New year, new blog

Hi there and Happy New Year, 2013!

Along with all your other New Years' resolutions, don't forget that thecolourscape has officially moved to its new home, which you can get to by clicking here.
Hope to see you there, in the new year, and beyond!

xxo, S

November round up

Howdy partners!

November has witnessed a calm, cool settling of the air. That is to say, the temperature has dropped and the activities have slowed. After fall break, coming back to Aix was like getting comfy on the couch after you get up to make some popcorn - your seat is still warm, you sit down, you sink into your old lounging position, and it feels really good because, let's face it, standing up while making popcorn just takes so much out of you.

Where was I?
Oh yeah: November.

Okay, so not quite the wild ride that we saw in October. But how can you do nothing while studying abroad? Answer: you can't!
So even if you're just in Aix, or you're seeing more of France, stuff is happening! With less than one month until I'll really be back on my comfy couch, I've taken the time to check things off my study abroad bucket list. I got my outdoorsy fix by hiking Mount Sainte-Victoire. I went to Marseille, because how could you not - we're so close! And I climbed the fountain at La Rotunde (that was not on my bucket list, but if I'd known how fun it would be, it would've been!).
I also got in a fight with cheese. But French food redeemed itself at Thanksgiving.


My study abroad experience is not winding down, no way. In fact, I'm probably only just beginning to realize how much I love it here. Which really sucks since I'm leaving so soon! :( Oh well, that's why you gotta make the most of it, right?!

And please don't forget that I've made the big move to a new blog site (since this one can't hold anymore photos)! The new blog is here: thecolourscape.wordpress.com

That's all for this edition of what's-Stephanie-been-up-to. See you in December (that came quickly, didn't it).

xxo, S

and, yo, check those boxes down there sometimes, okay?? Shaker Jerry does.
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NEW BLOG

DUE TO TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES, COLOURSCAPE WILL BE MOVING TO A NEW ADDRESS. YOU CAN CONTINUE READING ON THE NEW BLOG HERE.

Blogger/Google have a photo uploading limit - how lame! I don't know how people are supposed to blog for years and years if there is a photo limit, but there isn't much I can do about it right now.

Anyway, I've been in the process of making the move to a Wordpress site for a while. If you've seen the link on the right >>> that says "Check out the new face of Colourscape!" then you know what I'm talking about! That is where I'm redirecting you now, especially since I can't put anymore photos up here! And (at least) while I'm studying abroad, that's like a huge thing.

THANK YOU FOR UNDERSTANDING :)

xxo, S

It's beginning to look a lot like Aix-mas

From decorations around town, to the Christmas markets starting, French people are finally getting into the holiday spirit!

Provence is a weird place for all this, though. It may sound like Christmas, it may feel like Christmas, it may even smell like Christmas! It just doesn't look like Christmas belongs here in this town of sandy coloured buildings, bright shutters, orange leaves, and 65°.

I guess I'm just used to my grey New York.

There are Christmas markets set up on the Cours Mirabeau, too. They're open everyday, unlike the big market that happens on Tues/Thurs/Sat. 

 girl with cotton candy, or barbe à papa

 all the christmas market stalls lined up in a row

little kids are so eager for christmas!!!

 sunset and christmas lights

...but the prettiest sight to see is the holly that will be on your own front door!

xxo, S

Thanksgiving in France

This is my first Thanksgiving I've ever celebrated without my family - and I sure was missing those guys all day!

When I think of Thanksgiving, I picture the center counter at 250 crammed with bowls and platters of turkey, potatoes, veggies, and STUFFING; and going to sit down at the big table; and Lil says something like, "Now, everyone, sit next to someone you don't talk to often!"; and we do; and I get asked awkward questions about my college life BUT HEY IT'S OKAY because I'm with my family and I love everyone and Thanksgiving is probably my favourite holiday :)

2012 will be the year of that-time-I-had-Thanksgiving-in-France-because-I-was-living-there. And that's something I'll always remember, too.

IAU was awesome and they put together this great dinner for us! As you can see, we sat at these huge, long tables and I had all my new friends around and we were just laughing and taking pictures and eating and drinking; and we kept marveling at the fact that "guys, we are in a cave in France and we're celebrating Thanksgiving!" Like, woah!

Not quite the feast that my family puts together, but God bless the French people for trying! There was turkey (a miracle), mashed sweet potatoes, green beans, creamed corn, meatloaf, and gravy. And baguettes of course! I inhaled my first plate and got seconds soon after. So hungry! And so happy! We had pumpkin pie for dessert, too. A lot of people said it didn't taste like pumpkin, but that's because in America we always have canned pumpkin pie with all that condensed milk and crap. But here, since they don't know that's how we do it in America, the used real pumpkin! So this was probably the realest pumpkin pie I'll ever eat!

 friends!

 beaujolais nouveau!

After dinner we walked to Cours Mirabeau to see the new Christmas markets that are set up. So pretty at night! But they were closed; I went home to change; and then we all went to see the huge fountain that has lights too.

what the rotunde usually looks like

We ended up going literally, inside the fountain (all the water is shut off, don't worry) and just hung out there for a while. For those of you who don't intimately know the layout of Aix-en-Provence, the fountain at La Rotunde is, well, huge. It is at the center of the main traffic circle and at the end of Cours Mirabeau, which is the main street... basically, in the middle of all the action. And we were climbing it like a jungle gym!

 

The police drove by a few times and a couple groups of people pointed and stared at us; but no one said anything! Ah, those Frenchys, they really don't care, do they? :)

 yes, yes. happy arms. i know

 
our fountain-climbing group

After a bit of a photoshoot :P we went to the Cathedral to rally the rest of the troops.

Then we went out to our regular haunt, the bar street, and hung around with French people for the rest of our Thanksgiving hours.

But for the most part, I was with all Americans! And all of us wanted to hang out and be together, since not with our families, for Thanksgiving, the most American holiday there is.

This year, I have a lot to be thankful - the most basic of which is that I am in France right now!

I am also thankful for my family, who has grown and changed so much over the years but never grown too big (impossible!) and never changed too much, who has been there for me at every moment big or small, and who I love dearly; for my friends, the new ones and the old ones, the close ones and the far ones, the ones I haven't met yet; for my education at DU and being able to live in Denver; for everything I've learned in the past year about myself and about the world; for all the teachers I've had in my life, lest they know it or not; and for my health.

Whew! What a list!

Anyway, Happy Thanksgiving everyone :)

xxo, S

On the road

"The road is life."

-Jack Kerouac, On the Road

Yesterday I walked 12.6km or 7.8 miles allllll the way to... well, I don't exactly know where. It was kinda the middle of the highway. But it was a beautiful middle-of-the-highway!

I had heard that it quickly becomes countryside outside of Aix, so I walked to Parc de La Torse and kept on walking! I passed lots of driveways and not may houses; it was so quiet! It was so peaceful, too, with the fall colours, and birds, and the afternoon sun and... ah! Lovely!
Here are some pictures, enjoy :)

 rue d'école militaire

 near la torse

 entering la torse

 first view of mount sainte-victoire

 getting closer

 olive grove

 bam! check out that view!

 random bench

 très colorado

 i walked down a side street and by two houses

 peeking at their private olive grove

 view from their house

 woman clipping olive branches

 neighbour walking his bike

 view from la torse

 burning garbage at the park

 sunset near my street, back in aix

xxo, S