Arrival in Marseille

I find myself wanting to tell each and every one of you the same great stories about what an awesome town Marseille is, so please forgive me for committing the ultimate e-sin: sending out a mass email.

That said, life here in Marseille has been great. I can’t believe it’s been almost a month since I’ve been away from the US! The temperature finally started to go up about 2 weeks ago and I was finally able to stop wearing the same, and only, 2 sweaters I brought from home (Fabreeze is a European traveler’s best friend). But now it is 85 degrees every day and I haven’t seen a cloud in the sky in days. For those of you who have never been to these parts, Marseille is an ancient port town which is surrounded by HUGE white cliffs and mountains and sits along the Mediterranean. The water is a mix between turquoise, deep blue and green and you can just imagine all the rest of the beautiful colors around the city. They say that the French language in this area has a great accent but, since I am still speaking at a Kindergarten level (or less), I have yet to pick up on it. From what I had heard, I thought Marseille was going to be a busy, international commerce type of port town. But to my surprise, the port is quite empty. When I asked some people in the office about it, they said “oooh, that’s because of the strike”, and I understood immediately. But then I asked how long it had been going on… answer? About 20 years. I gotta be honest, before coming to Marseille, I heard several mixed reviews about the place. Basically some people just love it and some others are afraid of it. But as my trusty guide book says, “Marseille flips the bird at the rest of the Riviera and doesn’t care what people say”, and that is the absolute truth. If you don’t stay here for more than a day you miss all the really good stuff. The old town center and port has its scary elements, like in any other city in the world. But as you go out into the beaches, the restaurant & shopping districts, and the suburbs it turns into a city filled with beauty. Let’s face it, it’s no Paris, but it certainly is a great town that grows on you… The surrounding small towns are a whole ‘nother story. Those are just dreamy to say the least. The views of the hills (from the beach) are full of stucco villas, cobble stoned streets and multicolor gardens along with the same white cliffs and mountains I mentioned before. This place would be a rock climbers dream, but curiously enough, I have not seen a single one. I’ll have to ask what the deal is. Anyway enough about that. Basically, I am in France to work, but I have quickly made some new friends at the office who have kept me entertained during my time away from the grind. Most of the girls at work are around my age so when I go out with them, they bring their other friends and so on and we always have a great time. They are determined to send me home speaking fluent French, so they torture me by making me leave my dictionary at home when we go out! In their company I’ve gotten to see many of the hot spots of night life in Marseille as well as the best shopping spots in town. Unfortunately, since I am still technically a broke student, I will stick to window shopping, or “window licking” as they call it in French. Riding the bus to work everyday is quite an experience. One of the two buses I have to take to come into town picks up about 30 little old ladies along the way. They are all headed to market with their shopping baskets at around 8:30 in the morning. So every single day, it is these ladies and me on the bus. On the first few days they glared at me as if I were hiding my cruel intentions behind my American sunglasses and carrying a weapon in my black hand bag. They undoubtedly talked amongst themselves wondering what I was up to on “their” public bus. But they have finally started to warm up to the idea that I may not be evil. I now say Bon jour! to them in my ever so obvious foreign accent. Some are still skeptical though, I just know it. So that is just a short intro to my life here in France. More to come soon. I do want to hear back from you guys so don’t stay away for long! You know where to reach me… Oh, and yes, the World Cup! After the miserable time that the French team had in Japan and Korea, McDonalds in France stopped admitting that they are a “proud sponsor” and the many huge posters of the team that adorn the city have been plastered with spray paint and a variety of vegetables. The press here is pretty harsh and they certainly don’t worry about diplomacy! Short of personally insulting the team members, reports have made it extremely clear how disappointed the entire country is with them. So in the meantime… go USA team and I will talk to you guys soon!!! Hugs and 2 kisses, Elisa