My Aix-citing Arrival

My arrival in Aix was quite interesting. Someone was meeting me at the airport in Marseille, which is thirty minutes from Aix. I had no idea who she was, whether she spoke English, or if she would like me. I was nervous, but I was happy that she was going to help me settle in. Once I arrived, Hélène was holding up a sign with my name on it. We greeted and I was nervously speaking to her in French. My dad and I got our luggage and then we went to the car. I didn't even know that there would be a car, but it was issued to Hélène as part of the ISEP pick-up-a-nervous-student program. Hélène and I spoke in the car and she lived in San Diego for a year, so her English is pretty damn good. I felt better because I knew my conversational French was garbage, so I spoke English to her due to my limited knowledge after a while. She told me that the cars in France are all manual and that amazed me because I CANNOT DRIVE MANUAL CARS. Thank goodness that I wasn't going to be driving, which would take some getting used to. She drove us to the city center of Aix, where we had a lovely dinner. The weather was perfect. Since Aix is in the South of France, it's nice and warm! That's great because I really hate snow.

The lovely Centre Ville of Aix-en-Provence where everything is really expensive, but delicious.

Dinner was interesting. I heard Hélène speak French to the dudes who worked there at the restaurant called "Just en Face." They had a lot of chicken on their menu, so I was pretty excited about that. My dad ordered a few beers and kept trying to get Hélène to drink more, but he didn't realize that Hélène had to drive, so it wouldn't be a good idea to get tipsy, haha. By the time we were finished with the really long dinner, I was so tired that I was about to sleep on the lovely cobblestone right there. Hélène dropped my dad off at this hotel nearby, so that we could get to my dorm. I was so excited to see my room. Unfortunately, I was not able to get in that night, so she actually had to take me back to my pops and I just stayed with him. 

The next morning, Hélène picked me up outside of the hotel and we got to the dorms to get me settled in. She even had a bag of household items for me, so that I could cook. There was even a lovely roll of toilet paper in there for me. Even the toilet paper here looks foreign. The rolls are smaller and I am not reminded of the Charmin theme song when I see the toilet paper here. The dorm rooms are small at Cuques, which is the name for the place I live. The rooms are newly renovated...complete with a bathroom! The bathrooms are like cruise ship bathrooms, so they are tiny, but I was so happy to not have to go to a shared bathroom. My dad helped me decorate my new home and I set up my photos and wall decor, so that it would feel like home. I was going to be here for a pretty long time. 

That pillow pet I have is named Geoffrey. 

I'm a big Ellie fan!!!

I prefer my electronics to be pink.

Fascinating.

It's so cozy!

I stayed with my dad for the next few days because the dorms didn't have internet and because we wanted to see Aix, and then go to Paris. I got lost in Aix...and it's really not that big. One day, I had to meet Hélène to open up my bank account, but I got on the wrong bus and ended up somewhere I've never been before. I walked a few blocks and ended up asking some police official where the center was. I was actually looking for "La Rotonde." To any person who is looking for the fountain, don't say "Centre Ville." It's not the same thing. I made hand motions and hoped that the motions resembled a big fountain. He led me to the right place, but I was already an hour late. I was so mad at myself...and Hélène was long gone, so I just went back to the hotel. (No, I didn't get lost this time). I felt bad that Hélène had to wait on me. Thankfully, she had to help another student at the same time, so she was able to do that. To hide my embarrassment, here are the first photos I ever took of Aix.

A market comes into town every Tuesday and Thursday on the famous Cours Mirabeau.

My dad...why does he not smile?

Awkwardly standing next to "La Fontaine de la Rotonde."

This fountain is the symbol of Aix-en-Provence, France.

My dad decided that we had enough of Aix, so my dad and I headed up to Paris by TGV. That was a rather stressful time for me. I'm the only one who spoke any French and all he wanted to do was ask people everything. I'll admit that I hate asking people or bothering people for directions. I am American...so I thought that they wouldn't like me very much, but everyone is actually very nice when you try to speak French. We bought the tickets and got to the train station without any issues...but getting on the right train is really confusing. The trains come in like bullets and everyone rushes into their trains. You don't have a lot of time, so you gotta hurry up...OR ELSE. I was in a state of panic. I asked the men working there about my train and we eventually got on. After that, I just tried to relax for the next three hours. I couldn't relax...I was so tense. I had never been to Paris before and it's a wayyyyyyyyy bigger place than Aix. To ease my tension, I wrote in the leather journal that my sister gave me before I left. It made me feel better and I eventually took a nap. Once we got to Paris, I noticed how much more crowded and lively it was. Once I stepped outside of the Paris-Lyon train station, I was in awe. By the way, why is it called Paris-Lyon? That's rather confusing for me because Lyon is another town in France. If your ticket says Paris-Lyon and you wish to go to Paris, you have the right ticket. Don't over think it like I did. Anyways, Paris was gorgeous. The buildings...the hustle and bustle...everything. My father and I set off in search of a taxi. That wasn't so hard because they come through the station right in the front. Our taxi-cab driver was a guy probably in his late 30s to early 40s. He didn't really speak any English, which surprised me, but that gave me a great opportunity to practice my French without crutches. A lot of people in Paris speak English because it's a touristy place. English is very practical for jobs such as driving a cab. Anyways, I was successful because I was like "DAMMIT, I AM GONNA DO THIS.". He even told me that I spoke French very well, which made my day. He took us to our hotel and since he was so nice, my dad wished to have him drive us to the Eiffel Tower. He gave us a guided tour, which I could only understand. My dad asked me a few questions and I translated from Vietnamese to French and French to Vietnamese. It was so nice to speak French and not be scared because the cab driver was so nice. Once he dropped us of, we made arrangements to have him drive us to the train station the next day. We didn't have a lot of time in Paris because of my dad's flight home, but he had to see Paris before he left. The Eiffel Tower is massive and I look back and wonder if my mouth was open the entire time that I was looking at it.

My dad and I next to the Eiffel Tower.

I thought that this was a cool picture, so enjoy my dad's modeling skills.

After we marveled at the Eiffel Tower, we went on a boat that took us on the River Seine for a lovely, inexpensive tour in three or four languages. (English included). Each ticket was about fifteen euros, so it's not so bad. If I don't convert it into dollars, then I feel better about my French expenses. The boat ride was incredible. The guided tour gave historical details on the significant places and the weather that night was perfect. I couldn't believe that I was experiencing this.

Chillin' on the boat.

The Eiffel Tower from the boat.

I can't remember what this is, but it was awesome.

Notre Dame. 

After our amazing boat ride, we went back to the hotel and rested for our voyage the next day. Before we left Paris, my dad bought a ton of key chains from a local boutique that Willy took us to. (Willy is the cab driver). We got back to Aix fine and that night, we had dinner with Hélène and her boyfriend Austin. The great thing about Austin is that he is American and he's from San Diego, so I could talk to him about American things. The culture shock was hitting me hard at that point, so it was just comforting. We took a picture next to the fountain and said our goodbyes. It wasn't the last time I would see Hélène and Austin, but it was the last picture I took with my dad before he left for the States. He didn't want me to bother waking up extra early to see him off at the airport and he thought it was best that I went to the dorms that night. We got a taxi to drive us because we didn't want to get lost that night. 

When I got out of the cab, I told the taxi-driver to give my dad and I a few minutes to say goodbye. My heart was heavier than ever. While I was hugging my dad, I could feel that he was worried. He told me to study hard, be careful, and all that good stuff. He got into the taxi and I turned around and walked toward my Pavilion. Once I turned around, I was crying like a baby. I wasn't crying for long because there were students in front of the Pavilion and I was fine by then. I had to be strong! When I got into my empty room, I wondered if it would ever feel like home. I was completely alone. Hélène and Austin told me about another American student who lived very close to my dorm room. I remembered the room number that Austin told me and I went down the hall to introduce myself after I rearranged a few things in my room. I knew that I wasn't the only one who felt alone. I knocked on her door, introduced myself, and she introduced herself too. Her name is Alli and she's from St. Louis, Missouri. That was the beginning of a friendship. A connection! Alli has been someone I can really talk to about my feelings, my culture shock, and anything. I was so glad that I knocked on her door! That night when I tried to fall asleep, I promised myself to make the most of my time here in Aix.