The daily grind

This past week most of my time has been consumed by a video project I've been working on. It's a competition hosted by my program where you make a 5 min video featuring your study abroad location and why it's so great. We filmed all over town and after hours and hours of hard work it's finally coming together. We have the potential to win $1000 in travel money (split between my group of 3) and we're up against kids in other countries spanning the globe. We have no idea how many entries there will be but the voting process is going to be through YouTube so when that starts I'll post the link! Here's a sneak peak of some still shots I took of my favorite spots in Aix...

Pretty accurate reflection of an average street in Aix.

Newsstand down the street from my house.

The track where I spend probably most of my time second to my apartment and school; it's my home away from home. The pool is the building on the left where I have just recently started swimming since my wrist is healed and it is so great! I realized that this was the longest I'd gone without swimming in probably almost four years...I feel back to normal now :)

A chateau in the outskirts of Aix where our program director took us to take photos/videos for our project. She's our biggest cheerleader because if our group wins it looks great for her program and she certainly deserves a lot of credit.

One of the many beautiful doors in the city.

Now that spring has begun, so have the lively street performers outside of cafes.

I have also been busy cooking and trying out new recipes, per usual...I tried out a red lentil soup that was featured on my fav 101 cookbooks blog and it turned out so delicious. We had leftovers for days and it was conveniently during a rainstorm so it was the perfect comfort food. I also tried my hand at making a vegetable tart/quiche which turned out to be definitely one of my favorite things. The best was that it was so easy and relatively healthy with only eggs, veggies, and a little bit of cheese. Lastly, I made lasagna roll ups with a ricotta and basil filling. Very simple to make and paired perfectly with my favorite seasoning, herbs de provence. I'm so stoked to be cooking and succeeding because for those of you who'd lived with me/known me well previously, I was solely a microwave cook. In fact, I was quite afraid of cooking in general...I'm crossing my fingers that this isn't some weird France fluke and that when I go back to the states I'll still be as interested in it as I am here. I have a feeling that this is just the beginning of a beautiful culinary future. Who knows, maybe I'll just forget this whole med school idea and open a restaurants...just kidding :) But maybe some day...

Red lentil soup.

Veggie Tart

In the process of lasagna roll ups

The final product! (Minus a few...)

That's all for now, check back soon for the post of my video project !

Le cowboy Francais

Back from another exciting weekend adventure, this time from the Camargue in France. (As previously mentioned, French cowboy land!) France, especially Provence, is so diverse, it's amazing how different of a city you can find within an hour drive!

We arrived to Saintes Maries de la mer which is a cute little beach town in the Camargue. It being the off season, the town was very much deserted but we managed to find a few shops and restaurants open to explore while we waited for our activities to begin. The town is tiny and we ate lunch ate a great family own creperie where the husband and wife owners were delivering plates of warm crepes to the neighboring shop keepers. They don't seem to get many American tourists this time of year and were delighted when they discovered we could carry on a conversation in French. I ate a delicious crepe filled with asparagus, creme fresh and ham...yum.

After lunch it was off to an afternoon of horseback riding! We rode beautiful Camarguaise white horses who took us through the marshland and along the beach. Although it was cloudy and pretty chilly, it was great scenery with not one evidence of civilization in sight. The wildlife there is also vastly diverse and we were able to see dozens and dozens of pink flamingos! They're so beautiful, especially mid-flight as the underside of their wings are striped deep pink and black. It was all very surreal...

The next day the surreality continued when we visited a local bull farm. The family who runs the farm has know Vivienne our program director for years so we felt very warmly welcomed. We took a hay ride out to see the bulls and were given demonstrations on how they herd the bulls on horseback by their 8 year old daughter. Bulls are what Camargue is most known for and they treat the bull raising as a very serious traditional process that has been maintained for many years. It's such a different way of life there it's amazing to think of being raised in such a culture.

After another fantastic lunch (including a course of the most amazing fresh goat cheese and olive oil I have ever had!) we were off to une course camarguaise which is their local version of bull fighting. It's a very serious sport there where the men are put into the pit with a bull who has ribbons strung around his horns. Their mission is to try to remove the ribbons with this pick that they have attached to their hands. It's a sport the requires an huge amount of athletic ability as the men are leaping in and out of the pit as the bull chases after them. They bound off of a platform that surrounds off the ring and it looks very much like they're flying. It was exhilarating to watch and definitely a once in a lifetime opportunity.

After the course had finished we were on the bus back to Aix...It was a great weekend filled with events that I would never have experienced if it wasn't for the organization of my program. It was such a great opportunity and I'm so glad I was able to take part in it all. The Fall schedule for CSUMB came out so I've been thinking about my future plans a lot lately and although coming abroad is going to be setting me back a bit for graduation, I have no doubt in my mind that it was entirely worth it. Not only has it gave me so much more culture, but a better perspective on life and a great reassurance that I'm on the right track with my future/education. While I've enjoyed the school here, I really miss science classes which is such a great affirmation that I'm headed in the right direction. I cannot wait for what the future holds for me and I feel like this experience has opened my eyes to a world of possibilities...

...and I still have two more months to go :)

Until next time...

A bit of Irish

After a busy week of travels and festivities I finally have some time to sit down and go through my pictures and reflect on everything. I was in Dublin from last Friday until Monday where I met my friend Danielle. It was really great having a tour guide through the city because although it's a very easy city to navigate, many of the fun things to do are not obviously stated. This being said I was taken to lots of favorite local restaurants and of course many pubs. It was a great time and my favorite part was talking to and getting to know the locals. The Irish are so friendly and welcoming and I loved chatting with the assortment of people that I met. I even met someone who also loves couch surfing and might surf my couch in Monterey!

Another highlight of the trip was a visit to the Guinness Storehouse. While the history of the beer and brewing process was interesting, my favorite part of the visit was the Gravity Bar at the top of the building. It's the highest point in all of Dublin and has an amazing 360 degree view of the city. There was a big Ireland/Wales rugby match on that day and you could see the stadium all lit up. Europeans are very patriotic when it comes to rugby and almost everyone was wearing either green or red for Ireland and Wales, respectively.

(This is the harp that the Guinness logo is based off of and it's called the O'Neil harp :))

After the Guinness trip that night we went with a few of Danielle's Irish friends to a comedy club called The International. It's a pretty famous place in Dublin and a lot of well know comics have gotten their start there. It was a three act show with a great MC and we were laughing all night. After that we were lucky enough to go to a club where a member from Passion Pit, one of my favorite bands, was doing a DJ set. Danielle's friend knew someone who worked there and so we were granted access to the VIP room where we were within breathing distance of the band members, it was awesome and definitely something I'll never forget.

Another highlight was a trip out to a neighboring village of Dublin called Howth. It's right along the water and has incredible views of the Dublin bay from the top of the town. We ate delicious fish and chips (the best in Dublin according to Danielle) and enjoyed a relaxing day by the water. It was nice to get out of the hustle and bustle of the city and see a little bit of nature.

All in all it was a nice trip and interesting because Dublin wasn't much like I imagined it to be. While the people have a lot of personality and character I don't think that that's reflected in the appearance of the city. While there are a lot of old brick buildings, everything is low-lying and quite plain. It was nice because the city was not overwhelming in the least bit, but you really have to go inside places to find the charm. It being the weekend before St. Patrick's day there was a lot of fun energy in the nightlife which I really enjoyed.

Other then that the weather in Aix has FINALLY turned beautiful and we've all been soaking up the sun and loving it. We went on a tour of a chateau today that produces olive oil and wine and got tastes of both. Afterwards we walked through the olive groves in beautiful 70 degree weather... life is good. Tomorrow we're off on a weekend trip to Camargue which is French cowboy land! It's right along the ocean and we're going horseback riding through the marshes of a natural wildlife preserve. Rain is on the forecast but we're crossing our fingers for an error in weather predicting...more updates soon! Bon week-end!

The past week...

The weekend is fast approaching and as is my trip to Dublin to meet up with my friend Danielle! Actually fast approaching is an understatement as I'm getting ready to leave for the airport in about an hour...Anyway, Danielle is flying in from the states and I cannot wait to see her and have her show me around Dublin since she studied abroad there last year. Tonight I have an overnight layover in London (yay!) where I'm staying at a little bed and breakfast near the airport. Although I've done plenty of plane travel by myself this will be my first actual overnight traveling alone and I'm quite looking forward to it. I'm just crossing my fingers that my flight arrives on time so I can make it for the free shuttle to my hotel...Or else, I'll just have to pay for a taxi- not ideal, however not a problem because they speak English! Oh how nice traveling in English speaking countries is :)

This past week has actually been quite busy with school and activities and a friend's birthday. I've had my first round of exams and presentations in my classes and I'll find out how I did on those next week...eek! I realize I hardly ever talk about my hometown here in Aix but I'm working on a video project all about studying abroad here so I'll try to keep updating with photos and perhaps some video clips. The weather was just starting to get nice but then we had another cold spell and it snowed the other night! They say it's been one of the coldest and longest winters in history. I am certainly excited for it to end- mainly because I have a limited amount of winter clothes and I'm so tired of wearing the same things over and over! I've also finally gotten into a really good workout routine and it's rough running when you feel like your lungs are burning. Speaking of working out, however, I've finally found this large park where it seems that all the Aixoise like to go walk and jog. I've been running on the various tracks in the area and another small park, so to find this was quite exciting. I've mentioned before that sometimes I feel like I stand out here because you hardly ever see anyone exercising so I felt right at home in this park amongst other recreational athletes. There's a large stream that runs through the park and lots of meandering paths- I'll have to take some photos sometime as I think I'll be spending a lot of time there...

Other than that my wrist is healing quite well and I should be able to stop wearing the brace in a week! Wow time is really flying by here...I've been taking it out every now and then to get a little movement and so far so good. I'll have to create my own mini rehab program which will definitely include swimming in the pool. I was all set to go with my goggles, swim cap and all, and then I just had to tumble down a mountain...needless to say I have been counting down the days that I can reunite with swimming. It's going to be great.

That's about it for now- time to go do last minute packing and then off to the airport! On a final note- with my new obsession for cooking has come an addiction to reading food blogs. I am now a frequent reader of quite a few, and this one called 101 Cookbooks is my favorite. Heidi Swanson lives in the Bay Area and really focusses on cooking with whole grains and lots of fruits and veggies. All her recipes are really easy to make and follow and the photographs that accompany them are incredible! I highly recommend giving it a look if you have a minute.

Here's the link:

http://www.101cookbooks.com/index.html

Bon week-end!

Gastronomie

As previously mentioned, after arriving in France, it was almost immediate that my taste buds began to change. Bizarrely enough, I began to enjoy foods I previously didn't particularly enjoy unless cooked certain ways; tomatoes and cheese being two great examples. Obviously how could I live in France and not enjoy cheese...very true. The dairy products here are all much different however, as they ultra-pasteurize, meaning they be stored at heat levels above room temperature. This means that all milk isn't refrigerated when you buy it at the store. Coming from the states where there are so many regulations about food storage I was very skeptical about this at first. After conducting some research and actually trying the milk however, I found that I like it just as much if not more.

Cheese is another realm entirely...there are frommageries which are shops that sell only cheese everywhere in France. Every cheese is known for the region it comes from and the Provence region is best known for Roquefort. I prefer the more mild cheeses but I attended a cheese tasting yesterday and my new favorite is Franche Comte which is a very aged cheese from the east. The cows that produce this cheese must live at least 400m above sea level and the process of producing this particular cheese has been maintained for over 400 years! I sampled one that was aged 20 years and it's very true that the older the cheese gets the stronger it becomes...

While I have been enjoying my new appetite for cheese, it's amazing how easy it is to put on a few pounds on a diet rich in these delicious little morsels. This being said, with my new love for la gastronomie has come a love of cooking. We have fresh outdoor markets here everyday so I've been experimenting and adding many new vegetable dishes to my recipe repertoire with much success! While I'm no master chef, I have been able to successfully caramelize onions, make burre blanc, and poach pears in red wine! This is quite a feat as many of you know, before coming here my cooking was limited to pasta and...well more pasta actually. Now, I've been trying to try something new each night and my favorites have been from this past week. My first favorite would have to be "Farmers Market Quesadillas" where I sauteed zucchini, mushrooms, onions and red bell peppers in a little bit of olive oil and added them to cheese quesadillas made with whole wheat tortillas.

My next favorite was a sort of tortellini salad made with fresh artichokes, onions, spinach, artichoke hearts, tomatoes and a bit of basil. The tortellini was pre-made with spinach and ricotta and can be either served warm or cold with the veggies. I preferred it warm as it slightly cooked the vegetables and I added a bit of cheese that melted on the top. Quite tasty...

With the leftovers, last night I mixed together all the vegetables and put them over rice (which is hidden in the photo) topped with feta cheese and paired with a small salad of avocados and carrots with a splash of balsamic vinegar.

My next endeavor is to recreate a French quiche which will definitely be a challenge with my toaster-like oven...Tomorrow for breakfast I am also going to try to create the porridge I had in London which I have been craving since leaving there. Hopefully all goes well! More pictures and updates later :)

London Love

Back from my weekend trip to London and although I love Aix, I can't help sitting here wishing I was still in London...

We arrived late into the night on Thursday and met up with my dad at his hotel right in the middle of the city where he so kindly let us stay for two nights as he was there on business. Friday morning we were treated to an awesome breakfast buffet at the hotel and after our stomachs were stuffed we set off to see the sights. Just by walking we were able to see Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, Parliament, Big Bed, and the London Eye it was so incredible! Everywhere you turn there's some amazing landmark or piece of architecture, my eyes were wide the entire day.
Big Ben hiding behind Parliament.
My Dad and I :)
Allison and I outside of Buckingham Palace.

Don't we look just like the statue?

St. Paul's Cathedral
The London Eye the biggest Ferris Wheel in the world.


People told me Big Ben was over rated but even thought it was a cloudy day I thought it was beautiful.

After a morning of walking, my Dad had to get to work and Allison and I stopped into apparently the oldest pub in London and had delicious fish and chips. Afterward we went to Oxford Street and did a big of shopping including going to an English bookstore where I stocked up on reading material since it's so hard to get good English books in France. It was really nice and relaxing being a foreigner in a city where you speak the same language. Everyone we met was so nice and hospitable and although people in the south of France are nice, the Brits are exceptionally friendly. Before we knew it, it was the evening and we were once again taken to a delicious meal. The professor my Dad was working with at the university is Turkish and took us to this incredible Turkish restaurant. I have never had a real traditional Turkish meal and after eating there I can definitely say it was the best meal I have had in months. Possibly even years...I'm going to attempt to recreate some of the dishes so I'll post a menu on a later blog...

As if the day couldn't get any better, after dinner Allison and I went to see the musical Avenue Q. It was hilarious and I had a smile on my face the entire show.

The next morning I had again an amazing meal of English porridge which is my new favorite breakfast I definitely need to re-create that too. After sadly parting ways with my Dad, Allison and I went to The National Gallery where they have a great collection of Van Gogh, Renoir, Picasso and Cezanne among many others. It was neat to see the Cezanne and Van Gogh pieces because several of them were painted in Provence near where we live.

Feeling in the artsy mood we decided it was the perfect time for tea...We took the tube to Harrods and after shopping awhile we had high tea which included a delicious spread of mini sandwiches, scones, coddled cream, tarts and more sweets. It was a highlight of the trip for sure.

At the end of the day, I took the tube 30 minutes out of the city to Stratford where they are building the cite for the 2012 Summer Olympics! Although it was a big construction cite, I love the Olympics and it was thrilling to imagine what it's going to be like in two years. It's in an area of London that's not the nicest but it looks like they're going to make it a really great new neighborhood.

At the end of the day we took the train out to Gatwick where we stayed the night in a bed and breakfast before our early flight the next morning. It was nice to have a slice of small town, countryside charm and we spent the final hours at the local pub indulging in dessert. Whoever said England has terrible food just doesn't know where to look...I ate so well and am yearning to have those meals yet again! All in all it was an amazing trip and I'm already dying to go back. I love love loved London and it's definitely top on my list of favorite cities I've ever been to.

Now that I'm back it's time to start eating better and exercising more. My wrist has gotten to the point where I can do more activity and I can't wait to get into a healthier routine. I've been really into trying new recipes and since I don't have travel planned for the next two weeks, I'll probably be updating with my culinary adventures. Stay tuned!

Cheers!