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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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

October round up

Hey hey hey!

If you haven't been slacking off, you haven't been reading thecolourscape either. Good for you! That probably means you've gotten lots of work done, been traveling a lot... or don't have internet. In the case of the latter, I'm sorry for your loss.

Today, I've collected for you the best posts of September/October 2012 so you can catch up on my life (yes, we're being a little self-centered today, but no one is forcing you to read about me talking about, well, me). Think of this as the Letter to the Editor page of your favourite bi-monthly magazine... but without the letters and opinions from other people... okay, so it's more like Editor's Picks.

Whether you're wondering why I'm in France or what I'm studying, all your answers can be found here. Speaking of France, I've been to some pretty cool places in the past two months, including Monaco; Barcelona; La Ciotat; Loumarin and Rousillon; Brussels; and Prague.

Of course, studying abroad has had its ups and downs. I missed out on my sorority's recruitment and on my college hosting the first presidential debate. But this town is beautiful - I even have a favourite coffee place that isn't Starbucks - and I'm so lucky to be here.

To summarize: this is the official, number one, best place to get all Stephanie news all the time. Because you know you miss her (even if you won't Skype with her).

xxo, S

Academia

Dear all DU students/alumni; all Bronxville H.S. students/alumni; and my family,

YOU DON'T KNOW HOW LUCKY WE ARE!
By the good graces of God and the Universe, we are smart.

Why am I so thankful all of a sudden? And why did it take me so long to realize this? The second, I'm not sure. But the first one is why I am writing to you.

Studying abroad, I have come across more than just French culture; also Spanish, Italian, and other European cultures; plus American culture outside of where I live.
One of the things I've noticed about American culture is that not everyone is as smart as the people I've been surrounded by my whole life.

I'm not trying to be rude or insensitive here! No, no! And I've discussed this with other DU classmates of mine who are studying abroad right now, too. We've been smacked in the face in our encounters with students from other colleges who are having difficulty with the curriculum. Meanwhile, us DU kids are breezing by; working hard, yet barely working; playing hard (and hard to get).

Back to academia.
Today's lesson: accept the things you cannot change, and learn to accept such things early in life, because it will save you much frustration later on.

We won't always be surrounded by such great minds, as evidenced, by our abroad experiences. Now is the time to thrive amongst our like-minded peers and take pride in the fact that we can all intelligently discuss current events, literature, economics, history, chemistry, and culture.
Even when we go off to our eventual careers and settle in new towns with our families, our coworkers and neighbors may not fulfill our ever-inquiring minds. Thanks to our privileged education and upbringing, we are not ignorant; we are not easily placated; and we are not unintelligent. We are a small, but important group of people.

Don't let the pressure or pride of this gift go to your heads, though! Modesty is as important as ever, as I've learned. Bragging about how easy that quiz was; how little you studied; or how much you don't care won't earn you any friends. You can't alienate people, but you can offer to help as much as possible, and be especially understanding. Especially now that you are aware of your own brain power.

So cheers to us! Cheers to our futures and our fortunes, not just monetary! Cheers to the friends we've made, and the ones we'll meet, and let their range of knowledge not barricade the doors to friendship! And cheers to our ability to give thanks for all that we take for granted!

xxo, S

Departure

Oh la la we’re about to leave!!!!

I’m sitting at the airport now and it I can’t believe how fast my last week went! Since Monday, I’ve been on lunch and coffee dates with the most important people, catching up and saying bye before I’m gone for four months. Of course, there was the entire process of packing, too. I took over the basement and had little towers of clothing which I sorted; went through; and sorted again.

I realized on my drive out to JFK this evening that, even though I had known I would always find a way to study abroad, I couldn’t believe it was actually happening! We stopped at White Castle for dinner (a good late-night airport tradition) and then voyaged on to Terminal 7 where – after much deliberation on the phone with Orbitz, American Airlines, and Iberia – I finally realized my flight would depart from. Even as I was waiting online to check in, I was still unsure! So I ran to the flights board: my flight was leaving from that terminal, yes. Then I ran (in front of the next person on line!) to a man at the ticket counter and burst out, “Hi I just want to check and – well I’m not the next person in line but – just make sure that flight 5550 is leaving from this terminal I think it is but I’m not sure and do you know, could you check?” During this long inquisition, the man I was actually talking to just looked at me calmly while the man next to him nodded fervently, indicating that yes, my flight was leaving from here. As the original man finally confirmed on his computer that I was headed for the right plane, I thanked the nodding man and spun around to get back in line.

Party spoke Spanish to the woman who eventually checked me in (she said it was muy buen), and just five minutes after my hasty, crazed detective work, I was checked in and ready for security. I gave many hugs and said goodbye to everyone and then went through security (where they lost my body scan data and I had to wait just standing there, barefoot, for a while until they said I could go) and then bam! Ready for takeoff! 

Now I’m sitting next to my gate. I can see my plane – it’s huge! Two jet turbines; that little bump above the nose; all lit up for my cross-Atlantic voyage.

xxo, S

Working on Christmas cards

madness!

Autumn Sunday

Last Sunday, Doug and I went for a little bike ride around our Denver neighbourhood. We rented bikes from the Denver B-Cycle system and rode to the S. Gaylord St. shop street and Washington Park. However, this was before that lovely snowstorm we had on Wednesday, so there were still bright fall leaves on the trees and it was shorts/dresses weather...

riding down s. gaylord street

doug on her bike

we stopped at whole food to grab some picnic food - so green!

our "picnic"

eating in wash park

me and doug :)

Afterwards, we headed back to campus and my dad picked me up for dinner at Uncle T's. Dad was going back to NY in the morning, so it was a fun dinner and the last time I'll see him before Thanksgiving! Also last weekend, I got NEW SKIS & GEAR!!! Pictures to come soon, but be warned: everything is freakin' awesome!

xxo, S

Guess who's...

...coming to visit this weekend? MY DAD!!!

It's Parent's and Homecoming week at DU and my dad is coming to visit - yay!!
We get to go to a hockey game tomorrow, a BBQ at the ∆Z house, and my dad gets to meet all my friends at DU. All so much fun! Oh, and visit some of his friends who live out here, too :P but it's mostly about me. Like always. (Kidding.)

He's arriving tonight and I CAN'T WAIT!
Hooray for the weekend :)

xxo, S

Cool addition to the Penthouse

A few weeks ago, Alan, Stu, and I went to the new Ikea in Colorado. Per usual, we found the coolest, funkiest, sometimes useless stuff. One of our great finds was a roll of paper for a kids' easel - a great idea to keep your child endlessly supplied with doodle paper.

Growing up where I was fortunate to eat out often with my family at numerous restaurants that laid butcher paper over the tablecloths, I knew that there is endless fun in a big sheet of paper. My dad would bring crayons to the not-as-child-friendly restaurants, and we would be good, quiet kids doodling on paper.

Ikea's Mala Drawing Paper Roll recreates these fun memories for me. I created a fun, easy contraption to make my dorm room wall into one of those restaurant tables - look!

You will need:

-one Ikea Mala Drawing Paper Roll (not available on-line)

-two, 3M Command hooks (I used the general purpose 3lb-capacity)

-one wooden dowel, 1/2" in width

-6 ft. of 1"-wide ribbon

-glue, or some form of heavy duty tape

1) place the dowel through the paper roll. do not unwrap the paper roll until the entire project is finished.

2) tie the ribbon around the dowel, about 1/2"-1" in from the ends. secure with heavy duty (packaging) tape or glue

3) find someone to give you a hand for this step. position the paper roll about 12"-18" below the ceiling, or whatever height you would like the paper to start at. hook the two Command hooks so that they support the ribbon. the hooks should be about 1 ft. apart.

4) mark where the hooks will attach to the wall. follow instructions to use Command hooks.

5) finally, hang the paper roll on the wall, and cover in crayon or marker doodles!

You can place a basket or box on the floor below the paper roll so it can recollect. Be careful about using Sharpie or permanent markers on the paper roll as the ink may bleed through the paper and onto the wall. Also, there is an element of balance in keeping the paper roll horizontal; the roll may require occasional readjusting along the dowel.

Now look how much fun my friends and I can have!!!

It's also a great system to leave messages and allow guests to leave their mark :)

A project I've always wanted to try that ended up being super easy! Love it!

xxo, S

Birthday day!

(yes, I know it's a bit redundant)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!

Last night a bunch of ∆Zs (and some non-∆Z friends) and I went out to dinner in downtown Denver to celebrate my birthday. It was also one of my good friend's (and ∆Z sister) birthday too!!! We're birthday twins! A total of sixteen of us went out to dinner and had an absolute blast :) We sat at a big table outside, and because we had been waiting a long time, got a few free appetizers - yum. It was so fun, we just laughed and had the time of our lives.

the two birthday girls!!

frosting on my face

everyone at dinner

And now today! My actual birthday! I got a lot of birthday calls, texts, and Facebook wall posts... thanks to everyone; I feel so loved :) Per my attending college, I don't get to celebrate my birthday with my family every year now, so it's wonderful that I have such great friends who celebrate to the ends of the earth with me.

I woke up to a bright, quiet morning; well-rested, I walked with Betty Crocker (one of my suitemates) to get breakfast and then headed to the ∆Z house to hang out for a while. Stu drove me and Doug to get picnic food at Whole Foods and then we chilled in Wash Park with Shmee for a while - so relaxing.

stu and doug

Doug, Stu, and Alan took me out to dinner later at Piatti in Cherry Creek. Such a good meal (with more free appetizers!) and scrumptious dessert; Stu got chocolate cake, Alan got salted caramel sorbet, Doug got tiramisu, and I got panna cotta. We were so full afterwards (maybe too much indulgence, but hey, it's my birthday!)....

My awesome suitemate, Dance-ay, got me a cute birthday princess pin to wear around today :) Here are the cards and other things I got today:

 french birthday pastries from Mom

 cards from stu...

 ...alan...

 ...and doug.

 birthday outfit

birthday pins! :)

Thank you to everyone who helped me celebrate! This was one of the best birthdays ever :)

xxo, S

Resort living

After our tiny hotel in tiny downtown Punta Mita, we migrated over to the St. Regis for the weekend. Now, we loved the first hotel we stayed at; the whole staff was helpful, friendly, and accommodating. But the St. Regis is, well, the St. Regis. We were greeted with drinks and cold towels, checked in on a couch by a fountain overlooking the ocean... and that was just the start!

Our rooms joined together and had matching ocean views, and everything from the outdoor shower to the balcony to the beds were sumptuous.

champagne "ceremony" pops the top off with a sword

The hotel had three different pools and a wide strip of soft beach, connected by a winding system of pathways that wove throughout the lushly landscaped resort (it felt like a jungle adventure!). We lounged about, eating lunch poolside. The whole time we were in Mexico, T and I kept saying, "Eat when you're hungry, sleep when you're tired. Nothing else matters." We basically threw the clock out the window and watched time fly...

On our first day at the St. Regis, there was a small "guacamole class" where we watched how to make simple, authentic, Mexican guacamole. The secret is in the simplicity (recipe to follow)... and the instructor, whose name was Tony. His constant commentary kept us all engaged, but he seemed to have it out for me and made me scoop and mash the avocados and grind salt, before mixing everything together, then tasting and serving up our (really, it was my) creation. Yes, the guacamole was absolutely yummy... :)

Look! A leaf cutter ant!

When it was finally time to leave, we bade adieu to Punta Mita, returned to Puerto Vallarta to board our plane home, and watched the Pacific, the mountains, and the food of Mexico disappear below us.
Adíos, México!

sunset on our last night

xxo, S