Journals from Abroad

The last week of my study abroad program in Aix-en-Provence was a whirlwind. Everyone was occupied studying for finals, writing papers, and preparing presentations. However, in addition to the academic cramming, there was this buzz in the air. Everyone was trying to experience as much as they could before leaving:  a last-minute hike to Sainte Victoire, a trip to Cassis, a stroll through the markets, a night with friends. Everyone would have a pause while saying goodbye after class to make sure they were going to see each other another time before leaving, extending the inevitable for as long as possible.

My favorite of these moments was after my French Food and Culture final when, one by one, we all gathered in the library to eat a loaf of banana bread that one of my friends from class made. Not able to say goodbye, we all ended up going out to coffee together. We practiced using our French while we still could, emptied all our small euro coins to pay, and took one last group photo.

Earlier in the week was France’s Labor Day, which we had off of school. My friends and I took the opportunity to have a farewell soirée. My haul from the markets was mâche lettuce, heirloom tomatoes, cucumbers, and fresh mozzarella for a capresse-esque salad. One friend made apéros, another brought dessert, and most importantly, pasta making supplies. We talked the afternoon away over a glass of wine while chopping up ingredients, simmering the red sauce, and kneading pasta dough. The end result was a beautiful homemade meal with all our love poured into it. Afterwards, we spent hours more talking and ended up bringing a guitar out to play and sing together. This night was very much a core memory of the trip.

My pottery exposé was during this last week as well. Everyone in the ceramics class, in addition to the painting classes, got to display their body of work from the semester and put it up for sale. We had a large turnout from the school, but also from the Aix community at large. It was an incredible and emotional experience of feeling so very supported and appreciated for my art. While abroad, the Marschutz arts center became such an important place for me. It was where I went when I needed to get my swirling thoughts out of my brain and into the clay. It was where I went on beautiful days to enjoy the view of the French countryside, or on rainy days to hear the rhythmic plink-plink-plink of the rain drops on the shed’s roof and the whistle of the Mistral breeze through the windows. Out of everywhere in Aix, the ceramic studio, surrounded by wildflowers, wind, and wonder, will be the place I’ll miss most.

As a final farewell to most people in the program, IAU put on a graduation ceremony where we all wore golden stoles, students got awards from each department, and we walked in a procession together around Aix. Afterwards, we gathered in the square outside of Main Hall, in front of Aix’s cathedral, and had apéros and wine. Professors made their rounds to say goodbye, group pictures were taken, and final hugs were given out.

It was such a hard week of goodbyes, but I appreciate the fact that the goodbyes were difficult because of how deep the connections were. Aix was absolutely beautiful (how could the south of France not be), but it was the people who truly made the experience. It’s hard to accept that most of the people I met abroad will phase out of my life as quickly as they appeared. However, I honestly believe we carry bits of everyone who’s touched us throughout our lives. I don’t want to say the cliché line that studying abroad was a “transformative” experience (though it was).  So, I’ll rephrase it a little. Being thrown into a new culture, with completely new people, when you’re still learning the language, is a whirlwind of an experience. It forces you to get to know yourself very well and stretches the limits you thought you had. It forces out a “you” that was there all along but needed a little coaxing to get out.

Thanks for following me along this adventure,
Natalie

The weekend of Easter, I had Easter Monday off, as is important for the French, so I decided to use the time to visit my friend Nada in Egypt!

Nada was an international student here at Linfield a couple of years ago, and I was able to visit her last year in Egypt when I went with Dr. Noussi for the Women of the World Conference in Alexandria. This time, I spent four days in Cairo with Nada and her friends, experiencing everything I wasn’t able to see last time!

Nada also let me partake in Ramadan with her! We fasted for the day and broke fast to eat Ful Mudammas around 6:20 pm, when the sun set. We’d go out after to the markets and historical monuments, staying out late to eat Mahshi until our fasting began again around 4:00 am. We’d get a few hours of sleep and go back out to explore Cairo.

The first day I went to work with Nada, where she is a doctor at a physical therapy clinic. Afterwards, we broke fast at a viewpoint overlooking all of Cairo and headed to the market, Khan Al-Khalili, that was decorated with Ramadan lights and beautiful lanterns. The market was right outside the ancient gates of old Cairo, a UNESCO world heritage site. We then walked along the Nile and ate some sweet treats before heading back to Nada’s apartment to rest.

On Sunday, we went to the incredible Ibn Tulun mosque and toured the museums in the Cairo Citadel. We ordered food and sat at a park on the bank of the Nile and waited for the sun to set to break fast. We ate so, so many Ramadan desserts over some Turkish coffee and then finished off the night by going bowling.

The next day while Nada was at work, I went with her friend to the religious site Mogamaa Al-Adyan, where there was a Coptic museum, a few churches, a mosque, and a synagogue. Nada and I then broke fast at her apartment, drank some Ramadan juice and milk and hit the town again. We started at a mall then when to another market. At the end of the night, we got on a party boat for a cruise on the Nile.

It was a whirlwind of a journey, but definitely worth it. Next year I’m hoping to visit Nada in her hometown of Port Saïd!

Until next time,

Natalie

Looking to do something spontaneous, my roommate and I took an afternoon trip to the coastal town of Cassis!

We hopped on a bus to Marseille and toke a quick train ride to Cassis. From the train station we walked for about 30 minutes following vineyards and sycamore tree-lined paths. The colors were vibrant in the Mediterranean sun, with the cool, salty sea breeze giving us a break from the heat. At the water front we ate lunch facing the marina, with a picturesque view of the sailboats and yachts with the sea in the background, all framed by the calanque cliffs.

We had no goal to our journey or aim to our wandering- just to explore the cute town and absorb the sounds of the waves.  We peaked into tide pools and climbed the boulders up to a flat place to nap.

Near the end of the afternoon, my roommate got some gelato and I got a Nutella crêpe. We enjoyed our sweets sitting at a park where people were playing pétanque, a game where they throw metal balls the size of croquet balls towards a target. There, we ran into my ceramics professor and her family. We came to the conclusion that we now actually have grounds to say that it’s a small world, having travelled half way across it, finding people from similar places with similar interests.

We hiked back up the steep hill out of town to the train station and back home just in time for dinner with our host mom.

Until next time,
Natalie

This spring break was a wild adventure of exploring all around France with my sister!

The journey started for me down in Aix where I took a bus overnight to Paris. I then had a leisurely morning sipping an espresso in front of Place de la Bastille before picking my sister up from the airport and catching a train down to Bordeaux.

Bordeaux is gorgeous and probably my favorite city out of the ones we visited for break! That night we went to a wine bar to experience some Bordeaux wine. I had the best red wine I’ve ever tried there. To accompany our wine, we had French tapenades and some roasted Camembert with honey.

The next day we spent walking all around Bordeaux, trying to experience as much of it as we could. We started with a classic French breakfast of coffee, fresh-pressed juice, a croissant, and bread with jam. We then headed to the market on the water-front and meandered through the lively stands. Next, we headed towards city center where we happened upon monument after monument around the narrow street corners. Under the bell tower, we went into a patisserie and bought a cannelé, the pastry of Bordeaux. It had a crisp, sugary syrup coated outside and a spongy center.

After our day in Bordeaux, we headed to the train station for our next destination: the Loire Valley. The Loire Valley is known for its castles that used to house kings, queens, and noble families of France. We stopped for a connection in Tours and made it to Blois, where we stayed for a few nights.

The first day, we explored the small town, which had a much slower and calmer pace compared to Bordeaux. The architecture was also rounder with less intricate designs compared to what you’d find in Bordeaux or Paris. We spent a few hours touring the Château de Blois, where 7 kings and 10 queens had lived. It was absolutely breathtaking and by far my favorite out of the three chateaus we visited. That night we tried a specialty of the Loire Valley, Tarte Tintin (an apple pie-like dessert).

The next day, we hopped a train over to Amboise to tour three chateaux: Château Royal d’Amboise, Château du Clos Lucé, and Château Gaillard. The first had a beautiful view overlooking the Loire and an expansive network of gardens. The second was the château that Leonardo de Vinci lived in, given to him from King François I, who lived in Château de Blois and Château d’Amboise. The third Château was where Mary Queen of Scotts spend a few weeks, a safe haven provided by her uncle. We stopped for an espresso and a chocolate eclair break before heading back to Blois for the night.

The next morning, we left for the last leg of our trip: Paris!

Once checked into our hostel, we did a walking tour of all the monuments of Paris. We spend all day wandering around, stopping periodically for a coffee, pain au chocolat, or crêpes. We ended the night by watching the sun set by the Eiffel Tower, seeing the “City of Lights” form the top of the tower and watching it twinkle while eating a dinner of French onion soup.

The entire next day was dedicated to experiencing everything we could from the Louvre. We spent a total of 7 hours in the maze that is the Louvre art museum! My favorite section by far was the Grecian statues.

For our last day, we started off by going up to Sacré Coeur. Our already sore legs from all the walking tours were dead by the time we climbed the 300 steps to the top of the hill. We then looked around Musée Rodin and barely had enough time to explore Musée d’Orsay before it closed. If I have time to go back to Paris, I’d definitely dedicate time to experiencing Musée d’Orsay again.

The next morning, we woke up at the crack of dawn to drop my sister off at the airport and for me to catch a train back down to Marseille. From the train ride down, I was able to see the countryside of France, with rolling hills, châteaux towering over small towns, and fields with herds of sheep. After a bus ride from Marseille to Aix, I passed out in bed to rest up for class in the morning.

Here are the statistics collected from the week:

• 11 cathedrals
• 4 châteaux
• 3 museums
• 7 train rides (not including metro)
• 5 landmark bridges
• 6 gardens
• many, many desserts

Until next time,
Natalie