A Biento! And then there were two.

With tears weld in their eyes, I waved as the navette pulled off with 5 of them. They disappeared in the distance so fast and then I realized tomorrow was my day to pull out.
Ambialet, France has made such an impression on me. The sweet sound of silence, fresh air and a loving community has become so natural to me that I have no idea how to go back home. In fact, I still don't believe I'm leaving tomorrow. My suitcases are, but I'm not. That's exactly what I told my mom after I confirmed that she would remember what my suitcases looked like if I were not holding them. She hasn't responded to that e-mail yet, so I'm taking that as a yes.
However, today was quite adventurous for a last day. We saw some painting and sculptures done by Marie (our housekeeper) and her friend Willy. It's amazing how talented they both are. The funniest part is that they have a perfect sculpture of our soon to be former President George W. Bush Jr. I wish I would have known sooner how talented she was. I guess that will just be a big part of my incentive to come back.
We also became apart of the family of Le Prieure, of 50 years. Their reunion was held here today, followed by a mass. At the end we sang Cantical of the Sun for them and they sang a song in their native Occitan. It was great. It sounded like a fight song for their native language. You can tell that they were so proud of us coming in to save le Prieure, which was quickly decaying. They all lived here, with no heat and cold showers, in their younger years, only returning to home three times a year. This is home to them and now it's home to us as well and they accept that and love us for being here. We are valued so much them and I will never forget that. To me a home holds a legacy, whereas a house can be knocked down without regrets.

A Biento my home of Ambialet, France.
Love Always,
Alexia Shashara

Easter Break

A moment to break away and center myself, is exactly what my easter break was. 3 days and 2 nights well spent in Marseilles, France in a hotel. After traveling Europe and staying in hostels, the hotel was much appreciated and luxury as well. The cable television was a great add in as well. I have never experienced bad weather on Easter and I didn't this year either. With the great weather from the entire weekend made it a perfect time for the beach.
Tim and I came up with an ingenious idea to go into the water with our regular clothes and climb the rocks without getting wet. I almost plunged in several times staggering back and forth due to the force of the waves going in and out to land. Finally I made it to the top of the rocks and had my Debut as Ariel from The Little Mermaid. It was quite funny. The waves splashed up in perfect timing. Tim however wasn't successful in not falling into the water. Just as he shouted "there's no way I'm getting I'm falling in now", he fell in completely. Too bad I didn't get that on camera.
The cutest moment of my Easter break was being in the Boulangerie and a little girl ran in and shouted "Je voudrais un baguette, si vous plait?" She got her roll of bread and ran out to her mom if a big smile of accomplishment on her face.
The most memorable moment was watching "Be Kind Rewind" starring Jack Black, Mos Def and Danny Glover, all in french. As the movie started we realized it was all in french and there were no subtitles. I think the only reason I stayed is because I payed 8 euros. It was so worth it. I didn't need to know the french language in its entirety to understand the concept of the movie. It was great. That movie is definitely a must see. I don't want to ruin the movie for anyone who hasn't seen it. If you want a brief summary of what it was "Be Kind Rewind" was about, google is the best option.
My proudest moment was the entire trip. I felt free and stress free and with people I enjoy myself with and love to enjoy adventure on an as it comes basis. My last break in Marseilles, France was definitely a moment to remember.

Until Next Time
Love
Alexia Shashara