Students - URI in Marseille

Carlos A. Munoz, URI in Marseille, Spring 2002:
Hello Professor Durand,
First thank you for the tickets for the OM - PSG soccer game. The game was an unbelievable experience, the fans were rowdy as ever.The match began at 8:45pm and fans were lining the streets at a quarter to four. Once I got into the Stadium, the feeling was unreal. Chants of all sorts running throughout the sold out crowd. This entire crowd put Yankee Stadium and their bleachers creatures to shame. This match has a bigger magnitude than that of the Red Sox/ Yankees series. I've been lucky enough to attend many of those baseball games but they do not compare to what I saw on Friday night. Parisian fans got very wild before the match even started that even the riot police had to come. Once everything settled down, the match began. Opportunities were lost by OM to score in the first half but finally in the second half 65 minutes into the match, Marseille scored on a corner kick!!! People were hugging, kissing, shaking hands, exchanging high fives and possibly every sort of emotion was shown throughout the crowd. Fireworks went off for the next five minutes and flares filled the stadium with smoke, so much so that at points it was difficult to see passes from Leboeuf to Alfonso . Once the smoke settled, the Olympique de Marseille had defeated their biggest rivals 1-0. As was said by many of the OM players in the papers the next day... Fier d'Etre Marseillais!!! haha! (16 April 2002)

It's only a few weeks away from being the end of my semester in Marseille and wow! What an experience it has been. I have traveled to so many different countries; by train, bus, plane, car, and most recently boat. I just got back from a week in Corsica , which was amazing. We rented a van and a car for a group of 15 people from the IBP program here in Marseille. (Including us from the States the group consisted of friends from Ireland, UK, Italy, and Canada). This recent trip was very inexpensive: 300 euros (approximately $278) for transportation, week accomodation, food (beverages), gifts, sightseeing and tons of laughs. Throughout the semester I've had friends from High School and URI who are studying abroad in other countries such as Seville (Spain), Orleans (France) and London (England)come visit me. In terms of education, I assure you that we have learned so many things in and out of the class room. Whether it be from a French phrase to cultural tendencies in Sweden. My French has improved and it's very gratifying to finally put all the effort I've put into French to use. It's even nicer to speak to someone and have them compliment you on your French. I don't exactly have the language down to a T, but it has most definately improved since January. Every week is another adventure. Unfortunately, I can count the weeks until I get home on one hand. In a way I do miss home but then again it will be tough to get back and not have warm fresh baguettes in the morning. But c'est la vie. Good luck with the rest of the semester. Thank you so much for everything you have done for me while I've been here. See you in September, enjoy your summer! (11 May 2002)

I must say that it has been a very short five months here in Marseille; on the other hand, it was certainly time well spent and appreciated. I don't believe that the memory of this experience will ever fade , no matter what kind of amnesia or brainwashing I may be subject to. Several of the authors that I read this semester stated that Marseille is a city without a past. Yes, that may seem obviously false, however, it poses an interesting point of view upon the city which has lost much of its material past, in terms of monuments and things of that nature, throughout the last 26 centuries on account of numerous devastating battles. However empty of such physical history, Marseille is a city with strong and well-seasoned roots , a city which stands firmly planted perpetually sprouting new growth. It is a city with marrow and not just bone. It is a city with character and personality, not attitude. Marseille breathes, whether the streets be full of traffic or not. It is a city with a soul and spirit. It is a city with music. In fact, Marseille has a quickly growing rap and reggae scene. There's no need to mention that I went to some fantastic concerts here. I will miss the sea and the Calanques and all of the friends I have made on this side of the coast. I was very fortunate to be able to spend this semester in the good company of the countless friends whom I met while here.
(16 May 2001)

James Estes was so inspired by Marseille that he wrote in French about the city:

    J'adore Marseille.
    <<L'indifférence des villes est un abri pour les voyageurs qui les traversent.>>(François Taillandier) Je regarde Marseille avec les yeux d'enfant; du sommet de la colline de la garde je suis René. Autour de moi on parle une langue qui me devient plus familière, l'étranger renaît au-dessus du vieux port à l'ombre de la statue en or de la mère Sainte-Marie avec le bébé Jésus aux bras. La statue brille dans les dernières raies du soleil couchant au-delà du Château d'If et des îles du Frioul, au-delà de la solitude de la mer. Je tiens à la philosophie qui dit que l'on est renaît lorsque l'on s'installe à l'étranger et se met à regarder la ville et les endroits, à comprendre et à aimer les gens et la culture, à parler une nouvelle langue.<< On tombe dans la vie comme dans un piège: on est forcé de jouer à un jeu dont on ne connaît pas la règle.>>(F.T.) En même temps que l'on renaît, l'étoile de l'imagination brille plus et plus fort comme celle-là de l'enfance. Donc, je me retrouve ici à Marseille, prêt à profiter de l'expérience avec les yeux clairs qui perçoivent le nouveau monde. Plein de merveille, je me plonge dans l'inconnu.
    Avant de partir de Notre Dame, l'on perçoit des bateaux de pêche qui reviennent au vieux port pendant que des autres repartent vers le silence du crépuscule qui mène au néant de la nuit. Ensuite, le long la rue du Panier l'on trouve M. Le Mamelouk qui regarde le temps passer de son endroit à la sécurité du plus vieux quartier de Marseille. Ses yeux sont pleins de la sagesse clandestine accumulée pendant les siècles. J'espère qu'il y reste toujours comme le souvenir du passé. << L'histoire est clandestine aux communautés humaines, inaperçue dans l'instant qu'elle s'écrit.>>( F.T.) Près de lui, l'on trouve la Vieille-Charité où il y a maintenant un musée qui contient des oeuvres anciennes grecques et romaines, des oeuvres africaines, et d'autres oeuvres contemporaines. A mon avis, l'hôpital de La Vieille Charité reste encore le sanctuaire pour ceux qui ont des troubles; c'est à dire que l'on y entre comme dans un palais protégé par l'esprit divin chrétien et donc, l'on peut y oublier les problèmes de la vie. En partant de La Vieille-Charité, je me suis mis à suivre la piste vers la cathédrale de Marseille, La Major. Pour des raisons de sécurité l'on ne peut plus visiter La Major ancienne, cependant, je crois que La nouvelle Major est plûtot impressionante. L'on y trouve aussi le tombeau de Mgr. Eugène de Mazenod qui était responsable pour l'édification de la fameuse Notre Dame de la garde. Alors, à côté de La Major, des vieux hommes jouent à la pétanque, un passe-temps célèbre ici à Marseille; l'on n'ose pas discuter avec eux pendant qu'ils sont en train de jouer, autrement l'on reçoit un coup d'une bouteille de Pastis(vide, bien sûr) sur la tête. Il semble une blague, mais c'est vachement sérieux ce jeu.Après que le match a fini, je suis descendu vers le fort Saint-Jean qui est situé sur le quai du port au coin du Vieux Port et La mer Méditérrannée. En même temps que je passais la tour de Saint-Jean, le vent a changé et soufflait contre moi à environ 80 kilomètres à l'heure. C'était juste comme je suis entré le port en bateau, c'est à dire que je zigzaguais comme si j'avais bu beaucoup de pastis. De toute façon, étant le soir j'ai décidé d'aller au Bar de La Marine qui est situé à l'autre rive, le quai de Rive Neuve. En fait, Marius n'y travaille plus et Fanny ne vend plus ses coquillages, cependant, l'ésprit de Marcel Pagnol y existe encore à l'intérieur et à l'extérieur; l'on y trouve des pêcheurs, des capitaines des bateaux, des personnages typiques de Marseille qui aiment parler de l'OM et boire le Pastis et les rhums, ceux qui travaillent dur le jour et passent le soir avec des amis, ceux qui jouent aux cartes ou aux dés. Enfin, je me suis mis à m'asseoir à une table dehors sous le ciel étoilé, en pleine vue des bateaux dans le port alors allumé. J'ai commandé un Pastis et j'ai pensé: Vive Marseille!!!
James Estes (le 16 février 2001)

Marseille so far has been amazing. Living at the Maeva is great, a lot better than a dorm room and it is so close to the beach. I get to walk there everyday just to hang out. Plus another great thing is that I've met people just by living there. Its in a great spot thats safe, and I can do all my grocery shopping and anything else that I need to do without any problems. The students here are so fun to get to know, and everybody is from absolutely everywhere. There is always something to do, whether it is searching around Marseille, or just something to do with the school. Classes are good, very long compared to home though, but I've gotten used to it. My marketing class is 4 hours, with a break of course, and it is 3 days a week. But the great side of it is that it only lasts 3 weeks. Even the professors are great to meet because they are from all over the world. Marseille is absolutely beautiful though. You have the choice of the Mediterranean beach, to climbing the mountains, or heading to the Vieux Port to go dancing or to the bars. Transportation is easy, I'm always using the metro and bus, but people do have cars, so when you meet them they'll bring you around no problem. I was able to go to Paris for a 3 day weekend already. I actually met people in Marseille who live in Paris, so I went and stayed with them and got the grand tour of Paris, and it is beautiful. I've already had a week off for vacation and I hit the road with 8 people who I live with. Three of us are American, the rest from Canada and Mexico. We traveled Spain taking the train everywhere. We visited Barcelona, Valencia, Madrid, Seville, and finally Figueres. Spain is so much fun and there are so many things to see and do. We stayed in hostels every night which was not expensive and it really was safe to do. Now its back to classes for this week but I'll be searching around Marseille for the weekend to find more things to see. It is huge. Everybody should consider coming here, it’s amazing how different cultures can be.
(February 2001)