Goodbyes are hard

my host family and I on Polaroid

Bonjour à tous!

Today I said goodbye to my host family, which was so much harder than I imagined. As I embraced my host parents and little brother, I couldn't help but cried. And so did they, which made my tears even harder to hold in. 

Before my stay in Arles, the idea of "host family" was just a way for me to observe the so-called authentic French life. Six weeks later, upon the farewell, I realize that I was wrong. For the past six weeks, in almost no way was I merely a bystander that watched and learned - instead I was a member of the family; I participated. 

Louis and me in Polaroid

It is almost funny thinking back to my first days in this small, historic town, when I was surprised by before-dinner sausages and wines and got lost constantly on my way to classes. Now I'm so used to many French customs that I don't even think twice before I do them: I give everyone three kisses as greetings in the morning, and three more as goodbye; I expect to find wines and baguettes on the terrace at my host home at 7pm every evening, followed by a late but light dinner; I got into the habit of taking a small coffee after every meal... The examples are endless. It's just fascinating how much one adapts to an environment without even noticing. Looking back, I became a lot more assimilated into French life than six weeks ago.

my friends from the program and me at Pont du Gard

And I can shamelessly say that I feel proud of myself, for participating. For learning and having curiosity, for trying everything and accepting most things. This is why I love traveling so much, after all, I guess. That I can truly be a part of the local life, but a however short or long period of time. That I can participate in this wonderful thing that is human culture, that differs so much across the globe but is always awe-inspiring. I really hope that by traveling, I can be  more and more open-minded, welcoming, and understanding. I hope I can be a world citizen by learning others' ways and teaching them mine.

Feeling nostalgia and peace of mind at the same time.

xx
Vanessa :]

Being a Provençal lady: the quotidian, the festivals, and more

at the local carousel

Bonjour à tous!

I believe it's time to recount the Provençal traditions that I've encountered in the past week. In general, the life of a Provençal lady basically means that you gotta love summer, because it is so hot here! The sun makes everything shine an extremely bright hue, exactly in Van Gogh's paintings during his stay in Arles. (Yes, Van Gogh lived here! More about that in a separate blog post to come.)

But, despite the heat, there is plenty of things to enjoy and even celebrate! Last weekend, there was a music festival in town, and everyone came into the streets to see the bands, dance troupes, and there was even a flash mob! And then on Tuesday, I witnessed, with many Arles locals, the celebration of "Le Feu de Saint Jean" (the bonfire of Saint Jean).

Rue des Porcelets

Place du Forum

feu de Saint Jean

Before the fire, people gathered on a square to write down wishes on little pieces of colored paper distributed by women dressed in traditional costumes. The paper is for writing down wishes, which will be tied to the firewood and later be burned. It is believed that in this way, the wish will come true. So of course, I wished on a great life with my love.

my wish 

firewood with wishes attached

carousel at night

dancing after the fire

traditional Provençal costume

ritual before the fire

After the bonfire was started, everyone gathered in circles and danced a complicated dance where numerous partner changes occurred, and the choreography was simply dizzying! I was pulled into the circle by strangers, but once we joined hands, I felt like I became part of the celebration, part of the tradition. It was joyous, and I was touched to see so many people still enthusiastic about participating  in and respecting traditions.

Apart from the loud, merry festivities, the quotidian life in Provence is also enjoyable. 

local florist

"street signs" found in town 

my neighbor's babies 

puppies on the town square

Many families here take pride in their parenting (look how cute and well-behaved the little ones are!) and their pets (equally cute puppies, non?). Along the streets, one can also find an abundance of plants and flowers for the pleasure of the eye.

On Saturdays, locals also visit the famous, 2-kilometer long market where one can find almost everything! Clothes, accessories, cookeries, ethnic costumes, CDs, shoes, books, seafood, vegetables and fruits... 

This morning I went to the market with my host Maman, where we bought the weekend's supply of food for the family. The farmer's market part of the market was jostling with locals bargaining for colorful, fresh, organically grown vegetables and fruits. Under the sun, I listened to the almost playful banter between vendors and customers, and the repeated "have a good week, see you next week" after each transaction. 

Farmer's Market

vendor of fruits

lettuces

filling the bottle with olive oil

buying vegetables for the weekend 

tomatoes and melons

the seafood section of the market

fresh fish

the "Bouillabaisse" that Marseille is famous for 

rotisserie at the market

This is all for now. Have a good weekend!

xx

Vanessa :]

A few glimpses into the the French life

at a resort near Arles

Bonjour à tous!

Today marks the third full day I've spent in the South of France. After several flight delays and changes (plus a rail strike), I finally arrived at Arles near midnight of Thursday. Even though I've only been here three days, I already see and feel and a lot of differences between the two cultures! How do I put this simply - at my host family, my host Papa concludes it as "the French kiss each other all the time, drink coffee and wine all the time, smoke all the time." Cliché, I know, yet incredibly accurate.

downtown Arles

Since Arles is a very small town (one can circumambulate the historic part of town in one hour),  everyone seems to know each other. When I went on a grocery run with my host Maman on Saturday afternoon, we ran into some acquaintances of hers about every two minutes, and we came across my study abroad program director twice. Therefore, People stop to give each other cheek kisses (usually three times, alternating the cheek) every once in a little while. All this is truly endearing and fascinating to me - it seems to bring everyone closer when they kiss each other, casually saying, "ah, good afternoon, it's beautiful out today." It was also a bit surprising to me that everyone expected kisses from me, too, when my host Maman introduced me to them. Nonetheless, the more I do it, the more I adore this custom. It truly makes me feel like I'm starting to belong to the community.

vin rosé 

beer with mint syrup

 In French dining, instead of bread and appetizers, people have this procedure called "l'apéritif," something that could be translated into "the pre-dinner drink." Usually, before a meal (lunch/dinner), everyone sits down at the table, takes a glass of wine, and spend a variable amount of time chatting. In the summertime, rosé is a very common choice for apéritif, as shown in the picture above. My host Papa told me that it's better to hold the glass only with one's fingers instead of the whole hand, so as to not heat up the iced wine too much.

the daily coffee

Besides wine, the French also drink a lot of coffee. And by a lot I mean a lot. Typically, there's coffee at breakfast, after lunch/later in the afternoon, and after dinner. People talk about almost everything over coffee. (Or wine.) My host Papa told me that to some, coffee is really the essence of life. Good coffee, that is. Then again, it's hard to find bad coffee in France, I'm totally serious!

The French also smoke a lot. My host parents smoked when they were young (now they have quit), and when I went out with other French young people, they all smoked. I personally don't think it's a good habit to take up, but well, the culture is there nonetheless.

Above are my major observations and discoveries of the French life. There are so many more things that I want to talk about, but I can't spend all my time seated in front of my laptop! I must take time to explore, so that I will have more things to write about.

Last things: two unbearably cute pictures - one of our neighbor's dog Boulette, and one of my host brother Louis.

Boulette! <3

Louis :)

I wish you all a relaxing Sunday.

xx

Vanessa :]