Happy St. Patty's Day!

On my way home tonight, I heard a car horn that played "Dixie," and I got a bit wistful for NC. If you live there, enjoy the barbecue and delicious Mexican food while you've got it!

Bizarre

I got followed today. This person just started talking to me on the street, because (coincidentally?) we had been going the same way for a bit. He told me I walked fast, and had an athlete's legs, and I was mildly creeped out but just answered his questions since he seemed like he was just trying to be friendly. He asked where I was from, and said he thought I looked German or Norwegian (what?!) but not American. I just sort of nodded, and walked kinda fast, and then veered off at the American Center instead of going home. He followed me into the courtyard.

"Do you want to grab a coffee?"

"No, thanks. I have to study."

And I booked it inside. Claire, the 20-something adorable secretary, was frowning when I walked in. 

"Who was that?"

"I don't know. He just started talking to me on the street. He wanted me to get coffee, and I said I had to study."

"Good. Stay here for awhile, okay?"

So I hung out for about twenty minutes, until Claire was sure he had gone. It wasn't the scariest experience of my life, but I kind of wonder if he would have followed me all the way home. 

Nothing can bother me today, though, because in two days I get to see this one:

And another six days after that until we get to see this one:

I am so excited! 

Triumph!

Good things today:

1. I am so happy with my volunteer position! These kids are the best, so funny and sweet, and the teachers are so cheerful and have the greatest rapport with their students. Today, we talked about boys and journal keeping at recess and drew oompa-loompas in class. I think I might request more hours with a class of little kids too, because this has been one of my favorite parts of the program. Mandatory coloring and girltalk? I'm so there. 

It's so great watching these kids make discoveries...today I was working with Salomé, whom I adore, and she was having trouble making change in one project that practices money skills. We started counting on fingers aloud, and I explained that it was just subtraction. At first she had to hold her hands up and work her way through it--10, cashier takes 1, 2, 3, 4, I get back 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6...but within ten minutes, she was doing it all in her head and beaming from ear to ear...I was so proud! There is also Pierre-Nicolas, who every week writes me a list of all the words he knows in both French and English--all of which he's learned from playing video games. It's pretty impressive, and he knows a lot of words in English that I don't know in French. I could go on and on, but suffice it to say, this class is amazing.

2. Only one more exam!

3. New language partner! Last one is never available, because he's a lawyer and is a real grown up, so Claire (the lovely, incredibly cool secretary at the AUCP) gave me another. Her name is Anne Sophie, and she is adorable and sweet and down to earth, and promises not to hit on me.

and possibly best of all...

4. Today when I went to my travail bénévole at College St. Joseph, there was a group of teenage girls sitting on the steps, looking way more together than I have ever been in my life. The class was still outside, and on my way back out to find them, the girls on the steps stopped me:

"Hi, we LOVE your sunglasses!"

"Oh hi! Thanks so much!"

"You're English!?" (French people can usually tell the difference between Brits and Americans when they speak French...and apparently I have a British accent?)

"Oh no, actually, I'm American. I'm studying here for the semester."

"You are AMERICAN? Mais non! You look like a French girl! We thought you were French because you are dressed like an Aixoise!"

And then I got all dorky and "Omigosh, thanks so much! That is so flattering!" and lost whatever cool points my giant sunglasses (which one of my students says make me look like a fly. Thanks, Pierre-Nicolas!) earned me. 

But still...FRENCH TEENAGERS thought I was fashionable. Sweet. 

Want mail?

I have a small addiction to office supplies, craft materials, and pretty papers. I discovered Michel, a papeterie here in Aix, on Valentine's Day, and now it is a running joke with my friends about how often I go there. I find it very calming and cheery, because they have paper and envelopes and notebooks in every color, jars stuffed with the best pens ever, and as I recently found out, a whole second floor I did not know was there that is dedicated to things like colorful ribbons and heart-shaped felt stickers.

I could go on about this for ages, but I really ought to study for my exam tomorrow, so I will get to the point: I have an overload of letter writing supplies and not enough people to write letters to! So send me an email (click on About Me, to the right) with your address, and I will write you a letter or postcard...because really, who doesn't like to get mail?

(this includes you,  miel et cannelle readers!)

Today in pictures.

Today I woke up to this:

Had this for lunch:


Checked out my local library with Arielle,
And am now having a hard time following my own advice.

PS: Mini blackboards and chalk are cheaper than post-its! What?!

Starry-Eyed Again

This is how I feel about Aix right now:



(via first milk)

It's inconvenient, really, because it's just starting to get warm and I'm just falling in love with the city again, and it's midterms week! Bother.

Also, Julie Andrews? Still as awesome as she was when I was five.

Malentendus?

In my Written & Oral Expression class, we rotate through the roster giving mini-presentations in class. As part of this, we choose a section of vocabulary from our thesaurus and present a few words from our composition to the class. 

A couple weeks ago, I made the mistake of using "ça me fait venir" in a composition, which, as you can see in the above photo IS IN OUR THESAURUS. (For those of you who don't speak French, let me refer you to translate.google.com, for a general idea of what I said.)

My very dignified, very French professor, Jean-Michel, came up to me as I was writing this on the board. "Leela," (this was all in French) "Leela, are you sure that is what you want to say?"

I start giggling immediately, because I had wondered about the literal translation...but I showed him where it was in the book. "No no no. That is not what that means. I do not think this is what you want to say."

And then...the worst part.  I tend not to think before I speak, and I tend to have a bit of a verbal diarrhea problem...which is why my immediate response to my very proper, old-fashioned, Aixois prof was...

"I don't know, they were REALLY good eggs!"

(I turned bright red after I said it, practically ran to my seat, and then alternated between being mortified and laughing hysterically for the rest of the class.)