Hello everyone! Buon Giorno! Bonjour!			March 1, 2000

I am back from Italy, and finally back to emailing, and I want to say thank
you to everyone who sent me emails! I love your news and I am writing back
to you all as fast as I can!!  For those of you who I have just added to
this list, HELLO! You are not forgotten!  I heard that the weather has been
pretty bad in California, and as of yesterday it started to rain here, but
thankfully the sun peeked out from the clouds this afternoon, and I hope
for sunshine for the rest of the week!  I will pray for some sunshine for
you as well!

As for me, despite the rainy day, I am happy to be back in France, my
vacation in Italy was wonderful, but I have to admit that I have a greater
appreciation for Aix-en-Provence, and the country of France as well!

I began my week at 4:30 in the morning a couple of Fridays ago, and as I
left the house to catch my bus to the Marseille train station, my french
brother was just coming home from a wild night of partying, I will never be
able to adapt to the lifestyles of the young Europeans.... he even had a
class later that morning!

So, as my friends and I caught our first train to Nice, a nice town in the |
French Riviera.... we saw one of the most amazing sights of the trip: the
sunrise over the Mediterranean Sea! It was beautiful, and undescribable....
one of the best things that day, as when we arrived in Nice to catch our
train to Florence, we found that the Italian Trains decided to go on strike
that day, on the busiest travelling day of the week ... of course! We then
realized that our itenerary would have to be rearranged and we were
"stranded" in one of the most beautiful beach towns in the Cote d'Azur...
So, we grabbed our bags and walked to the shores of the sea... and layed on
the beach all day long, it was so wonderful, and not too cold for February!
On the beach, we met a girl from Holland who studied at ISIU in San Diego
last semester! Such a coincidence, one of many during the trip...

The next day we caught the early train to Italy, thankfully the strike only
lasted one day!  We arrived in Florence and found some of our friends that
were studying there.. Nicci Winslow met us at the station, it was so good
to see her! A familiar face in a foreign town makes such a difference!

That day we caught a couple of sights before the night was over, we climbed
the tower of the Duomo Cathedral and crossed the famous Ponte Vecchio
bridge... it was beautiful! Over the next two days in Florence, we were
able to see so much as although the city was crowded, it was not too bad to
get around... we visited the Ufizzi Museum, The Boboli Gardens, a day trip
to Siena, a couple of cathedrals, we saw Michelangelo's David, and so many
other masterpieces! It was so great to see so many things that I have only
seen in the textbooks of my art classes! One of the highlights was going
out to dinner with my roommates from last semester (Alison and Lynna...
love you guys!) It was so good to catch up and share experiences of living
far away from home and usd... we had a great meal and yummy desserts
(thanks you two!) Florence was a great city, and so many beautiful things
to see! The one thing that surprised me was all of the English that was
spoken there.. the most I have heard since I arrived in Europe! Even more
than Paris or Rome, kind of weird... but I assume it is normal, as there
are so many tourists.

After Florence, our group took a train to Rome, not too far away.... where
we stayed for 3 nights. Rome was HUGE! One of the biggest cities I have
ever seen! The enormous size and the fact that we had to rely on the poor
roman public transportation made it difficult to see everything, and I
cannot even tell you how much I walked in those 4 days! Out of all of the
things I saw, NOTHING compared to the Vatican.... it was UNBELIEVABLE!!!
and here is the best news....

I was 5 feet away from Pope John Paul II.... (almost as close as you,
emily) It was crazy!! We went to St. Peter's square to see the Pope speak,
and we sat next to the aisle, and before the pope sat in his chair on the
steps, he was driven around in his "popemobile" and he drove right past us,
we stood on our chairs and waved and he stood up just about eye level to
where we were standing, only 5 feet away!!!! It is a moment that I will
remember for the rest of my life! We were all moved to tears, it was so
beautiful and so many people stood awestruck... completely taken aback by
everything around them... it was so incredible.  All of these people from
all different countries, all together for their faith!

The entire Vatican City was breathtaking. St. Peters, the Sistine Chapel,
the museums and gardens... it was wonderful.. a peaceful place in the chaos
of Rome.

The rest of the city was very crowed and polluted, something strange to see
amidst tons of old ruins and ancient artifacts... at one minute you are
looking at the Collesium, and then behind you, you see a band of gypsies
pickpocketing some tourists in front of the dirty metro station... it is a
strage phenomenon...

We were able to see lots of sights, the Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain
(beautiful at night) the Spanish Steps, the old Roman Forum, the Mouth of
Truth (very disappointing), and so much more, but my favorite by far was
the food... (lots of Gelato and Pizza and Pasta) and of course, the Vatican
City...I actually ran into a girl I went to High School with inside St.
Peter's Basillica... so strange!

Four days in Rome was plenty for us, and afterwards, we took a train to our
final destination, Venizia.... Venice, the city built on water! It was
carnival weekend, which made it fun with so many costumes and masks, but
also  very crowded! When we stepped off the train, we walked to the end of
the platform, where one would normally hail a cab, or walk to a nearby
tourism office, and all we could see was WATER! It was so fun... kind of
like Foster City.. well, maybe... So, we took a boat to the center of
town... to find our accomodations... so many beautiful buildings and the
architecture is so different than the other Italian cities I had visited,
as it has a strong Byzantine influence. After a bit of confusion, we
finally made it to our "hotel/cabin" about a 1/2 hour boat ride from
St. Mark's square, and we began our site seeing the next morning...

Although we spent most of the day walking in circles, climbing over
bridges, and looking at maps... it was so fun being lost in Venice! We were
able to see Piazza San Marco... decked out for Carnivale, and we also
visited the Academia Museum. The Carnival parade and spectacle show began
early, but it was a lot different than American parades, as there weren't
any floats! But every Carnival celebration is different.. Venice was more
about costumes and masks. All in all, it was wonderful, and definitely an
experience. That night we ran into some girls from USD in the HUGE crowd at
a concert in St. Marks, it was Jeanne Naouer, Sarah Isola and Nicci Winslow
(all studying in Florence) it was so crazy to see them out of all of the
people there! They are doing great, and we all had  blast.. and started
laughing when the Italian band ended their set, and "Hey Mickey, You're so
Fine" started blaring out of the speakers... in Venice!

It was a great ending to our trip... the next day we headed back home, and
we began travelling at 10 am (the first boat back to the station) and I
walked into my house in Aix at 1:30 am.... 15 and a half hours later...
thanks to our train delays in Italy (thank you very much)... needless to
say, I earned my sleep that night.

It was such a great vacation, and I had lots of fun with the girls I
traveled with, it's funny because 5 out of the 6 of us were all on the
same flight together when we arrived in France (us west coast kids stick
together!) We all bonded on the train rides, and sharing in so many
adventures to new places! It was a lot of fun, and I am so grateful for my
days here!

Now, it is back to school, as I prepare for midterms coming up the next 2
weeks. No more fun and games, it's time to hit the books.. for those of you
with midterms, good luck! I wish you the best!

Other news, I just got a new roommate yesterday! It happenned really fast,
as she needed to move out of her house because of some problems in her
french family, but things are good, and she is really nice. I also learned
that one of my French family's sons just moved back into the house while I
was away. He has been living in Paris but needed to change jobs, so with 2
new additions, we now have 8 people living in the house! Definitely a new
challenge, but it is fun being surrounded with so many people!

For those of you who are Searching this weekend at USD.. you are in my
prayers, have a wonderful weekend!

RIOTERS.... hope it went well last night!

I will send the Provincial sunshine your way!
Take Care!

Love,
Stacey


*******************
Stacey Sweeney
Institute for American Universities
27, Place de l'Universite
13625 Aix-en-Provence, Cedex 1
FRANCE

ssweeney@acusd.edu  OR
mail155@univ-aix.fr

www.youmakejesuscry.com
(thanks Jude!)

 		***********   HELLO EVERYONE!!!   ************


So, it has taken me forever to start this email to you all... I have
been trying to do this all week, but I never know where to begin!  As all
of you USD kids begin your first week of the semester, I am finishing the
fourth week of mine.  Tomorrow marks the Fourth week since I arrived in Aix-
en-Provence, a small city in the South of France.  It is very "Provincial"
but also modern (for France) as it is a college town, filled with students
from all over the world.

My school, the Institute for American Universities, is made up of about 130
kids from almost every state in the U.S.  It is funny that I had to come
all the way to France to meet people from Wyoming and New Hampshire...
cultural differences abound between the states let alone between the
Americans and the French!

Classes are good... very "hands on," For my Cezanne and Van Gogh class, I
spend class time discussing the philosophies and techniques of the
masters, and then take field trips to their homes, art studios, and the
landscapes portrayed in their most famous works. Amazing!  To think that
these genuises of the art world lived and worked in the city where I now
live!

Of course I am also taking French, as it is definitely necessary to speak
and understand French living here, but I can't say that it is not a
struggle... everyday I learn new words in French, usually by being
corrected by French people who give me looks as if to say "How dare you
butcher our sacred language!" It is definitely a challenge, but I have a
good understanding of what I like to call "EMERGENCY FRENCH". I know all of
the basic phrases needed to get by, for example,"Ou sont les toillettes..."
"where is the bathroom?"  and
"Je voudrais un pain au chocolat, s'il vous plait." ...
"I would like one chocolate croissant, please"
It works for me!

Speaking of French pasteries.. the food here is unbelievable... The
bakeries and pastery shops in France are more numerous than 7-11s in
America!  2 on every corner! I honestly don't know how the French
are as fit and slender as they are... Eating croissants and biscotti for
breakfast, a baguette sandwich for lunch filled with meat, mayo, and french
fries.. NO JOKE!... and  a baguette of french bread with dinner... this is
what they eat EVERY DAY! Can we say Carbohydrates!?! And they eat french
fries with everything! With sausage, with mussels, inside sandwiches..
maybe that is how they got their name, yet they are never called "french"
fries here..
And none of them even exercise.. when my friends from the US go jogging
here they get looks as if they are crazy!  I guess most of the food is
burned off by all of the walking.. I have never walked this much in my
life! I will never again complain about crossing the miniature USD campus!

The art school where I take a class twice a week is a half hour away by
foot, (there is a funny story about my BEGINNING art class... the first
day we had to sketch a nude model....a bit strange, but "when in France.."
I guess...) and the email place is about 15-20 minutes away.. but I am
lucky because my house is basically in the center of town, not too far from
school, the post office, and basically everything I need!

Today I had my second wine-tasting class... seriously. We spend 3 hours at
a time tasting the best wines made in France and discussing their origin
and flavor.  It is truly unbelievable, and I am becoming an expert which
is great, as I drink wine with my family here at every meal!

My house and French family are wonderful!  I live in the center of town in
a building that was created in the 12th century... I can't even imagine who
lived in my room! In the 18th century, it served as a hotel for the rich
nobles who would travel across the French countryside. My room has a
ceiling that is 2 stories high, and the 12 ft tall windows look out onto a
small courtyard that actually has a water well! The walls of my room are
covered in paintings, as my french mom (who is actually Spanish) is a
painter in her spare time... as well as a flamenco dance teacher! Most
evenings I can hear her music in the kitchen as she cooks and claps her
hands and stomps her feet to the spanish music... My french father is able
to speak English, and always helps to find translations for me when
necessary (basically in EVERY conversation).. I also have a tiny
grandmother who only speaks Spanish and is about as tall as my waist.. and
2 older "brothers," a law student and another one who works in film
production... they are in their mid to late 20s as kids live at home here
for a pretty long time...sometimes until they get married.

I basically come and go as I please and we all come together for dinner at
night around a small table in the kitchen for quite possible the richest
meals I have ever eaten! Every night is wine, bread, the main course,
salad, more bread, fruit and dessert.. I feel like I go out to eat everyday!
I will say that I am being brave about my eating habits, as there are some
pretty strange entrees here...

Overall I am doing well, and I hope that you are having good weather and
good times.... I miss everyone so much, and it was definitely an adjustment
at first, but I am doing fine. I have realized how fast the time passes,
and to enjoy every moment! Because there are so many students in my town,
it is easy to relate experiences about being far away from home, as there
are universities from so many different countries!  One of the highlights
of my weeks is to go to a gathering on Tuesday nights for mass and dinner
with "international" students from all over the world... it is great, as we
practice our French, and meet people from anywhere and everywhere, Africa,
Sweeden, the Philippines, etc...

I feel like I have been here forever, and the places I have seen!! In 4
little weeks, I have been up and down the Cote d'Azur, (the French
Riviera) to see Nice and the Matisse Museum, the castles in Monaco, dancing
with the French in Monte Carlo, the Picaso Chateau and Museum in
the beautiful Mediterranean City of Antibes, The Papal Palace in
Avignon, and meeting up with my " big sister" Michele in Paris, and seeing
the Millenium lights on the Eiffel Tower! (The Musee d'Orsay was my
absolute favorite!) This weekend I am going on a day trip in Provence,
and for my first break it is Carnival in Venice!

I have lots to look forward to, and lots to be thankful for!
That is about it for now, for those of you that have send me postcards,
emails, and letters.... they have made my days so much brighter! I will try
to keep you all updated, and I apologize if this email is repeated
information, and that it is pretty impersonal.. I am working on it!

If you know of anyone who is trying to get a hold of me, send this along to
them, and you can reach me at the following email and address! You are all
in my prayers, and I miss you tons!

Love,

Stacey :)