke we've been inhaling, but now everyone is coughing, sniffling, and losing their voices. I'm fine, I'm fine, relax ma famille, I'm just sluggish at that moment. So today, Wednesday, when I don't have class until 6:30pm, I stayed in last night and relaxed, figured out stuff with school and talked with friends back in sd or studying elsewhere, and then slept in late today. Had some hot sweet tea (oh so good), and have been chilling here instead of the usual going to school and doing a little homework here and a little exploring with friends there. But already I'm over this; I'm TIRED.
But anyway, I have a little catching up to do.
(One of my top favorites; found this one night exploring the city, above a store. "Pour une ville plus coloree et plus joviale" The woman silhouette on the right is so beautiful and so cool)
So nights out and about...As I said, I don't have class until nighttime on Wednesday, and Tuesdays just so happen to be buy one get one with this nifty little discount card one can purchase (one DID purchase), so needless to say Tuesdays have become the going out night. For Courtney and I at least. HOWEVER cervezas here, if I spelled that correctly, are fucking expensive--tres cherche. 5 euro for the cheapest beers--which are good, but still cheapest and still expensive. So one day Courtney and I are walking around the little Tabac (equivalent to a 7-11) and we see a 3-pack (wtf, who thought up 3-packs right?) of Desperados (personal favorite). For Cheapy McCheaperson. We look further down the shelf and see a HUGE Desperado, the equivalent of about 2 beers in one, for 3 euro and some change. So what we decided to do was get 3 of those, each drink 1 and split the second, each drinking three beers, and then go to the bar. this means we each spend about 5 euro on 3 beer--instead of 5 euro on ONE. That isn't enough to keep us for the night, remembering this is just beer, but it is a fantastic starting point. Especially when other people decide to go out on Tuesday nights as well. We have since changed to each buying 2 of said large Desperados, picture below, because 1.5 honestly wasn't enough. Om nom nom. Some buy wine, I am quite content with my Desperados :)
(Desperados = tequilla + beer = happy Jeanie! If you didn't know, tequilla is my drink of choice....)
Aside from Tuesday nights, Saturday nights are generally the other good nights to go out. Friday nights I feel like NOBODY goes out. If it rains? NOBODY goes out. It can be kind of nice though, if you're in the mood for a chill night but a night out with friends, it's really nice to go to a bar with limited people. I learned really quickly that I miss places like Aromas, La Paloma, or even Copley--anywhere that I could sit just expect to run into people, or anywhere outside a classroom I could see people. My host family doesn't mind if I invite people over so long as they know, but if the kids are asleep we have to be quiet (understandably). This, however, means that post 10pm we have nowhere to hang out except somewhere we have to pay money. Ummm....yeah....not really feelin that one. I miss the lounges at school. Especially when you consider that nights out around here? Don't really get started until 1am. That's right--at school we're used to going out around 10pm, but here they're finishing meals around 10. So they go out to bars after dinner, bar hop for a few hours, then go to a club, and go to bed around 4 or 5am--4am being early. We were out one night until 4 unintentionally, damn near sober, and one of the guys we were talking to asked us where we going after that club. We were like...ummm, to bed. He couldn't believe it. I'll give you that I'm an insomniac here and there--but not by choice you crazy French man, GO TO BED. (turns out he was a crazy frenchman, but I'll get to that)
So the basics about nights out; we generally go to Wohoo, it's a bar just down the street from school where all the international students in Aix go--and by the way, that I am classified as an "international student"??? SO WEIRD. Anyway, they have drink specials about every night, but the only one really worth going to is buy one get one. They had one "American Night" where 1 euro = 1 dollar and they accepted dollars, so that was cool. They also have 1 euro sangeria nights, but apparently their sangeria can make your throat sore from all the sugar in it; so pass. Bar upstairs, bar downstairs with a dancefloor that is sometimes utilized. Overall it's fun, but if you want to branch out, visit other bars. Which brings me to O'Shannons and La Cesars and a slew of others. Same prices at each, with "happy hours" at times long before the French eat dinner, so we'd never make them. Everyone gathers outside the bars to talk and it is a slight pain in the ass to fight through the crowds--esp as a girl--to get to the bar or just through the crowd in general.
(Hours for a charcuterie / butcher shop...rude)
So the first night of "ew you're gross, go away:" enter Sergy. Courtney and I went out to O'Shannon's (Wohoo was dead...rainy night if I remember correctly) and generally how it works is classy-as-ever European men will call, "mademoiselle! mademoiselle!" at which point you keep walking and pretend you no speak francais. It generally works. Well...Courtney turned around hahaha Sergy unfortunately spoke English as well, despite being Russian, and so did his French friend, Bastien--who happens to go to the school next to us. But he wasn't bad, so that one is ok. Well, Sergy has no hair. Whether he shaves his head or is actually, legitimately bald--is still up for debate, but homeboy had one SHINY dome. So we would let conversation die after 10 seconds and try and be as awkward as possible...at which point he would ask another question. He could not take a freaking hint, he kept talking about himself. Where are we from, what are we doing in Aix, how old are we, what are our names--DEAR LORD MAN, go away. Finally he asked if we were going to get a drink, so we took the opportunity to say, "Uh-huh, inside!"
Sergy had said he was 23 or something, but once inside, Courtney and I both turned to each other and said--23??? A student??? No. Try 30--maybe. Ew, ew, ew, ew, ew!
Alright I think that's enough reading for one post, your eyes need a break according to opthamologists around the world. The next one though, Nights Out Pt. 2? Stalkers, Receding hair lines, and a Gay Club--OH MY!
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