Hump Day Thursday, Jun 30 2011

So I woke up this morning, upset not to be home for my Olivia’s 21st birthday! It was quite a disappointment not to be there for it but I am sure I will be informed of all the celebration that goes on! I did realize though it is 10 months until my own 21st birthday so I felt a little bit better about the day!

We went to breakfast and then I had my Treasures of Provence class. It was lecture for the first hour about the beginning of the Roman and Greek influence to Southern France. We then got to take a tour of the Library, and then for the last hour, went up to Maison Forte(which is almost to the top of Lacoste though below the highest point where the Chateau is). It was very nice and we got to sit outside on the terrace and journal. As I was walking back down to my room, my poor gold GiGi Sam Edelman flats had their last moments. I had to throw my poor shoes away:(

Lunch time came along as well as a needed cat nap! I then read a couple excerpts from my Paris travel guide book. I am trying to plan a little bit before we go so that I am not just clueless as to what to see.

I went on a run earlier this afternoon because it was not so hot out today. It was a good short one and then showered and got back in time for Danielle to get out of her Intro to Printmaking class so we could go on a walk. We decided we needed to adventure around the rest of Lacoste since we had not seen everything. We walked up to the top to the highest point where the chateau is that famous fashion designer, Pierre Cardin owns. It was an absolutely stunning sight. We continued to walk down the other side and continued our way through different pathways in Lacoste. We saw a couple girls who were sitting out on the terrace at the bar having a glass of wine and stopped to talk to them for a bit. It was nice just to have a relaxing time without feeling rushed to get around.

Dinner time came, and then we went to a lecture series that the professors are putting on where they talk about their own work. Tonight was the photo professor, Steve Bliss, who also serves as the Dean of Fine Arts at the Savannah campus. It was interesting to see his different works and how he is inspired.

After avoiding doing my rubbings for monotype print, I made my way down to the studio and did a few more pieces. They are all wet with ink though so I was unable to take any photographs. My professor informed me that we are going to have a studio day to work tomorrow so I should be fine though and not to worry!

I think I tend to stress over the small things often and I am learning its good just to take a step back every once in awhile. Everything is going to be okay! Well I am here wrapping up my evening and wishing my best friend a happy happy birthday! Goodnight!

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Tuesday Wednesday, Jun 29 2011

Goodness today was a really long day and I am not sure why!

I woke up, showered, went to breakfast, and had my first Monotype Prinkmaking class! The class is pretty small with about 12ish students. The classroom though is literally in a cave. It is so crazy! Thankfully there are windows though to look out and the class seems to be a lot of exploration outside. I was a bit intimidated by the class though because she began by saying that it was her advanced printmaking course this quarter. I was one of 2 students who has never taken a printmaking course so that was a bit scary. I am really excited for the class though and think that I will learn a lot. My professor is really open to lots of ideas and a lot of experimentation with ideas and materials. Our first assignment is to create an artwork using colored ink and rubbing.

After class, I went to lunch and then walked around Lacoste. Today is the day in which they have a  small, very small version of the market in Apt. They had a few stands set up with t-shirts, olive oil, soaps, cookies, towels, macaroons, bread, cheese, etc. It was fun to look around but did not end up getting anything. But I then came into the computer lab just to check in for a bit. My printmaking professor took a group of us to the town nearby called Apt at around 2pm.  A few of us needed to get supplies for the class and a couple of grocery items. We first went to the grocery, I got my gloves and some tupperware containers to use as ink palletes. Then we headed to Mr. Brickolage which is the French “Home Depot!” Finally, we ended up at the art supply store where I got some pigment powder to play with along with sketchbooks and some colored pencils! Woohoo!

This afternoon, I relaxed for a bit and then went on a long hot run. It almost miserable but I made it! I am thinking morning runs are the way to do it…just dreading that 6am alarm! Anyways, I came back, showered, and put in my first load of laundry here! It was very exciting to figure out what to do with all new buttons and I was clueless as to where the detergent should go. Finally figured it out though and went to dinner!

After, I had to work on my printmaking. I went onto the terrace outside my room and inked the paper with rubbing it over a few different surfaces such as the concrete flooring, and a big jug vase. They turned out alright…I will post pictures tomorrow of them. I do not love but I guess just figuring out what I will do for my final which I am going to finish up tomorrow afternoon. One of my friends, Sarah, was also out there so it was nice to sit out and  work with such a gorgeous view of the country side with the sun still out. I soon gave up on the printmaking and finished up my laundry.

Of course, back in the computer lab! I have been somewhat avoiding my online class so I am planning to get that done…tomorrow? Bad wallis! Oh well…I am trying to enjoy myself and looking forward to the weekend! I miss you all but hope you are enjoying a taste of Lacoste from my blog! XOXo

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First day of classes Tuesday, Jun 28 2011

Woke up to the sound of my roommates alarm blaring at around 6:30am but luckily, I was able to go back to sleep for another hour before I had to get up, shower, get ready, and head to breakfast!

My Treasures of Provence class is from 9am-12pm on Mondays, and Wednesdays. We met in a small studio class room with windows looking out with the view from Lacoste. It was small but fortunately, my professor, Professor Gross, informed us that we will not be in the classroom much. Most classes are going to be field trips where we go out and explore and see the sites in which we are studying about. That to me was very appealing especially with the work load not sounding like it would take over the enjoyment of the class. We went over our syllabus and heard about a few of the sites we will be seeing! We also as our final project for the class have to create a journal to present at the final show, the Vernissage. The Vernissage is the last weekend of the quarter where all students exhibit the artwork that they have done throughout the quarter. It is exhibited all over Lacoste so that everyone is able to see it!

We got out of class a bit early so I got to check my e-mail, etc. but sadly no one was on Facebook or anything  considering it was like 5am in Memphis!

We had lunch from 12-1pm and then I hung out in my room for awhile. I imported the rest of my CDs from Avery and Sylvia into my iPod! Then at 2:15pm, I with 3 other girls got to go with Eleanor(the director in Lacoste for SCAD) to the “Wal-Mart” of France! I am not sure how to describe it but it was much much, much smaller than an actual Wal-mart. It was more of a typical American grocery store! We got to go because of our dietary needs and with my lactose-intolerance, the French diet is a bit limited for me! Anyways, it was so interesting to see all the different foods, smell the different scents, and hear all the French people in the store. I was to say the least memorized by the place! I could not believe the aisles for just Yogurt! It was crazy! Anyways, I picked up a few items and came back to the room!

I guess it was late afternoon around 4pm so I laid down on my bed and dove into my July 2011 Vogue with Emma Watson on the cover. I had not realized how tired I was until I woke up at 5:15pm, having fallen asleep with the magazine still in my hands…pretty pathetic! I told myself I needed to get up at that  point though so I got up and went for a run. It was a bit cooler but had been quite hot this afternoon. I had bit of an inconvience during the run with really having to use the restroom. So what to do when you have to pee in the middle of the Sounthern French countryside? Well look for cars and dart towards a tree! Lets just say, I am glad no one was around!

I made it back to Lacoste and had to hurriedly shower, and get myself to dinner. We only have certain hours for meal times so made it for dinner which is from 6:30-8pm.

I headed to the computer lab for my nightly posting and saw that my blog had not posted yesterday so I am so sorry about that! But I did get to Skype with my momma tonight for awhile which was great since I had not yet and even got to see my little Bertie! He was very confused where I was!

Now I am getting tired….early right! Its only 9:50pm but the weirdest part about it is that its light out until about 10:30pm here and the sun rises at around 5am! I really do not like to go to bed when its still light out so I am thinking I am going to head back to my room and finish my Vogue! Bon soir!

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Sunday! Tuesday, Jun 28 2011

Last night, I left the computer lab and ran into a few of the people who had been down at the field party. It sounded like they had a lot of fun but I had good time figuring out my classes and getting myself organized! Danielle and my other new roommate, Brittaney got in about 4am so it was funny to hear all that had happened.

I woke up this morning excited because I got to go on my first adventure run! I had in the back of my head Sylvia rooting me on in finishing my 3.1 miles!  This summer, we had been running 5ks together every weekend until I left to come here! Anyways, it was so pretty and I even ran into a few bikers who spoke a few words of French to me and thankfully we were going opposite directions so I did not have to make up any French words! I came back, showered, and got ready for our orientation. The orientation was about 2 hours long with walking around Lacoste and learning about where our classrooms are, etc. It was so hot outside but good to figure out more of where we are going to be for the next 9 weeks!

Danielle and I went back to the room where I figured out my schedule and got organized with my calendar….OCD! But then we adventured off down one of the main roads towards one of our neighboring towns, Bonnieux. The walk was so beautiful with seeing  gardens, country homes, the cherry trees, a view of Lacoste from afar, and then ending up exploring the local Lacoste graveyard!

We then took our journey back to our room where we decided to go to the computer lab and download pictures! Then made it to dinner where we found out our chef is a pastry chef…would have never known except the doughnuts he made were said to be absolutely fabulous!

And surprise, here I am again back in the computer lab tonight! Danielle and I have already decided though we are going to head back to the room and watch a movie! Sounds like a relaxing night in Lacoste to me!

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Finally arrived in Lacoste! Sunday, Jun 26 2011

So I will begin by starting with last Wednesday night when I decided it was probably about time to start packing considering I was leaving for France the next day! I hurriedly packed around crunch time at 10pm and got to bed around midnight.

My mom and I woke up about 6am on Thursday morning to prepare for our journey to Atlanta! Thankfully Avery as well as Sylvia had made me CDs which we listened to while in the car. I then had a mental breakdown in about the 5th hour of the trip with realizing I was leaving the country for 10 weeks. It really had not hit me until then! My mom and I talked for awhile in the car and I felt ready to proceed with my trip…I mean really there was no turning around at that point!

We arrived at the Atlanta airport about 3:15pm Thursday afternoon and parked. We had a surprise in seeing Phil Baker in the parking lot who was picking up Jamie for a trip to Florida. I was thinking then that I would really like to go to the beach but now that I am France…I am definitely enjoying this beautiful place! Anyways, check in was easy and made it through security, got dinner for the plane, and boarded the plane at about 5:15pm. Though I had a carry on suitcase, I was forced to check it plane side so now it is lost…ugh! But the flight was nice because I was sitting next to 2 other SCAD students (one girl Fashion major from Atlanta campus and a guy Art History and Illustration major from the Savannah campus) We talked a bit and I ended up listening to  a book on my iPod and fell asleep for the rest of the 8 hour plane ride. I woke up as we landed in Paris at 7:45 am Friday morning! Thankfully, I was able to then get off the plane and brush my teeth, wash my face, and prepare for a new day! I exchanged some US dollars for euros and got to the next gate for the flight to Marsailles. I got to then meet my roommate, Danielle, who I had briefly spoken to via Facebook prior to the trip. We then flew to Marsailles which was about an hour and half flight where I slept and read the latest InStyle! At that point, I was so ready just to get to the final destination. Unfortunately, we then had to wait for a bus to pick us up to drive an hour and 45 minutes to Lacoste. I also had just found out that my bag was lost so I was not in the best of sorts. Danielle and I ventured out to the airport lobby where we found a couple french places and got lunch! Everyone was pretty much exhausted but the bus trip was okay because me and Danielle figured out more about what was going on.

We arrived to Lacoste at about 4pm Friday afternoon and I absolutely just fell in love with the town. It is so gorgeous and hope you all get to enjoy all the pictures that I am posting! I am living in Murier Lower which means mulberry tree which is right outside our window!

Danielle and I got to the room first so decided on having beds next to each other since in the split 2 rooms, there were 3 beds in each. Sadly, the 3 other girls that were in our room all left within moving in that afternoon. So we got the place to ourselves which was not too bad! We then unpacked and looked around town. We then had a introductory dinner at 7pm and then toured through the library, and MacLab. We were invited to go to the local pub but both were exhausted so went to our rooms where I showered and finished up reading my Vanity Fair and went to bed around 10:30pm. I did not sleep very well but was not really expecting to with jetlag.

Today, Saturday, we woke up at about 7am, showered, went to breakfast at our Cafe de Artistes, and got on a bus to go to the weekend market in Apt. The town is about 20 minutes away. We got to see so many vendors and go to the local art supply store to get our first weeks supply for our classes. Danielle and I left the art supply store and took hundreds of pictures at the markets of all the foods, and products that they were selling.

I mean I cannot tell you how many different things there were to see and buy!

Then, we arrived at the Super Marche where we got to see what a grocery store is like here(much different and smaller than an American one!) I bought a few bars, etc. for snacks and we then got back on the bus.

We had a picnic at Le Pont Julien which one of the last remaining bridges that the Romans had built in France that they used back in the 3BC to travel from Italy to Spain! It was really cool because all the stones had been put together without any sort of mortar being used.

We came back to Lacoste around 2pm where I laid out on the terrace with my Ipod and sudoku book! It was so nice with the sun shining on me and the beautiful surroundings!
We had a cocktail hour at 5:30pm in celebration of Bernard Pfriem who was started the teaching in Lacoste before SCAD purchased the majority of the buildings to restore in 2001. It was interesting to hear about what all he had done from the 1930s up until the 1980s in Lacoste. Danielle and I found out that we were getting 2 new roommates who were coming in today who had missed their flights. That was exciting but then realized we had to share one bathroom which is very small! Oh well! The gallery exhibit was cool and by that point we were all starving and got to go to dinner at 7pm. The locals invited all the SCAD students to a huge field party tonight because their soccer team won the local tournament so big celebration! I had to stay and wait for the airport man to come with the missing bags and thank goodness I just picked up my bag and unpacked it! I am maybe off to the party but might just fall asleep but bon soir for now!

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Preparation for Lacoste Wednesday, Jun 22 2011

Well hello! I am starting this blog so that I can keep updates about my summer abroad in Lacoste, France through SCAD! I am getting ready to depart tomorrow for a car trip to Atlanta and then flying to Paris and Marsailles then an hour bus ride to arrive finall on Friday to the SCAD campus in Lacoste!

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