Arrivée

Bon soir

I am safely in France! I have had a very long day but the French student also living here, Juliette from Nice, just got in and showed me how to connect to the internet. It's already 10pm here if you can believe it. I met my homestay mother this afternoon - she is very nice and says I have a good accent. I had to take a short nap and shower once I arrived so I missed seeing Aix during the day, but sunset was beautiful. Madame Raymonde drove me to a cafe across the street from the Cathedral Saint-Sauveur where I met many CEA students - I've made lots of friends already. Tomorrow is orientation and a walking tour of Aix, so I expect I'll get to know the other American students very quickly. I haven't taken too many photos yet, but here are several of Mme Raymonde's apartment:  

The kitchen where I share dinner with Madame. Tonight she made un potage, or hearty soup, for dinner, as she says she often does when it's cold out. I don't think its cold - it's about 50 degrees, but we are en Provence. Madame always plays classical music, and tonight she is attending un concert de la musique classique. There is a garbage chute on the far side of the sink, so we never take out trash.  In the mornings, coffee is made by boiling water and adding instant coffee powder to your cup. We have coffee, cereal, and baguette with Bonne Maman apricot preserves for breakfast.

The lonely toilette! All alone in it's little room. The sink and shower are in a separate room down the hall. I talked to a few of the other girls in homestays and apparently I'm lucky to have a shower curtain.

This is the view from our living/dining room. The second picture is a close up over the roof on the left, where I can see Mont Saint-Victoire on a clear day. There is a T.V. here where I watched the popular French soap opera Plus Belle La Vie - the actors talk very fast and the storyline is so convoluted that it's difficult to follow what's going on.

Now that you can picture me at home in Aix, I must go to bed. The quicker I can overcome the jet lag, the better. Bonne nuit!