An end is just another beginning

I never thought this day would come so quickly. Today, I taught my last classes, which means my contract as an English Teaching Assistant in France is completed. I am feeling so many emotions right, but if I had to put it in just one word: bittersweet.

This entire week has been a whirlwind of goodbye classes, giving goodbye gifts, and the never ending process of trying to close accounts down. I am happy to say that everything is now in the process of being closed* which brings the stress of the end of this experience way down. Now, I can enjoy my last few days here, before traveling all around Europe.

Monday, I had my last lessons at the business where I gave conversation lessons. I wrote each of the adults a nice card and brought chocolate to celebrate. When they came in and saw this, they said "Good, we got something for you too!" and presented me with hand-crafted lavender oil from here in Provence. They said it was a souvenir to remember this region and them - surely I will never forget their kindness! As I said goodbye to my boss's wife and dog, while all of us had a little bit of tears in our eyes, I finally realized how amazing that opportunity was. To teach at such a small business which made me feel like a part of their family was an unforgettable experience. As I exchanged les bises with my boss at the end of our last car ride together, I continued to thank him for everything he has done for me and promised to contact him when I return to Provence after my travels, so that we could maybe get together for a lunch or something. Even though I realize this might not happen, the invitation is just another example of the quality of people I have met here: they are some of the friendliest and welcoming people I know.

Tuesday brought a large surprise: an organized goûter in one of my favorite classes! As we sat around eating sweets that all the students had prepared and talked about my future and their futures, I realize how much I have made an impact on some of my students. They presented me with a sheet of paper with lovely goodbye messages, some so touching that I again was holding back tears. For my second class of the afternoon, we saw my house on Google Earth, which was weird and somewhat comforting to realize that I will be going back there soon. As I said goodbye to this class, another favorite, I couldn't help but well up yet again, saying that maybe we may see each other again, yet knowing in my heart that it won't happen. That is when Marc turned to me and said something I will never forget, "An end is just another beginning."  At this point, I was about to boil over as he had tears in eyes too.

After class, Cathy took me somewhere that we have tried again and again to go to together: Rustrel, also known as le Colorado Provençal. It was finally a perfect day to go so we set off with her dog Fluffy in tow. We wandered around the red rock formations of this wonderful site, which also included a small waterfall and a desert area nicknamed le Sahara. Although it was no Grand Canyon, I could see why everyone said I needed to visit this site before I left - it was absolutely incredible to take in. It was such a nice way to spend a beautiful afternoon, speaking in French with my coordinating teacher, reflecting on this entire experience together. At the end, I gave her the card and gift for her and her husband and tried to get out a simple "merci" without crying. When I explained that it is difficult for me to think about leaving, she said, "But you can always come back! You will always have a place to stay with us!" Again, the overwhelming kindness of the people here never ceases to amaze me - I will be back.

Wednesday brought more goodbye classes but one was special in particular: my private lesson with a student in Seconde. As we have been having guided conversations in these lessons, I thought I would try something different and just see if we could carry on a conversation for two hours with no prompts. We can and did, which goes to show how much better this student's English has become. As I gave her a card with my contact information and chocolate, I said that she could come and visit me whenever she wanted, so she could experience America, or write to me. As I went to hug her goodbye, she decided to give les bises and said to me "Here in Provence, we do three [kisses]!" I replied, "I know, I was giving you an American goodbye: a hug!"

Thursday included my last three classes. As none of these classes were my favorite ones, I hate to say my last day of teaching was less than climactic. However, there were 2 more organized parties with more nice goodbye notes - one class even wrote completely in English! After one more private lesson after school, Amy and I got a ride from Cathy and Marc to a soirée that was hosted in our honor at Veronique's house. It was wonderful to have one last time together, with my teachers as well as Amy, to celebrate an amazing seven months together. There was a moment of stress, as Amy and I were prompted to give an impromptu speech: a description of positives and negatives of our experience in Apt in French to a room full of native speaking teachers AND administrators staring at us. If I didn't mention it before, I am kind of terrified of public speaking. Nevertheless, after we spoke they all said how impressed they were with how well we speak and our accent, so I guess we have improved from being here! We spent the rest of the night drinking wine and champagne while munching on pizza, quiche, veggies, tartes and cakes. My teachers even surprised me with two other amazing keepsakes: a book about the Luberon (filled with amazing pictures of this region) and a French novel that is a thriller and written by a man who is from this region and places the story here as well. I cannot explain how grateful I am to have had such welcoming and friendly teachers to work with, and I plan to keep in contact with them after I return to the states. Ils vont me manquer!** As we all exchanged les bises and said goodbye, it was pretty hard to leave, knowing that the assistantship is officially over.

Amy and I and all the English teachers I worked with! From left to right: Amy, Veronique, Marc, Cathy, Isabelle and Me.

As I sit here on this late Thursday night contemplating all that was, I can't help but have tears welling up in my eyes. I have not fully gotten upset yet***, as it still doesn't feel like the end - I am sure that I will not realize it until later. Amy leaves for Annecy in the morning, meaning that this is our last time in the apartment together, after sharing it for nearly seven months. Although I will go tomorrow morning to pick up Allie from Avignon TGV and will spend the next four weeks traveling around with her, it is going to be weird to be here without my British compatriate - I will miss her! How seven months can go by so quickly, I will never understand. As I am having trouble truly (and succinctly) putting into words what the assistantship meant to me, I am going to try to put it into three simple words: c'était incroyable - it was incredible.

And now, onto another beginning!

*That is, once I mail my phone and already written lettre de résliation on Saturday to Virgin Mobile.
**Translation: I will miss them!

***That might not be true - when I started writing this Wednesday, I might have sobbed like a blubbering idiot. But reporting from Thursday night: I am fine (at the moment).

A calming stay in Cassis

This weekend literally flew by with the blink of an eye. As it was the last weekend before the end of the assistantship, back in February, Amy, Alison and I booked a hostel in Cassis, to celebrate an amazing seven months while relaxing on the beach and by the pool. As the day we booked this excursion, it had been pouring rain and quite gloomy, we were only hoping for beautiful weather along the Mediterranean for our last weekend together.

On Friday, we went into Avignon and spent the afternoon with many of Alison’s Erasmus friends who are studying in Avignon. With a lovely afternoon lounging on the Ile de Barthelesse, soaking up the sunshine, it was wonderful to meet so many different people from so many different places around the world. After a wonderful dinner made by my British chefs here*, we went to one of Alison’s friends’ apartments to enjoy some wine and franglais conversation. That is one of the things that this weekend made me realize – I am going to miss being able to talk in a mélange of French and English whenever I want, with everyone I know being able to understand me.  

When we woke up early on Saturday to start traveling, it was quite cloudy and mild in Avignon, leading us to think that maybe our wonderful beach weekend wasn’t going to be all what we were expecting. But while we were on the train heading further and further south to Marseille, the clouds disappated, leaving clear blue skies and sunshine washing over the sea. We walked through Marseille to Place Castellane – where the bus left for Cassis. Now, I have taken a lot of bus rides through my time in France and Europe this year. This was by far one of the scariest ones I had been on, with windy roads followed by steep drops, only a small guard rail protecting you from certain death. If I didn’t have la vertige**, it would have been a wonderful ride, filled with spectacular view of les Garrigues and the sea. Either way, after a short 30 minute bus ride and 10 minute walk, we arrived at our hostel. This hostel was one of the best I have been to. It offered an infinity pool with lawn chairs, breakfast on the terrace, a beautiful garden and friendly staff. The building itself was just a villa that had been split up and put into dorms. When I return to Cassis, I would definitely stay at Cassis Hostel – was a great value for a great location. 

After dropping things off, we headed down to the beach and met up with other assistant friends Liz and Cary. It was a perfect afternoon, the sun shining intensely with the cool sea breeze making it a perfect temperature. We spent the afternoon relaxing, talking, dipping our feet in the ridiculously cold sea water and indulging in gelato from Amorino. With the stunning views of Cap Canaille in the background, I could not imagine a better way to spend my last Saturday as an assistant in the South of France, at my favorite place in France with my favorite people. 

Once the breeze proved to be a little too chilly, we said final goodbyes to Liz and Cary and went back to the hostel to enjoy some poolside sunshine. Another great thing about staying in a hostel is the opportunity to meet people from all walks of life. One of the workers there, Christian, told us about his life and gave us advice about what he has found nice in Cassis. After our lounging, we said bye to Fran, washed up and collected items for a nice picnic dinner on the beach. Even though we had to move shortly into our meal and relocate to the port, it was the best way I could have imagined spending my last Saturday night – with great food, wine, and two of the best assistants to share it with. We were drawn to reflecting that night, about the experience, about travels, and about growth within ourselves. It was wonderful to take the time with these wonderful friends to be a little melancholic – although we are excited to get home and see everyone we love, we each realize it will be hard to leave this place.

After a good night’s sleep and a wonderful breakfast on the terrace overlooking Cassis, we suited up and spent Sunday morning by the pool. The sun did get a little intense, meaning I might have the burns to prove it, but it was the end cap of a great weekend. As we headed back to Marseille then Avignon via train, all of us in a minor sun daze and thinking of the amazing place we were leaving behind us, we couldn’t help but feel a bit sad. When we all said goodbye to each other once and for all while Amy and I boarded our bus for Apt, I couldn’t help but have tears in my eyes. This experience as an assistant may have had its rough times. But above it all, you always knew that there were people here going through those same types of struggles. It is hard to say goodbye, knowing you might never see those people again, but you have to say au revoir instead of adieu, leaving it optimistic and positive for future meetings. I will never forget this weekend with my favorite people here in France. Now, my last week of teaching - c'est parti!

*Guys, they just make my cooking look bad. I thought I was pretty good at cooking/baking before coming here, but these girls are on a whole different level!

**Translation: If I wasn’t scared of heights.

Differences between American and French schools

As I am nearly done with my job as an English teaching assistant in France, I want to share some cultural differences between American and French education that I have noticed while I have been working at a French high school (lycée). These are all generalizations and they are all from my personal experiences and perspective. I am not saying that these are the 'end all be all', and some are my opinions. Either way, have a look at my view of l'education française!

1. Schedule. In France, school runs from 8-5, Monday-Friday (and sometimes Saturdays), but has Wednesdays off (in most schools, but in mine Wednesday morning classes still happen). There is a 1.5 hour break in the middle of the day for lunch, and two 15 minute coffee breaks (called récreation) during the morning and afternoon as well. Also, classes rotate every other week; they operate on a semaine A and semaine B format.
  
2. Vacation. There are lots of vacations throughout the year: around every 6 weeks, there is a two week vacation. However, school runs until the first week of July and starts again the first week of September, only a 2 month summer vacation.

3. Food. No food in class. Period. Only exception I saw of this is when they are celebrating an assistant leaving. ("Rebecca, est-ce qu'on peut avoir un 'tit gôuter?!?"* = the response of all of my students when I said I would be leaving)

4. Politesse. In many of my classes, I have noticed that there is no seating chart for the class. However, everyone must stand until being told to sit at the beginning of class. It is to show la politesse, politeness. Also, classes must wait until a teacher asks them to enter the classroom, they stand in the hallway and wait between classes until the teacher is ready and says so.

5. Substitutes. When a teacher is sick/absent, there are rarely substitutes. Class is normally just cancelled. Exception: when a teacher is gone for maternity/paternity leave, a remplacant is found. However, sometimes there is a delay to find this teacher, and during the delay class does not meet. In my case, it took them two weeks to find a replacement teacher for one of my colleagues and during those two weeks, class didn't meet. What did students do you ask? Hang out in the courtyard. Or go to a nearby cafe and enjoy a drink. They can do whatever, no one watches them.

6. Lessons. Lesson plans are not as organized persay: no anticipatory set, presentation of information, guided practice, individual practice. Sometimes, I found them quite hard to follow. Whether that means that they are more/less effective, who’s to say! French students are known for being very intelligent, but I have found that to be because of self-led intrinsic motivation mostly.

8. Conversations during class: Students are generally louder, talk over teachers and carry on conversations during class. Even when told to be quiet or given punishment, I have seen that in general, students will continue to talk to one another.

9. Le Provencal quart d'heure: Being late to class is not a big deal, either if you are a student or teacher. This might be just an aspect of Provence culture seeping in, I have heard it is different in other regions. But here, expect le Provençal quart d'heure - the fact that anyone or anything might be at least 15 minutes late.

10. Utenstils ready. Every student carries pencil cases and graph paper - lined paper doesn’t really exist here (at least I haven't found it anywhere). Students are extremely organized in this realm.
  
11. PDA. Everywhere. And no one controls it. Once one of my colleagues pointed at two young ones going at it and said "This is disgusting! Does this happen in America?" When I explained no, she seemed even more upset, yet didn't go up to the students and tell them to stop.

12. Strikes. Teachers decide to strike. A lot. And when they strike, there is no class.

13. Professional Dress. Most teachers wear jeans and sweaters to class, rarely do they “dress up” persay. There are some that wear skirts and dresses, but I have never seen a man in a tie. Maybe a button up shirt, once.

14. Classrooms. In France, teachers don't have their own classrooms. Since teachers schedules vary, they do not have a set classroom and must switch between several rooms between classes. It kind of operates like a university in this sense. I am not a fan of this difference - I would miss having my own classroom! I think it really makes a difference in making a comfortable and inviting place to learn, filled with useful tools to help with teaching. Or just cool pictures, French posters and French flags hanging everywhere.

15. Mock exams. I have never experienced so many practice exams for a standardized test in my life. Here in France, they have an exam called the BAC that terminale (senior-aged students in America) students take at the end of the year. The BAC exam is extremely important, if they don't pass the BAC they don't get their diploma and can't go to university.

16. Free (or really cheap) University. To add an incentive for students to do well on the BAC, as long as they pass the BAC, they can go to university for free, or nearly free. That's pretty good, ouias?! When I told my students that 12,000 dollars per year is not extravagant for university in America, their jaws dropped. They said that 12,000 euros pays the tuition for the highest institutions in France. Quelle difference!

17.  Grading. Grades here are given out of 20, and it is EXTREMELY rare that someone will get a 20. Or 17-19. It is considered a great grade if you got a 13 and a 15 is exceptional. As an American, this shocks me 13/20 = 65%, which is a D. That's considered a good grade?! Teachers are very particular and don't give high grades for anything. Also, grades are sometimes announced in front of the class, so everyone hears each other’s grades. The first time I experienced this was during my study abroad, when our presentation grades were listed off for everyone to know. I guess there is no sensitivity or privacy in this manner here.

 I am sure there are many more things that I did not cover, but these are the ones that struck me the most. Though there are positives and negatives to both systems, I am happy to be returning to the American education system, where I feel more at home. Though there will be less breaks and vacations, I think somehow I can manage. 

*Translation: Rebecca, can we have a little snack?! It's like our version of, "Can we have a party?!"

The Beginning of the End

With another school week completed in Apt and just one left week left in the classroom until the end of my contract, it has become more apparent to me how fast this experience has gone by! It seems like just yesterday I was anxiously taking my first steps into a French classroom. Because I have a teaching school that rotates every other week, I have already had quite a few 'goodbye' classes this week. To see the students’ reactions to me leaving, always sad and wishing I could stay until the end of their school year, makes me realize that I have made quite a difference by being here. It is both encouraging and heartbreaking to hear them say "sniff sniff" with a frown - knowing that they will miss me and that I will probably never see them again. For my "goodbye lesson", I have been having students tell me what they are planning on doing in the future and then they can ask me the same, along with any other questions they may have for me before I leave. This has led to some hilarious requests, my favorite being "What do you think of French men?" I have had quite a few students ask about how I got the job as assistant, saying that I have made them want to consider doing this for year (going to a foreign country to teach French). I cannot explain the pride this makes me feel, knowing that I did make some type of an impact on them. Some have even come up after class and asked for my e-mail to stay in contact. I feel like I really made a rapport with several of the students here, making it hard to leave. I have to say that when one of the students left my classroom on Monday and said "goodbye forever", it really hit me that I won't ever see them again or be here again. It is just extremely weird to think about - I will miss this place!

With Easter vacation coming up (vacances de Pâques), in one of my classes, we talked about what everyone is doing for the holiday. Of course, some didn't know the meaning of Easter at first, leaving some bewildered looks. To try to be clearer, I asked "What do you think Easter means?". One female student who knew the answer excitedly yelled out "chocolate!" I mean, let's be honest - she IS right! Monday I received a surprise Easter package from my parents filled with just that: chocolate (and other assorted goodies too). With so much support from home during this entire experience that I have been here in France, it has really made me realize how blessed I am to have such amazing parents. As this was my first true experience living away from home* in my life, venturing to live and work in a foreign country, knowing no one coming in, I cannot thank them enough for the many times I called them, wrote messages on Facebook, skyped them, etc saying how much I missed home. They were and are always nothing but supportive and passionate about my goals and dreams, not letting me give up and making me see that everything will not always be bright and cheery - those are the moments where we truly find ourselves.

How the French do Easter chocolate

Merci Maman et Papa!

The weather continues to be blue skies every day, with the sun getting stronger each day. Jeans and jackets are being swapped with skirts and sandals; Spring is really starting to arrive around here! Not only are flowers starting to bloom, but the buds on the trees are starting to turn into leaves too. Today, as I was walking around the school grounds in a light cardigan and sundress, I closed my eyes and breathed in deeply the smell of Provence. I instantly opened my eyes to realize I had been caught in a memory; the smell had brought me back to my summer studying abroad in Aix-en-Provence, with my long sunny walks to and from school. It is funny how this weather is bringing back so many memories of this beautiful region. I can't help but remember myself arriving in September, sweating and panting while falling down the ramp at Avignon TGV with my too-heavy baggage, not used to the Provencal climate or laid-back nature of the culture. Wednesday afternoon, though I had some work to do, Amy and I went to the park to relax, read and soak up the sun. I think that I might be getting a little habitué to this way of life, at long last.

Monsieur Potter and sunlight.

This week also brought the visit from the primary assistant from last year, Cece! Though I had never spoken to her until she arrived, she was so lovely to have around, extremely friendly and we all spent hours telling stories of our experiences in Apt and beyond. On Monday, we all went to dinner at a new place in town called l'Auberge Espagnole. Again, because Apt is so small, new places don't happen very often - I was pleased to see it quite busy on a Monday night! We enjoyed a leisurely dinner of tapas and sangria, coupled by great conversation and a friendly waiter. We welcomed her to a simple dinner at the apartment on Tuesday and after a quick two days, we said our goodbyes. Doing the assistantship brings people together but having been placed in Apt automatically made the three of us instant friends. It is hard to explain to other people, even assistants, what it is like to live and be in assistant in this small village. We all had a universal understanding and bond between us from the beginning. I am so glad that she had the opportunity to come and visit - it was so great to meet her!

She even brought us some American spoils - my favorite girl scout cookies! Thanks Cece!

 This morning, I officially paid my last rent bills and gave the office my lettre de résiliation, my letter explaining when I would be leaving the apartment and when to schedule a contrôle de chambre (room inspection). This required me to go and see my least favorite French person here: the gestionnaire (secretary) of the school. Every time that I have had to talk to her, it has resulted in her rolling her eyes and getting frustrated that I did not understand or could not say something. Needless to say, I always brace myself for a conversation with her. When I saw her and presented her with the letter, explaining we needed to schedule a time for the inspection, she looked at me, wide-eyed and the biggest smile on her face, and said “Mais tu parles bien le français!”** I don’t think I’ve ever seen her so happy or smile that big. As we continued our conversation she kept repeating her compliment and while making a photocopy, even remarked to another office worker how well I speak now. As I was leaving, she reiterated this by saying, “Tu as fait bien du progrès pendant ton année ici ! C’est bien !“  I can safely say that her kind words meant and still mean a lot to me, as I spent the year avoiding her judgmental glares. With her compliment, it really allowed me to finally say to myself “Yes, you have gotten better. A lot better.” That feeling is wonderful – I am proud of myself and what this experience has given me even beyond French language learning: a stronger sense of self.

With one more weekend and week until my job as an assistant is done, I have to say that I am a bit melancholic and triste. After so much time spent here, it is hard not to be! As always, I will continue to enjoy the last few dregs of this experience, like savoring the last sip of a glass of magnificent rosé. Chin chin!

*Yeah, I know most people have this moment when they are 18 and go off to college. For me, it was at 23 when I moved to a foreign country. Cheers to attending college in my hometown!

**Translation: But you speak French very well!

***Translation: You made good progress during your year here! That’s great!

A Nice weekend (and Monaco morning)

This past weekend, Liz (a fellow assistant and Michigander that lives in Avignon) and I had a weekend getaway to the Cote d’Azur. We visited Nice, a place that has been on my ‘to see’ list for a long time, and I was anxious for a weekend by the beautiful blue water of the Mediterranean. Meeting at Avignon TGV at 11am on Friday, we jumped on the 3 hour train to Nice. This train ride boasts stunning views of the coast, going from the suburbs of Marseille through Cannes and Antibes before reaching the terminus of Nice. I had taken this train before, when we visited Cannes for Amy’s birthday. This time it was quite gloomy, with dark clouds threatening rain the entire way.

Once we arrived in the city and dropped off our things at our hostel, it was off to exploring the city. As Liz had been to Nice twice in the past, she toured me around the city but also left room to wander through the narrow streets and massive places that closely resemble the piazzas that I experienced in Rome and other cities in Italy. With Nice being so close to the border of Italy and quite a bit of its history being tied to the Romans and the Savoy house, I noticed many similarities between Nice and the country to the East, in architecture, colors, and food. In Place Rosetti, we stopped and grabbed a gelato at a highly recommended shop: Fenocchio Glacier. And with good reason – we were amazed by the amount and range of flavors they offered from 8 different types of chocolate to fruit flavors as rare as passion fruit and lychee. There was even a savory selections, including avocado, tomato basil and  black olive. Needless to say, I went with two scoops of the sweeter options: bounty bar and rocher. Sitting and enjoying this gelato in this petite square of Vieux Nice (Old Town) made me feel like I was in Italy again, and I have to say it was a great feeling!

After this rest, we continued on, though the dark clouds continued to spit droplets down at us. We explored most of Nice on this day, but taking pictures was not really ideal with the weather so we planned to return the next day to each of the big sights. As we walked back from the port as the sun was setting and all the lights in the city were beginning to turn on, I remember thinking “okay Nice, I guess you’re pretty nice!” It is a beautiful city during the day, but arguably even more beautiful at night. While walking back down the Promenade des Anglais, gaping at the lit up palm trees lined up next to me, I couldn’t help but feel content to be in such an exquisite place.

Saturday morning, we woke up early and got ready for a full day exploring the town. Today, the weather was in our favor and the sun shined on us brightly all day long. We went back to all the major sights again, including Promenade des Anglais, the Negresco Hotel, Place Massena, Promenade du Paillon, a wander through Vieux Nice and Place Rosetti. We did wander to a few fairly unknown places though – one of my favorites was the little garden in the courtyard of the Musée Massena. It was a wonderful time to visit Nice, as spring has just started to blossom and all the foliage is starting to burst forth all its magnificent colors. With a little shopping and a little sandwich lunch in Place Massena, the first half of the day was well spent. Oh, and with another stop at Fenocchio Glacier. I just couldn’t get enough!

The Negresco and the Promenade des Anglais

Garden in front of Musée Massena

Getting a little wet at the Promenade du Paillon (sidenote: was not posed, the water jetted up right when the picture was taken!)

Place Massena

Just can't get enough! This time, I went for fruit flavors: mango and blackberry. YUM

In the afternoon, we continued on to a part of town I had not seen yet – Cours Saleya. With tourist shops and busy restaurants on either side, this was a bustling quarter of the city. Also, they hold the marché des fleurs here, and on Saturdays another market full of Provençal goods were lined up in the stalls. We wandered through this and then continued on to the chateau on the hill, the major panoramic viewpoint over Nice. After many steps, with some heavy breathing maybe mixed in, we reached the top and gazed at the magnificent view of the Mediterranean Sea and the city of Nice. It was absolutely breathtaking, and not just from the climb up the stairs!

Flower market

Baie des Anges

After we had taken in the view, we descended the steps and walked along the Promenade des Anglais down to the pebble beach on the Baie des Anges. It was my first time on a pebble beach and I have got to say, it is pretty uncomfortable! As I had left my bathing suit at the hostel, we just laid in the sun in our dresses and soaked in the rays and the calming sound of the waves. It was a relaxing way to spend the end of the afternoon – I will never tire of staring at that blue water.

Pebbles... which felt more like stones

That night, we went out to dinner with the two other people that were in our hostel room: Ryan from New Zealand and Veronica from Germany. We met up with Veronica’s friend Utah (which might have lead to an embarrassing moment when he introduced himself… I didn’t know whether to say my state or name…) and went to eat a nice seafood three course meal in Cours Saleya. Since this was the only real meal we had during the weekend, we enjoyed course after course with wine and champagne. I chose the mussels as a starter, a skewer of fish, scallops and jumbo shrimp with vegetables and rice as an entrée and dark chocolate mousse as a dessert. Needless to say, we spent a nice three hours eating and sharing our experiences traveling and working with each other. That is one wonderful thing about staying in hostels – you get to meet wonderful people from all over the world.

Sunday morning, we woke up extremely early. Before going to bed, we consulted bus times that go to Monaco, the chic principality of France that is extremely close to Nice. Many people in the hostel had been there before and it is always been on my travel bucket list to see this city. After seeing that the bus ride was just 30 minutes, we decided quite spontaneously to spend Sunday morning in Monaco before our afternoon train back to Provence. And what a wonderful idea that was! The bus ride itself was exceptional, passing through seaside village after seaside village, through Villefranche-sur-la-Mer to Èze. After taking in more stunning views of the coast, we arrived in Monaco, got off the bus with all of our bags and sat down in a garden to eat breakfast. It was another beautiful day, and although we only had a short hour and a half to explore, it was amazing to say that we had seen some of the sights. We saw the Casino Monte Carlo, the big pier with all the decadent, huge yachts, and even saw many Ferraris from people staying in the swanky hotels. We even managed to have a conversation with a local, an old man from a nearby village who told us lots of information about France and Monaco. He explained to us that Monaco is incredibly safe; women our age can walk around town at 2am after grabbing a drink and will have no problems like getting hassled by men. Though our time in Monaco was short, as we were taking the bus back to Nice, I was smiling from ear to ear, knowing we set out and saw something new.*

Casino Monte Carlo

Monaco

After a quick walk to the train station, we were back on our way to Provence after a lovely weekend on the French Riviera. I have to admit, I was a sad to see the beautiful blue water fade away in the distance. While sitting in the sun at Avignon TGV, waiting for the bus to Apt to arrive, I closed my eyes and imagined I was sitting in front of the Mediterranean’s clear water. It’s official: that city was just too Nice to me – I know I will be back!

*PS: I really want to go back here, guys! I have got to explore it a little more :)