Feliz cumpleaños ma!! :D

opera!

i went to the opera tonight. it was beautiful! :) then i saw some silly little musicians who were singing about chocolate, mayonnaise, beer, and other foods. they made me smile, they were being really expressive. so i had a wonderful day! yay!

dreams

as the title mentions, i will retell you two random dreams i've had, one in english, one in spanish

english: last night, i had a dream that this random kind stranger was my friend. he held my hand to let me know he appreciated my company. it wasn't any sort of romantic thing, it was a reassurance of my physical existence. it allowed me to know i was appreciated and that i was an entity, a human being. in all of my trip over here, i have had one hug and that was to say goodbye to my housemate. i did shake hands with two or three people at mass, and i think that's when i realized that i have been in serious need for some physical reassurance of my human entity status haha. i think that same night i dreamed i poked my dad's belly. i do that to let him know i care about him and love him. so i very much look forward to seeing Loli's family so i can greet them with the typical two kisses on the cheek. i hear hugs aren't so popular over here... so that's a little sad.

español: jaja pa' que se rian! el sabado soñe que con el noticiero de hechos y entonces estaban haciendo una covertura politica de algo del PRD. asi que la camara pasa sobre un monton de gente y entre la gente esta Javier Alatorre al lado de otro hombre y haciendo señas a la camara para que corte. regresan al estudio y Javier Alatorre admite publicamente que no queria que pasaran esa escena porque el hombre que estaba al lado es su compañero sentimental.
JAJAJA... no se ni por que soñe eso, ni a que caso viene... la salida del closet publica de Javier Alatorre JAJAJAJA

WOOO!!!

I made reservations for hostels in Girona (one night only!) and Rome. In Barcelona, I will be staying with Carmen and Paco, she is the sister of one of our family's good friends, Loli (and her husband whose name is also Paco haha). :)

This is my last week here! Unlike all the other girls in the program, I have not gotten emotional about it. I think its due to the fact I still go to Barcelona and Rome after this. It is also due to the fact that I don't feel very emotionally attached to the girls in my program. Since I live in a homestay, hanging out has been difficult. I will, however, miss my host mom. She has been great! She also wooks delicious salmon quiches, which I have now learned how to do! WOO!

So overall, life is good. I am uber super duper excited about Barcelona and Rome! I like the idea of going on my own. I hope to find people to hang out with in Rome or I'll have to head back to the hostel at 6 PM, I have read in Rome if a girl (foreigner) is out on her own past 6 she is thought as "wanting some."

THis, being my last week of school, means I have to write a 10 page essay on Albert Camus' views on the death penalty and the absurd. I am quite scared, being that I have very limited access to the public library and cannot check out books. For the other class (Women in the francophone world) I will attempt to critique the essays given to us in a post-modern way. I now kinda wish I had picked something a little bit easier hahaha. Oh well, it's were my heart is I suppose!

So now I'm off to do something. I've been seated in my butt for hours trying to find safe and affordable hostels.

I leave you with a great quote by professor Ahmed Bougarche from Women in the Francophone world class:
"They call women the weaker sex and make them wear veils that cover up everything but the eyes. My question is, if women must cover up everything but their eyes in order for males to restraint themselves, who is the weaker sex?"

hahaha. maybe you had to be there, he's really expressive... :)

to keep you updated...

my computer is, in fact, broken, and though we tried to repair it, we tried unsuccesfully. :(

so let's see: last weekend i went to cassis and it was beautiful, yesterday i went back to Lourmarin, to the grave of Albert Camus (author of The Stranger and Nobel Literature winner). next thursday, i have 2 essays due and those will be my final finals! woo! though i assume i will continue my studies, its good to know the beginning of the end (for my formal studies) are over.
OH!!! and bastille day is this saturday :) i will enjoy some fireworks downtown with a couple of friends, as well as tour some museums! WOO!

so, in brief:
i leave aix next saturday to go to Paris, where I will leave most of my baggage and I will see my dear friend Beatrice. :) We're thinking about going to Musee D'Orsay :) the art history dorks we are, of course.
that same night, i take a plane from Paris to Gerona, where I might spend the night or take a bus to Barcelona.
I spend 3 days in Barcelona.
take a plane to Rome!
spend 4 days in Rome.
fly back to Paris, pick up my luggage, and fly back home the next day. :)

i am really excited about everything!!! i get to experience Gaudi and the Pieta once more. i will try to put fresh flowers in the tomb of pope john paul ii. oh my i am so very excited!!! i really do wish a family member or friend (mostly my boyfriend) was here with me, to experience all these wonderful things, but i am still glad i get to experience them on my own. :)

much peace and love to all!

happy 4th of july from france

today, soldes have started in aix. what is a solde? it is a sale. in france, things can only go on sale twice a year: once in summer and once in winter. paris started its soldes last week but we started today. i didn't buy anything, but i did do some looking because i might need a new bookbag. turns out my old one has a rip and the plan was to travel with it to rome and barcelona. the host mom suggested it might be better to buy a new one rather than get mine fixed... oh wells.

if you know of cheap (AND SAFE!) hostels in barcelona and rome, please be sure to share the info!

as for me, i am currently a little cranky. i have some homework due tomorrow and my teacher intimidates me... i also didn't get a nap, so my head hurts. for all of you who might be unawares- i am a fearless napper. especially here. the elevation is much higher and i think my body is not used to it...

that is it for now. enjoy the fireworks tonight!

sad news/ happy news!

my laptop is broken. cry with me! everyone together: BUAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!

so i'm using my host mom's compy but i wont be able to upload pictures until i get back home. believe me, i am more sad than you are.

in happier news, I just purchased airplane tickets! they go:
Paris to Barcelona Sat 21 Jul 7 at 22:05 (10 PM) and arrive GRO at 23:35 (11:35 pm)
From Barcelona to Rome Wed 25 Jul 7 at 8:50 and arrive CIA at 10:20
From Rome to Paris Sun 29 Jul 7 at 7:00 and arrive BVA at 09:05

i wonder if i have to be 3 hours early for international flights... if so, i might as well sleep in the airport that last night ;)

and then!!
Mon, Jul 30th at 7:05pm I arrive at the wasington d.c airport :)

PS-- since last post, i have had chicken (via a sandwich) and corn with lemon and tabasco sauce since i'm the only person in my house that will eat canned food... so the cravings are not bad anymore :D all right au revoir!