Carnival: Vitrolles

Well say 'goodbye' Netherlands, Dutch liberty, and rainy weather and 'hello' to the Côte d'Azur, Bouches-du-Rhone, warm ravishing weather, and les filles français! Yes, I chose to do my internship, my final thesis and complete my master programme in the charming city of Aix-en-Provence, France [more precisely  Vitrolles, at an IT consultancy called Osiatis]. There were many valid reasons for the choice, aside from the weather, my French girlfriend [Maite], and learning a [useful] language; but I won't go into the gory, corporate details in such a social setting.
So I'm in France now, there's just such a magical feeling about it, with he vast landscape, the polite, friendly [beautiful] French people, and fresh [seemingly] unpolluted springtime air, and the oh-so accessible nature surrounding Aix. Contemplating what to do with our weekend [which dare not be wasted on petty work], we decided to go to my work-place city of Vitrolles for a traditional Carnival.
It was something quite culturally oriented and not "adult-oriented" as our Carnival in Trinidad. It was interesting, but lacked a certain, "je ne sais quoi"…perhaps alcohol, half naked people in costumes, hot weather, and blasting music and chaos! [See the video below on Trinidadian Carnival that has passed this year in February]. There was live jazz-type music by some of the players, and a few locals in costumes, not large but homely. In all, the day was enjoyable except for the fact that it ended in my 10th break up with my girlfriend, but, c'est la vie! [we're back together now by the way; sinusoidal relationships; *sigh*].
I've come to realise that European Carnivals [Maastricht's  Carnival, Nice Carnival, Finnish Vappu Celebrations], will never be the same as the Carnival back home in Trinidad. They will always be some how more "sane", perhaps all have their own cultural aspects, but Trini-Carnival, is all about the fun, sun, and one-love! A time when all are together and united, and break free from social laws and norms and create a controlled and enjoyable chaos [or as we say "bacchanal"].
For more pictures of Vitrolles Carnival, see:

• Carnival Vitrolles

Vitrolles Carnival [from the City website]:

All areas of Vitrolles will come alive on 7 March on the theme of imagination and dreams at the carnival organized by the City and the associations vitrollaises. The inhabitants of the Frescoule, embodied as gypsies, will join the city center to the edge of their "tank-trailer, under the orders and disorders of the" Emperor of the country trips." The program of this parade: gear wheels, oversized characters, waders, country, etc.. Les Pins, the Hermès Liourat and will not be left with their "Island of Dreams". Brazilian dance, African and capoeira are there. The inhabitants of the village, they trace the legend of Saint Anthony of Padua, the patron saint of rain for Vitrolles. Around Caramantran, theatrical tableaux, folk dances and music will be organized. Starting from 14h, on the place de Provence, where the final will take place in the parade, several activities will be introduced such as free riding school, a makeup workshop hosted by the municipal or ludothèque a bar held by the associations vitrollaises.

Now the real Trini-Carnival: remember the sun is hot, and people playing in costumes usually have access to a free bar with unlimited drinks, so they have no choice but to behave like this. :)

New Crazes in Life

Suddenly I've found my new favourite craze drinks/cocktails in life. I never had a favourite drink really before, hopefully I'll find better ones as I try more. So here they are:

1. Nescafé Gold Café Mocca: One-third espresso, one-third hot chocolate, and one-third steamed milk. Try it yourself with NESCAFÉ Gold Mocca.
2. The infamous Gin & Tonic: dry, sweet, lemony taste. A gin and tonic is a highball cocktail made with gin and tonic water, usually garnished with a slice of lime or lemon and often served over ice.
3. Muscat dessert wines: Muscat grapes are used to make a variety of sweet dessert wines in various parts of the world. Typically, these are fortified wines, though some sweet late harvest and noble rot wines are also made from Muscat grapes. Muscat is often used as a sweet aperitif, and some varieties are used to make "sherry".
4. And Finally: Bacardi Lime [Mojito]: oh yeh!

Tonight, do the Mojito, with the refreshingly cool taste of the Barcardi Mojito!

Voilà! [I just felt like expressing this to the world].

Turkish Affinity: Hall of Fame

It was the absolute last days of Tilburg and The Netherlands, the last weekend of my Dutch student life, and it was the best weekend spent there since we’ve been there. I must say it was somewhat of a weird yet enjoyable and culturally-explosive experience which I had on these two nights [Saturday and Sunday].

The evening began with meeting and dining with some mutual friends of Wasiq and I who happened to be Turkish. We ate, quite ironically [since Marcos was not there] and haphazardly [since the other restaurant we were going to was full], at a Mexican Restaurant in Tilburg Centre.

One of the girls we both knew, Buket, then took us afterward to an underground party! I cannot believe in our entire stay in Netherlands, this place existed and we never visited it! It was held in a messed up spray-painted graffiti-ridden place [which looked like an abandoned community centre].The name of the place was "Hall of Fame", and the party was "Terug Spoelen" [which means "rewind" in Dutch]

But wait! That’s not the weirdest part! Guess who we went with and got us in free? A 66 year old Dutch woman – Buket's "Landlady" – "Hanneke" - who drinks, smokes, stones-out-on-weed, and parties like she’s 20 years old! She was dancing with us and buying us drinks, she even invited us to her "secret basement" to do some "Shisha", however we didn't go that far. Everyone there were like moms and grannies, like really old people stoning-out and dancing and chilling. Buket, Wasiq and I were the only three people in there who were young [below 30].

Wait! There’s more! That’s not even touching the weirdest part of the night! When i went to the restroom, I met a girl from Berlin who is doing her Bachelor Degree in Circus Acts! Hahahaaha! Yes you read correctly: a Bachelors Degree in Circus Acts. WTH! how weird can you get...how much weirder can you get man? Please tell me something weirder than that! And I believed her too, since i actually knew the circus school she was talking about. But she was really cool, so I asked her: "Circus acts like standing on your hands and stuff? So can you show me some tricks?", she was willing to of course, but her response was "I would, but I’m just so insanely drunk and stoned right now, I just can't". Understandable, don’t you think? I think my next Degree will be in this.

On Sunday, after this crazy night, we relaxed with the Turkish girls at their place, in Stappegoorweg - with food & fondue, Shisha, Turkish tea, Turkish Coffee, and Turkish song [with a violin too]! It simply shocked me how much culture these girls had in them, how much they stuck to their culture and brought it out in song and enjoyment with each other. And I resent my own culture and hide it. I felt somewhat awakened, at the deepness to which their tradition lay, and how it brought them together. It was at that moment that I gained my fascination for Turkey and Turkish culture [I just didn't really care about it that much before]. It was at that moment that I realised why Wasiq was so drawn to this genre of people in all our adventures. It was at that moment that I gained my Turkish Affinity.

For more pictures, see:

• Turkish Nights: Hall of Fame

Return to Aix [Again]: Shisha

Well officially I’m the only one in my programme to return so many times to France since we’ve left. Once, when I was in Finland [to see Maïté]; another when I was in Netherlands [to pursue Maïté] after my trip to Ireland. And yet another time [this time] in the same semester with Wasiq [to drop off some of my luggage]. Yes, my third return to France!

Well Aix-en-Provence will never change, it remained the same charming little ville that I had left it to be. On this return however Wasiq and I, spent one night only; and spent it well in an amazing Shisha-Tea Bar [Salon de thé oriental] in the centre-ville called Sur la route de Samarkande.

Very oriental, charming, warm, and flavourful place: with teas I would never dream existed [well over 30 flavours in their menu], and the hugest Shisha pipe I’ve ever seen [not that I’ve seen that much in my life].

Of course the Shisha was used to smoke herbal fruits and not cannabis, since we were in France and no longer the “free” Netherlands [not that we smoke cannabis in Netherlands, just that it’s tolerated to do so there]. I can’t remember the name of tea I had, but it was some fusion of flavours that exploded in my mouth. Wasiq had gotten me into the “tea” culture a week before, so this was quite the treat for me.

And of course we were in good company of the girls: Wasiq’s Germany friend Rebecca, and my French friend Emeline [who we crashed by for the night]. Thanks Emmy!

For more pictures, see:

• Return to Aix: Shisha

IMMIT Last Days: Tilburg

It was the last days, in Tilburg, halfway between exams and our coordinators decided to have a farewell get-together for us. It would be the last time that we would all really be together as a group, since we were all parting our separate ways to do internships in one of the 3 countries in which we've studied.

IT was a nice evening, beginning with a 'clog' [traditional dutch wooden shoes] painting workshop, and ending with a nice dinner [with great wine], at a Dutch restaurant in the Tilburg City Center.

For more pictures, see:

• IMMIT Farewell Party [courtesy Biljana]