Menton Tomorrow

Tomorrow I'm off on a road trip with Dominique and Mimi to Menton, the town smack dab in the middle of this beautiful screenshot. Italy is to the right of that dark squiggly; that water's the Mediterranean! I'm excited to finally be able to say I've been to Italy, but there's (of course) a tragic twist: during the whole of our stay, the rules of Passover will be presiding over my life. Meaning no authentic pizza or pasta for me. :(

This will be my first Passover away from family. I won't even be going to a seder at all; my uncle and grandma are both Catholic, so tomorrow night will be like any other night for them. I think this fact, coupled with all the discussion about my brother's graduation, is reminding me of a feeling that I've been so far super successfully ignoring: I miss home. It's weird to say I'm homesick and that I miss my family when I'm with family, and I've always considered L'Artaudie a home. But I guess that's not good enough for me exactly right now. (It's weird to type this in my blog when at the same time I know that virtually its only readers are my family members...tearz for interweb non-popularity...but I can at least pretend that it's my blog written for a general audience and not just some weird round-about way of reminding them I'm alive).

There'll be no internet in Menton, and I was stupid enough to only bring one book that I've already finished, so for a week I'll have to busy myself with...hm. With...I guess...strolling around and being a tourist. Taking lots of pictures. Gambling in Monaco and casually becoming a millionaire. Arguing with my grandma about gay marriage (if I'm brave enough to bring up the subject again...). Not eating bread. Pretending I can draw (this illusion will last about half a day, as it always does). Hopefully not thinking too much, because that's really the recurring trap.

Skiing (or trying)

Today Dominique and a family friend took me out cross-country skiing. I felt awkward and by the end very sore, but I didn't fall, the views were beautiful, and we were virtually the only ones out on the threeish mile loop.

Dominique forging ahead.

Victory cappuccino! 

Piano Epicness

I think this is very much worth sharing with world. A talented musician that happens to also be one of my closest friends...check out his newly-released recordings of Rachmaninoff, Haydn, and Bach HERE! Do it!

Dippin' Dots

Today in L'Artaudie was the strangest weather event I've experienced in a while. Out of the sky fell, neither rain, hail, nor snow, but all-natural dippin' dots. DIPPIN' DOTS EVERYWHERE! Made me feel strangely nostalgic (or maybe just hungry?) for over-priced amusement park food.

End of Term

Sitting in L'Artaudie, it almost feels like summer vacation all over again...except every time I glance outside the window I see snow.

The end of Hilary term at Oxford was a blur, and I think I'm just beginning to realize that my first quarter abroad is actually over. I say first because half way through the term, I decided to stay on for an extra quarter. Something told me that I wouldn't be ready to say goodbye to that place after 10 weeks, and now I'm glad that I predicted the sentiments of my future time-slice so well. There are still so many places to see and things to learn. I'm excited to go back after what was one of my favorite quarters of college so far.

I feel like I've learned so much. The more I reflect, the more I feel my term crystallize into little mottos I can take with me. Examples: Don't be afraid of books; you can learn a lot by just opening one up. Kant is unbelievably confusing, and patience is crucial. Chicken kebab at Ahmed's should always be ordered with garlic sauce. Tesco Everyday Value is the way to go. After a hard day, a Ben's cookie is well deserved. Potatoes, eat only in moderation. Talking about music is a good way of making conversation. Don't be embarrassed to be an American; some people actually think it's really cool. British people can't dance. ETC ETC ETC.

My last weekend in England was spent on a two night trip to London. Got to eat (cheap) Japanese food, something which is impossible to do in Oxford. My roommate's friend was visiting from Dublin, and we spent the majority of our full day traipsing about the huge shops on Oxford Street. I pretended that I didn't feel totally out of my element, and our "shopping" trip ended up being really fun (in quotes because I didn't buy anything). We also spent a part of the afternoon in the beautiful Victoria and Albert Museum, and for lunch I had my first legit English breakfast  -- carbs on carbs on carbs. Ketchup everywhere to complete the tastiness.

After my roommate's friend had left to catch her flight in the late afternoon, we transfered to our hostel for the night and then nabbed 68 pound, premier tickets to Billy Elliot for 38 pounds one hour before the show started! We were feeling very proud of ourselves, and the show itself was AMAZING which added to the triumph.

I left early on Sunday morning and took the Tube to Heathrow for my flight to Lyon. After one night staying with my aunt and cousins in St. Etienne, I arrived at L'Artaudie on Monday at lunchtime.

Stratford-upon-Avon

The tradition of Friday day trips continued yesterday with a visit to Stratford-upon-Avon, Shakespeare's home. We were meant to wake up early and have a productive morning of library time before the 1pm departure, but that didn't happen; we ended up getting up just in time to grab Olive's paninis before heading onto the bus.

Once in Stratford, we strolled around a bit and found a really nice teahouse that we dwelled at for quite sometime. This was my first traditional English tea, and it's definitely something to repeat in the near future. Luckily there's a teahouse that's apparently really nice just across the street from Stanford House that I'm excited to try sometime.

After the table next us had left, I decided to take advantage of the scenery.

Behold, the deluxe "Afternoon Tea" for two, complete with (in ascending order), your choice of three types of sandwiches, scones, and dessert pastries.

My more humbling choice, the "Cream Tea:" tea of your choice with two scones, strawberry jam, and clotted cream. The tea I chose was the house blend.

We then proceeded to stroll around town looking like very lost tourists...The town itself is very charming, but you have very much the impression that you are in the middle of no where. I wouldn't be surprised if 97% of the town's economy revolved around Shakespeare. As we walked further and further into the residential areas, I couldn't help but feel like the breeze meant we were about to hit the coast, even though we were far far from it. I guess I just miss California.  

In the afternoon, we visit Shakespeare's birthplace, Anne Hathaway's cottage (his wife), and the chapel where Shakespeare is buried. All three of these places were neat, but also closed by the time we reached them. Woo.

The house where Shakespeare was born!

Some happy tourists gathered at the back of the house for a photo opp.

Spooky tree on the way to visit Shakespeare's grave.

The chapel (closed) where Shakespeare is buried.

More spookiness. 

Anne Hathaway's cottage, a 30 minute trek through a residential section. 

After these three main stops, it was time for a light dinner at the Black Swan, a famous pub across from the Swan Theater. The play we then went to go see was "The Orphan of Zhao." I really liked it -- it had a very consumeable and fast-paced, movie-esque plot -- but it didn't please some of the connoisseurs. In any case, it sparked interesting discussion on the bus ride back about the casting choices that had been made. The play is Chinese, set in China. But the vast majority of the cast was Caucasian, with the only Asian actors getting the roles of dog, servant, baby-sound-maker. It was very disconcerting how clear-cut this split in casting choice was. In any case, for 5 pound student tickets, it was a very good experience.