MOVING!

Hey guys,

After a bit of perusing and too much frustration with Blogger, I've decided to move my blog.

You can now find me here: http://ariellerassel.wordpress.com

New beads, first sale, and more

It's hard to update often when you're not doing much more than spending days on the couch in front of the TV.

I feel like a lazy bum. 

It was a nice weekend, though. Saw the Soloist on Friday night... I'd highly recommend it to anyone. It was fantastic. Ran some errands, got some new stuff for the Etsy store. Hopefully I'll be able to post some new items soon :)

I made my first sale this week! Sold a few items, hoping to sell a few more before I leave.

I'm working on getting it really up and running, but really this is sort of a test run for the fall. Since I'll be abroad for a little over two months, I'll have to put the shop in vacation mode while I'm gone... I'm planning to really up the ante in the fall, with lots of new items, promotions, and marketing! 

Preparation for London is going well... It's starting to hit me, just how close it is. I can't wait!

Etsy! And other updates.

Hey everyone! Just checking in :)

My website is up and working again, so you can look for travel stuff there. www.ariellerassel.com

In other news, I've been trying to make the most of my time at home... I'm still getting my energy back up, so I've spent a lot of time confined to the couch, catching up on my episodes of House and Gossip Girl (oh boy). May I take this moment to mourn the loss of Kutner a month too late? SO SAD! I'm so addicted to House...

Being confined to a small area hasn't been too bad, though. I've picked up on my crafting again, especially jewelry making. I found some old supplies and I've made almost 10 necklaces and pairs of earrings, and so far, I've made four headbands, though I've got supplies for about 8 more. Yay! This means I've finally been able to open the Etsy store I've wanted to start for so long! Please check out (and maybe buy?) my stuff: http://honestdesigns.etsy.com 

Here's a few things I'm selling:

Going out for extended periods of time isn't really an option though... Although with the nice weather, I would like to try to go sleep in the sun. Get a tan, maybe. Work on my art history paper (ugh.)

That's all for tonight... Leaving for Europe again on the 22nd!

-Arielle

Website Down....

Hey guys!

As you may have seen, I'm having some trouble with the website right now. I'm hoping to have it back up and running smoothly as soon as possible -- I know, you want pictures! You want blog! But I'll try to move my last couple blog posts over here tonight or tomorrow, so you'll at least have something to read until I get it all going away. Maybe even some teaser pictures, if you're lucky.

Sorry for the inconvenience guys. Keep your fingers crossed that I get it working soon!

-Arie

P.S. Scroll down for the blog, as none of the posts are this recent.

A Week of Updates

    Hey guys, I’ll start by saying sorry I’ve disappeared! I’ve been really under the weather and spending pretty much all my time cooped up in my room sleeping and feeling generally miserable. Some way to enjoy France, hmm? Anyway, I guess I’ll start at the beginning of the week and work my way through! Expect this to be a long entry.

    Monday -- Had my first Vernissage piece due for Travel Portfolio. I’ll load it on here once I get it scanned. I went in really excited about it -- it’s a drawing of this broken down old fence in Gordes (there’s a sketch of it in my artwork album) done in dark green paper in white charcoal and dark brown and sienna pastel pencils, a slight variation on my favorite of black and white charcoal on gray paper. So anyway, I take it in and show the professor, and we talk about it a bit, and he says finally, “so, how far along would you say this is?” And, thinking I was pretty close to finished, I said, “80-85%?” And he pauses and says, “well... I’d say about 50.” So. Now I know how that class is going to be. I spent to the whole afternoon working on the piece, adding a lot to the fence with grayscale colored pencils and working a bit more on the cobblestone detailing. I’m actually really, really pleased with it now. Hopefully the professor is, too.

Tuesday -- Had Treasures of Provence, my local art history class, in the morning. Discussed the Romans in Provence. I have a paper proposal due in a week, and the topic has to be something about Provence or Paris, preferably Provence, and can be major related. I have NO clue what I want to do. Suggestions; ideas? Email me! French class in the evening... Still pretty basic, but it’s good to practice nonetheless. I was sort of appointed class assistant, since we had an odd number and were practicing conversations of how to order a sandwich, etc. 

Wednesday -- Traveled with Travel Portfolio to Bonnieux, the village across the valley. It’s a really neat little village, at least twice the size of Lacoste, with many more cafés, boutiques, and such. Lacoste is definitely prettier and more quaint, but there are times it’d be nice to have the hustle and bustle of a bigger area. By Wednesday night, I was beginning to feel really ill, so I opted out of the evening faculty lecture and made plans to go to the doctor the next morning.

Thursday -- Missed my Treasures of Provence trip to Glanum to go to Apt instead and see a doctor. The medical system here is extraordinary, and the doctor does everything -- there is no such thing as a nurse practitioner here, or seeing a nurse and waiting thirty minutes just to see a doctor for five minutes. The doctor was there from start to finish, and was very thorough. He gave me a couple prescriptions, and that and the visit cost little more than a copay with insurance in the States. Pretty amazing. Slept pretty much the rest of Thursday, to be ready for Friday’s field trip.

Friday -- Oy, what a day. Friday was our day trip to Arles, so we got up bright and early to grab breakfast and get on the bus for the just-over-an-hour ride to the city. Once a major through-fare on the Via Domitia, the Roman Road, the city is known for its Roman ruins, specifically the colosseum and amphitheater. Because it was Good Friday, the city was hosting Corridas -- Spanish Bullfights. Typically in Provence, they have “bullgames” -- non-kill bullfights that are based on using a hook to try to get a lanyard that’s strung between the bulls horns. Instead, these were the traditional bullfights of Spain. I didn’t think it’s something I was going to be able to handle, but a few of us bought tickets to the inexpensive morning amateur fights, which took place in the old colosseum, which is remarkably well preserved. There were six bullfights in all. The first one was a bit horrifying, as we weren’t sure whether it was going to be a kill-fight or not. By the end of the second, you’re a bit desensitized to it, and by the end of the third, it’s just part of the game. The kill is swift and humane, done to minimize suffering on the bull’s part. By the time you’ve gotten through the first two, you’re as into as the local crowds, analyzing the matador’s every move, cheering for his swift moves and gasping as he makes dangerously poor decisions. You yell olé at a good pass and boo when he gets headbutted by the bull because of poor timing. No worries, no one got gored. There were a couple of close calls, though.

    My little group spent the afternoon after the fights exploring the city, from the beautiful old church with one of the most perfect examples of a Gothic entrance to the old amphitheater to the riverwalk to the forum. The city was bustling with life and crowds and Easter tourists. There was even a pretty large carnival, complete with rides, games, and carnival food. We grabbed dinner at one of the carnival stands, where I got a rather strange surprise. I thought I’d ordered an Italian sausage sandwich, you know, with peppers and onions, and fries, but no... I get it and it’s a baguette with sausage and fries... all on the sandwich. It was greasy and strange and surprisingly good. After dinner, we headed down the street for the much-anticipated running of the bulls. After an hour and a half of waiting, the fun began. However, it was not the running of the bulls as we’d expected, how it’s done in Spain. Instead, a group of men on horses form a U-shape and pull along one to four bulls in the space they form. All our boys that decided to run didn’t quite understand and ran in front of the horses, but after staying back to watch the next one, figured out that you run behind the bull and try to get hold of it. We’re watching the twelve year old local boys hanging on to the bull’s tail with quite a bit of incredulity. It was a crazy sight. We had to hurry to catch our bus after that, but supposedly there was a more traditional running of the bulls later that night with about 30 loose bulls. 

    I came home feeling terribly ill, planning on going back to the doctor the next morning, but all in all had a great day!

    Saturday -- Got up still expecting to feel terrible, but felt a good bit better and decided to skip the doctor, because I knew he wanted to do bloodwork and I really didn’t feel like dealing with that if this is just a virus that will go away with lots of rest. Instead, explored the market in Apt with Jessica. Went to the art store, which was good. We got stopped by this little old woman who asked if we were British, and laughed saying she should have known when we said no, American. Turns out she’d been in the UK for 45 years before moving to Apt 14 years ago when she inherited a farmhouse. She was a widow, and invited us to come to her house later for an aperitif and champagne! Sadly, we were only in town until lunch... I felt bad, because I imagine she might get somewhat lonely sometimes, and probably misses being able to speak English... Sweet woman, though. I wish I’d mentioned we’re in town every Saturday... 

    Found some books by the illustrator who came to give a lecture here and bought those. Her stuff really is amazing. Rebecca Dautremer -- look her up if you get the chance. 

    Came back from Apt and napped until dinner... Starting to feel a tiny bit better, but I’m still very feverish and have very little appetite. After dinner, the Café de Sade, one of the cafés in town, was showing a film from last summer. The students here that summer and the locals teamed up to do a dream parade with strange animal characters (the costumes were made by sculpture students) that lead up the chateau’s theater, where there was a production of Don Quixote. It was pretty astounding, and I can’t imagine all of the cast were locals.... To have that much talent in such a small village would be pretty amazing. But who knows?

Anyway, the most exciting part of the night: Pierre Cardin made an appearance!AND I GOT TO TALK TO HIM! I was the only one, too! I sat next to him during the movie, and I think he could tell I was shy. He smiled at me and I said, “bonsoir”, and he greeted me back and asked how I was. Then, during the course of the play, he leaned over to fill me in on different things, from how talented he thought the accompanist was to what was going on in the show. He asked if we’d gotten up to see the chateau yet, too. I was thanking my lucky stars that I spoke French at that time and didn’t have to embarrass myself by asking him to speak English. He had friends who arrived later that looked very polished -- Parisians, perhaps? Certainly not locals. He left with them with a polite goodbye to me. My friend behind me was freaking out the moment he left and demanded every detail of the conversation. The local woman behind me asked if I’d understood him and seemed very pleased that I spoke French. It was all a very overwhelming experience. I MET PIERRE CARDIN! The father of ready to wear! And I actually got to TALK to him! I’m still not over this, haha. Way too cool.

    Today -- Slept in until Brunch... managed a bowl of cereal and an apple, but I’m still really out of it and have very little appetite. Went to the lab to check the email I hadn’t checked in days, which was a slight undertaking. Worked on my art history class for a bit... Just trying to relax and get better. It’s rainy out, and the mistral has been blowing pretty hard the past few days. This week will hopefully be pretty low-key as we gear up for our trip to Paris next week!

Les Marchés

    The markets here are absolutely amazing. Every Saturday, we take a trip to the market in Apt, a large market with anything from produce to Provençal staples to touristy knick-knacks. It’s the oldest market in France, drawing crowds for a couple thousand years. It spreads through the city center, and everywhere you can hear vendors shouting their latest deals or sharing a friendly chat with a friend they haven’t seen in awhile. The smells of roasting chicken, cheese, freshly baked bread, and overripe produce overwhelm the senses. It’s colorful and hectic and wonderful. 

    We rarely have enough time to truly enjoy the market, so a few friends and I have decided to go with the group one week and just stay and take a taxi back later in the day. That way we can stay to thoroughly enjoy the market, the city, and a wonderful café lunch. 

    Apt is also convenient for us because of the Intermarché, a small grocery store, for things like detergent and the like, and the small art store in town that is surprisingly well stocked. Part art store, part hardware store, it’s a curious site.

    Some, if not most, Sundays, we take a trip to Isle sur la Sorgue. Our first trip there was today, and we most certainly did not have enough time. The market is the biggest in Provence, and one of the biggest in France, known for its wealth of antiques. Antique brocantes line the streets around the city, grouped into about seven clusters. In the city center, a market sprawls down every street, much like the Apt market, but bigger. In addition to the wares in Apt, here one can find little flea market-like stands with an odd assortment of baubles, children’s rides, all sorts of clothing, a wider variety of food stands, and even small carnival games for the kids.  The picture above is from Isle sur la Sorgue, but I can’t take credit for it -- that’s all Google. I plan to go back with a camera in hand next time, but just taking in as much of the market as possible in our short amount of time was overwhelming enough. 

    The city is often referred to as the “Venice of Provence” for it’s situation over a canal. The canal runs fast and cold, and is astonishingly clear. Several moss-covered water wheels spin in parks across the city, providing glittering decoration. The church is beautiful from the outside, but I have yet to make it in. Next time. 

    Aside from our weekend market trips, classes are going well. I have my first finished piece for the gallery tomorrow, and I’ve applied for the student gallery coordinator position. I’m getting to know other students here, which is good. It’s a bit difficult, being one of the few who seems to have come on their own. Also, most people are here with their major, unlike me, so they know a lot of people from previous classes. I can’t say I’m upset I didn’t come with fashion, though... The spring here is gorgeous, and I don’t necessarily mind having the time to myself. I’m really enjoying the slower pace of life here. The village is quietly bursting with life, and the locals are warm and friendly, not the snobby French stereotype of the Parisians. It’s nice to be able to spend afternoons wandering down to the boulangerie, then relaxing on the terrace with a baguette and wheel of local cheese. 

    Other good news, I’ve found an internship for the summer! I’ll be working at a very small fashion company called MacMillan in London. Though small, the line has quickly blossomed. MacMillan has shown at NYC Fashion week for four years now, and just showed in London for the first time this past season. Because of the small size, I’ll be the only intern, so I know there will be much to learn. Needless to say, I’m quite excited.

    Anyway, I’m off to finish homework! Busy week ahead, full of work and travel. Sorry for the sparse updates -- I’ll try to update once a week, probably with two or three blog posts each time. The internet is not exactly reliable, which makes the upload process somewhat difficult.

On A Clear Day...

    ...You can see forever. It’s amazing how clear the air is here. Some of the locals say on a really clear day, you can see the Italian border. Then again, the Provençaux have a knack for exaggeration. I’m finishing up my first week of classes here, and I’m starting to get a grasp of just how much work it’s going to be. Packing a ten week quarter into roughly seven and a half weeks of class time is far from easy. I’m already well into my first assignment for Travel Portfolio, with my first Vernissage finished piece due on Monday. Vernissage is the gallery we have at the end of the quarter where we sell our work, vernissage meaning gallery opening in French.

    I’ve spent the past two mornings in a lovely town called Gorde, a true village perché. It climbs up the steep hill in rows and rows, topped by an old castle that is surprisingly simplistic in construction. There’s a pretty cathedral in the town, and lots of cafés. The cobblestone streets lead down to the outer side of the village, to another marvelous view much like ours in Lacoste. 

    We went yesterday to draw the town, and today to see the nearby “Village des Bories,” which are ancient stone hut-like structures. There’s a village of them built in the 17th century, but I think I would have enjoyed it more if I had not been very wet and cold. It rained the whole time. Luckily, the rain held off for us while we drew yesterday. I didn’t take that many pictures, sadly, thinking I’d be back today, but of course the rain kept me from getting much today. Ah well, I won’t be surprised if we go back.

    I stopped in a wonderful little Patisserie in town and got some wonderful french pastries and had a nice conversation in French (about the weather, haha) with the woman working there. She thought I was “anglais” -- British -- and I told her, non, je suis americaine, and she was quite surprised. It was interesting, haha. It’s good to be getting back into my French. I’m not nearly as rusty as I thought I’d be. I’m actually doing quite well. I haven’t had to resort to English yet, but I did have a bit of trouble trying to find a SIM card for my phone in the Tabac. They didn’t have any, so still on the hunt for one of those.

    The weekends here aren’t any less insane -- if anything, they’re more so. Tonight we have a lecture with a visiting artist, Rebecca Dautremer, which I’m really excited about. Her stuff -- children’s book illustrations and the like -- is absolutely amazing. Then tomorrow, a trip to La Musée Tire-Bouchon, the corkscrew museum. I know, what?! But we have a contest for the owner to design a poster, and there’s a 1000€ prize. Yeah. So definitely entering that. Then Saturday morning, the Apt market, then Sunday morning, the antiques market in Isle Sur La Sorgue, which I’m super excited about. It’s supposed to be amazing. I’m on the hunt for a boutis -- a traditional provençal quilt that’s handed down for generations on end. They’re pretty intricate and really sturdy, and beautiful. They have new ones in the Apt market, but I’d really like to find one with a bit more history in it. 

    For those who haven’t seen it, I’ve added a calendar page that includes all these trips. Typically, Monday/Wednesday trips are with Travel Portfolio, while Tuesday/Thursday trips are with Treasures of Provence. So when you see a location two days in a row (with the exception of Paris), it doesn’t mean an overnight, it just means I’m going with both classes.

    Well, that’s all for now. A bientôt, mes petits choux!

And So it Begins..

    Lacoste is, to say the least, exquisite. I arrived yesterday in time to get settled in my room, which is in a building called Olivier Baisse, meaning Lower Olivier. There are 8 girls in this apartment of sorts, in four rooms. There are two double rooms, and one room of four girls at the end. I’m in the second double room. The rooms are quite literally caves. Three of the four walls in my room are exposed stone, and we have a little window that peeks out over the village. The area has a common room divided into a little room with a round table and another room that serves as a small area. The whole area is stepped down from the bedrooms, and a large arch hangs over those steps. The downside is eight girls sharing a bathroom with two sinks, two toilets, and two showers. It gets a little crowded when we all get up at the same time, like we did today. The “apartment” opens onto a gated courtyard, with steps up to Upper Olivier. We’re situated about half way up the hill (they didn’t lie -- it’s very steep), with more dorms and classrooms above us and the dining hall and other parts of the village below. 

    The library might be the most beautiful and intriguing building I’ve ever been in. Formerly the boulangerie (bakery), it’s a three-story building divided into little rooms connected with winding and spiraling staircases. Each room is a bright contrast to the old stone walls, with modern furniture and splashes of fresh color. The main room in the library ends with what looks like a stone igloo -- what was once the oven. A tiny door opens to the space where four cozy reading chairs are nestled. 

    Looming above the village is the Chateau de Sade, once home to the Marquis de Sade. It is now owned by Pierre Cardin, who is known to make appearances around the village. A few of us explored our way up to the top last night, climbing the precarious stone path up to the field behind the chateau. From there it was as if you could see for miles in every direction -- Bonnieux across the valley, lighting up the night, and Apt to the north -- and stars that never seemed to end. 

    Today we took a walking tour of the village, despite the rain, as told by our resident gardener and poet. The village is full of history, including battles with the village across the valley (Bonnieux) in which “those bastards stole our bell!” Finn’s words, not mine. Apparently, a few hundred years ago, they came over in the night and stole the village’s bell from the bell tower, and it now rings daily from their tower. People seem to be very bitter about that still. Sir Tom Stoppard was a resident of the village until recently, and we might get to tour his house and gardens. John Malkovich lives in the valley below. 

    Tonight was the welcome dinner at the Café de Sade, one of the two cafés in town. The café is owned by Pierre Cardin, as are several of the other buildings in the village. The dinner was wonderful, and everyone seems to be settling in nicely. Tomorrow should be relaxed, and hopefully I can get internet access to update this. The internet here is very spotty, and the rain doesn’t seem to help. If the weather clears tomorrow, we should be doing a walking tour of the Luberon valley, which Lacoste overlooks. 

    Missing you all! Please email me and keep in touch :) My email is posted on the main page, but here as well: ariellerassel@gmail.com

L'Arrivee

    What a trip this has been. Let’s start with the flight itself. The weather in Raleigh is rotten, and apparently even worse in Philly. My flight is delayed. Okay, that’s fixable.

    Well, apparently not. I’m told my only option is to switch to a flight to Charlotte, then on to my regular route, except on different flights, meaning different times. Finally, that choice would put me in Marseille at 6:30pm. Originally, I’m set to arrive at 9:30am. I have a bus to catch at 3. Obviously, that option doesn’t work. So I get to Philly, annnnd of course, I miss my connection. Okay, still not the end of the world. I go to special services, where the lovely woman at the counter tells me she can get me on the next flight to Frankfurt, finally arriving in Marseille at -- guess what time? -- 6:30. No, I tell her, that won’t do. Can you get me on the flight to Paris, which would get me to Marseille at noon? No. Paris is overbooked. She doesn’t even check the computer. Okay, I say, how about the flight to Brussels? She heaves a sigh, no. Well, another big sigh, maybe. Yes, if you want to pay $250-300. Absolutely not! Distraught, I call the US Air help number. They put me on the flight to Brussels, getting me in to Marseille at 2:20pm. Cool. But wait, since they’re so nice, why don’t I ask if they can put me on the Paris flight? Well, they could have, if they hadn’t already changed my airline to put me on Air Brussels. So all because of the stupid special services lady, I could have been on the Paris flight to CDG, but NO. Ughhhh.

    So, story continued, I go to Brussels. The flight is pleasant. I have a nice couple next to me and an exit row window, so lots of foot room. I sleep most of the way, but wake in time to see a bit of the country from the air. It’s beautiful. Patchwork land of green and brown fields are broken up by strips of red-roofed houses. Even the pine trees grow in perfect little grids. It is very quaint. The airport is beautiful, and I cleared customs in plenty of time to make my connection to Marseille.

    That flight was also wonderful, and flying over Marseille was breathtaking. It seems more like flying into the Caribbean. We crossed over the Durance river, a brilliant ribbon of turquoise cutting through the dark landscape. The limestone peaks of the Alps-de-Haute-Provence gleam in the afternoon sunlight. Getting to the water is even more amazing. The water is astonishingly blue, and behind the stone barrier, a milky jade green. Sheer limestone cliffs drop off into the water, and islands of foreboding peaks loom offshore. Sailboats dot the water everywhere, skimming so close to one another they look as if they’d collide. Picturesque is an understatement. However, this wondrous feeling is momentarily put aside when I reach the Marseille airport. My bags aren’t there. Of course. 

    It’s hard to be sad, however, waiting in the seventy-five degree sunshine to depart for Lacoste. After over twenty four long hours of travel, I decide to just enjoy the fresh air. The bags will come, everything will be fine. I’m sure Lacoste will put all worries aside. 

    Expect updates of the village soon!

Leaving on a Jetplane...

    So the big day is today! I’m sitting in the airport, waiting on my flight (that will most likely be delayed) to Philadelphia. The flight to Philly before mine is delayed, so I’m guessing mine will be, too. As long as it’s not pushed too late, I should be fine with my connection. Needless to say, I’m a bit worried. 

    Yesterday was a busy day! Last day in the states, and I spent it running around like a crazy person and getting everything packed up. Went out last night with dad and some friends, trying to see everyone before I left. 

    Anyway, my first flight today is to Philly, then from there to Frankfurt, which is a six hour flight. I get to Frankfurt at 5:30 in the morning, then hop on yet another flight from there to Marseille, finally arriving there at 9:30am. I have some time in Marseille before I meet up with the SCAD group to catch the bus to Lacoste at 3. Over 24 hours of travel -- whew! I’m sure I’ll be glad to get there. 

    I managed to get everything in my bags, miracle that that is. Ended up with one big rolling suitcase, a small-ish rolling duffle, a little duffle to carry on, and my backpack! I’m pretty proud of myself, and those of you who have ever seen my closet should be, too. 

    Anyway, look for the next update after I’ve arrived.

    A bientôt, mes amies!

Website

Hey guys! I know I told a few of you I'd be posting here, but look for me now over at the website I've set up.

www.arielleabroad.com

Thanks guys! Feel free to leave me any comments here, as there's no space for comments on the website. 

Planning the Adventure

Planning a trip of this magnitude is no easy feat. I feel like I might drop dead of the stress before I even make it to my flight! Every day has been filled with long to-do lists and errands and appointments. Doctor, eye doctor, hair, shopping, bank, go, go, go! I come home exhausted at the end of each day, not even wanting to look at the growing pile of STUFF I have to fit in my suitcase. From what I know, Lacoste is situated on a very steep hill with slick cobblestone roads, and I have to get my luggage up that hill all by my lonesome, so packing light isn’t really an option -- it’s a requirement. Those of you who know me well are probably laughing very hard right now. Somehow, I’ll manage.

    

    Most of the appointments are out of the way right now. Just have to run a few errands tomorrow. My biggest stress is London -- figuring out visa info and planning internship interviews. Big things! Other than that, it’s just a matter of saying goodbye, US! Trying to eat at all my favorite restaurants, see my friends and family, and get a good thorough dose of good old-fashioned American consumerism. If it’s possible, I think I might be tired of shopping. 

Stop laughing. I mean it.

Anyway, more updates to come before the big day of departure!