Update

Hello everyone! We've been so busy here that I haven't had time recently to post anything.  So here's an update on the past week! On Monday we had our classes and electives as usual, and the theme for photography was black and white with a high ISO.  At first I had no idea what that meant but after transferring the photos onto my computer I saw the amazing effect.  All of the photos had a grainy quality and looked like film, which I absolutely loved.  We took lots of cool photos that way in the old village of Nice where there are many touristy shops and art workshops.  On Tuesday we spent the entire day in Nice, including classes which took place at the market (flowers, art, and food) on the famous Cours Saleya.  We walked through the market in small groups taking note of regional specialties, taking lots of photos, and even buying some gifts. We had lots of free time to shop and walk around, and we met around 6 to have dinner together.  After that we took a train to Villefranche to see Rock of Ages, or in French: Rock Forever, outside dubbed in French.  It was definitely an interesting experience! I was happy that I understand more than I thought I would and the movie itself was not bad.  We got home very late (around 1), so classes started at 10 the next day instead of at 9.  Another treat on Wednesday was the cancellation of our electives and a trip to Cannes instead! We all enjoyed some relaxing beach time and pizza for dinner like last time.  Thursday was yet another fun day. After classes we all took the train to Villefranche for some more low key beach time and snorkeling! I was in the first group to go snorkeling.  We went about 10 minutes out from the beach on a boat with 3 instructors and were equipped with wetsuits, masks, snorkels, and flippers.  We saw octopi (one of them inked!), jellyfish, sea urchins, a starfish, and of course lots of small fish.  It was tiring but a beautiful sight, and we rewarded ourselves with ice cream afterwards.  We had dinner with our families, and my homestay mom Delphine took Birte and I to her friends house for dinner.  I've gotten used to late French dinners, but I was surprised that it was already midnight when we left! The next day (Friday) was typical, except we came back from photo in Nice earlier because we were having dinner and a soirée at le Centre Nautique with the students from Nice as well.  We had dinner by the beach and there were lots of pictures and dancing afterwards! Yesterday we went to San Remo, Italy.  It was my first time to Italy so I was super excited. My friends and I walked around the town, and you probably know I'm going to say this but we got gelato and it was the best I've had in my life.  After exploring for about 2 hours we went back to the beach and spent the rest of the day swimming and relaxing after a hectic week.  We had a great Italian dinner (bruschetta, pasta, tiramisu!) at a restaurant on the beach, and then we each discovered our inner child and played on the playground on the beach! Today our rendez-vous is at 1:30 at the train station to go to Antibes for the Musée Picasso, free time, and a picnic on the beach. Excited!

Black and white Nice:

The market:

Villefranche:

More Nice:

Maggie and Kate

Me and my Southern belles!

Ali, Maxime (photo teacher), and me

Italy:

Bastille Day Celebrations

I always thought that Bastille Day in France (July 14) was the equivalent of the 4th of July in the USA! It turns out that the French aren't nearly as patriotic as Americans.  On both the 13th and 14th after dinner, our group went to the beach to see the fireworks (which were both nights!) and the live music playing on the boardwalk.  The fireworks were beautiful and the music was typical cheesy celebration music that everyone loves. We had lots of fun both nights, but noticed that there were barely any young people around.  We seemed to be one of the few groups of teenagers walking around and dancing. We asked some of our counselors why that is, and they said that maybe it was because France is a much older country than America is.  They also added that they don't really care about Bastille Day either! I wonder if that is the reason, or if perhaps it's just because we're in a smaller town and most of the young people are away on vacation or at camp.  I was definitely expecting something different than we got, but it was fun to be together regardless!

Trips to Nice!

Every time the photography class goes to Nice, we get to see even more parts of the amazing city.  Most recently, we climbed up to Le Château de Nice for the spectacular panoramic view of the city and the sea.  Although it was one of the hottest days yet, we appreciated the view after resting for a couple of minutes and drinking some water.  The water is a truly unreal blue, and when you look over the city it looks like it has come out of a story book! After coming back down to street level (by elevator!) we walked through some of the old village where there are many art shops, touristy stores, and places to get food.  I've really enjoyed getting to visit Nice so often, however we haven't gotten to hear about it's history at all.  That's why our teachers are planning an excursion to Nice for next Tuesday which will include history, beach time, and some free time to explore.  I'm so excited!

It's even more blue in real life!

Claudia, me, Olivia, and Ali

The St. Laurent photography group!

St. Jean Cap Ferrat

On Tuesday after lunch, we went to a beautiful town called St. Jean Cap Ferrat for a cooking workshop and some beach time! Each course was made by a different group (our French class groups).  Group 1 made the main course, group 2 made the salad, and group 3 (my group) made the desserts.  While the others were cooking, we got to lay out on the gorgeous beach and swim in the sea.  It was the first rock beach we went to and we loved it.  The water was the perfect temperature, and for some reason the water was particularly salty.  It made for some nice bonding and relaxing time with the whole group! When my group went it, different people were assigned to make different desserts.  Samantha, Claudia, and I made a delicious tarte aux pommes.  We had dinner in the small restaurant where we cooked the food, with a view of the Mediterranean Sea.  Instead of taking the bus to the train station (as we did on the way there), we walked along the path by the sea and took in the amazing sunset over the sea.  Here are the photos!

Tarte aux pommes before...

Tarte aux pommes after!

The always fashionable Sirine

The view on the way to the train station

St. Paul de Vence

Last weekend we visited a smaller village called St. Paul de Vence where we went to a museum of modern art called la Fondation Maeght and had free time in the old village.  I loved la Fondation Maeght! There were sculptures outside on the lawn, pools of water around the premises, and an airy feel inside the building.  It was a very peaceful place and I enjoyed looking at the the various types of art there.  Unfortunately we couldn't take any photos there without paying a ridiculous amount of money, but trust me it was beautiful! After an hour or two at the museum, we walked up a hill to the old village of St. Paul de Vence for some free time.  There are lots of cute old towns in French villages, but this is by far the cutest one I've ever seen.  The narrow streets are of course cobblestone, there are flowers and ivy growing all over the buildings, the doors are old and beautiful, and most of the shops are authentic art workshops or boutiques run by one family.  There are also spectacular viewpoints throughout the village.  Here are some photos!

The view walking up to the old village

The old village!

The Olivia's being silly!

Me and Olivia

Hélène et Vanessa

Le petit chien!

Me and Lucie

Monaco photos

The photography class has been lucky enough to go to Monaco twice already! It's about a 40 minute ride on the train from St. Laurent du Var, and there you are in Monte Carlo. Here are photos from the two times we were there:

Cool mirror artwork in Monte Carlo

The casino! 

The train station in Monte Carlo.

The view of Monte Carlo from the area around le Palais Princier de Monaco. 

The St. Laurent photography kids

Buddha Bar!

The view of the sea in Monte Carlo. 

Cooking with the family

At our first meal together, Delphine and Alex made it clear that food is very important to them, and you can definitely tell! Everything they make is delicious and is a mix of French, Italian, and Spanish cuisine.  In Europe food isn't just about eating, but also enjoying and socializing.  Whenever we're home in time, Birte and I help Delphine or Alex make dinner and Alma usually helps with something little as well.  Before the main  meal, we all sit down for an apéritif of some juice and nuts or chips and start talking about our days or in what ways France is different from America.  After le plat principal, we have some fruit, bread, and cheese and continue to sit together at the table.  Our conversations are always interesting and the food is always amazing! About two days ago, my roommate and I decided that our family's food was so good that we had to start writing down recipes. So far we have recipes for quiche, taboulé, and la tortilla (an Italian sort of omelet eaten at lunch or dinner).  Here are some photos and a video of us preparing la tortilla!

Day trips

The past two days have been full of traveling and beautiful sights! On Friday, the photography class took a trip to Monte Carlo in Monaco.  The architecture and the view were breathtaking and you could feel the luxury in the air.  As we walked up to the casino from the train station, we passed many designer stores (Chanel, Gucci, and Hermes to name a few) and some ridiculous cars casually driving down the street.  The casino, built in the 1850s, is beautiful and I can see how it is tempting to gamblers from all around.  We couldn't go inside (since we're minors) but I'm sure it is equally amazing.  Although we didn't have much time and it was very hot out, we climbed up the old steps to le Palais Princier de Monaco and got an amazing 360 degree view of Monte Carlo.  We were just in time to see the changing of the guards as well! We had about 20 minutes up there to take some photos, get some ice cream (as we usually do), and take everything in. There were lots of Russians around, which I also thought was funny! When we got back to St. Laurent, we went back to our homestay families and spent the rest of the evening with them.  Our family's friend who teaches English came over and we got to talk to her in English for a little bit, but we mostly used her as a French-English dictionary.  It felt very French to socialize outside on the terrace until about 11:30! On Saturday we got to sleep in a bit and then took the train as a group to Cannes.  We had complete freedom all day (with check-ins every 2 or so hours) and most of us spent it at the beach, shopping, and eating more ice cream! My friends and I spent the first half of the day at the beach, swimming in the Mediterranean.  When we dried off and changed, we went to Rue d'Antibes--the street known for all the shopping (non designer of course!).  We walked into lots of shops to look around and most of us bought at least one thing, especially because there are sales in all stores in France right now.  The leaders got us pizza, fruit, and drinks for dinner on the beach and some more free time on the boardwalk.  Our trip home was nice because we were all tired and luckily got seats on the train.  Today we got to sleep in and in about 10 minutes we're leaving to the train station to go to St. Paul de Vence, a medieval village with a great view of the sea.  Photos coming soon!

Nous sommes arrivés!

After arriving in Nice around 9:30 on Tuesday morning and spending our first long day in orientation and getting to know our homestay families and fellow students, I finally feel settled in to my new home.  This may also have to do with the fact that I just got my suitcase which was left behind for a day in JFK! My host family, the Dugenets, and my roommate, Birte, are all great.  M. Dugenet is a fireman, Mme. Dugenet is the director of the local dance studio, and their three year old daughter Alma is an adorable ball of energy.  They are very hospitable and they make sure to tell Birte and I every day that if there's anything we need, we should just ask.  Their house in le vieux village (the old village)--which Mme. Dugenet told us is generally around the church in all French towns--and it is your typical little cobblestone neighborhood with tiny streets and flowers and stray cats everywhere.  Luckily, our meeting place (la mairie) with the rest of the students and our fabulous leaders Vanessa, Hélène, Sirine, Mary, and Fabien is only a 4-5 minute walk from our house. 

Our first day mostly consisted of going over ground rules, doing icebreakers with the group, and getting to know our families.  Yesterday (our second day), we had our language evaluations and were placed in either the beginner, intermediate, or advanced group for our morning French classes.  Our host families packed us all lunch; the Dugenets made Birte and me some very French baguette sandwiches with jambon and packed us fruit cups and homemade cookies! After lunch we had our electives, and the photography (which I'm in) and studio art classes headed to the train station to go to Nice, which I happily found out we will be doing every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Once we met up with the students from the Nice program, our photography teacher Maxime took us to a quick exhibition and then we got to walk around the market (and buy ice cream!) and walk along La Promenade des Anglais right by the beach.  The view of the sea and the city was absolutely stunning! After walking around for quite a bit, we returned to the train station in Nice and went back to St. Laurent.  We met up with the rest of the St. Laurent kids at the beach and had a nice dinner as a group at a restaurant on the boardwalk.  I got a traditional French steak tartare and a crêpe with bananas and nutella for dessert.  This goes without saying, but it was delicious. We had a bit of free time afterwards to walk around, but it was late soon and we were driven home.  

Although it's only been 2 or 3 days, I feel like we've been in France for a long time.  French is already coming more naturally to me and I've already made great friends, so it's making the trip that much better! Our month is jam-packed with activities, and I know we'll get tired but it'll be worth it.  This weekend we're visiting Cannes and of course learning about French cinema to prepare.  Tonight we're going to a concert at la mairie of Johnny Vegas, a singer who impersonates the legend Johnny Halliday.  It will be a very cultural night!

Here are some photos of our street, the old village, my homestay family, and Nice!