Since Tuesday

-hopped on the ferry to Portsmouth with a bookbag for me and a bag of presents for the family hosting me. the bottle of wine takes priority over another set of clothes for me, right?

-got headache, faceplanted into plushy seat, and napped for really not long enough.

-was welcomed to England by a gruff security guard who wanted to know who I was, why I was here, how long I was staying, why on earth I was living in France, why I left the USA, and how much money I had in my bank accounts.

-was really welcomed to England with big kisses by Lizzi and the fam! I can't believe I'm really back here sometimes! She's exactly the same =)

-Spent Wednesday morning doing a big British grocery shop in Waitrose, which is apparantly the place to shop.

-Spent Wednesday evening decorating the tree and getting into a British soap called Gavin & Stacey. The title characters are boring, but it's worth a check-out for the alternative friends and their families.

-Funny thing: English trees look just like American trees:

-Closed the night with a drive out to some lit-up Christmas houses. This is not such a big to-do in England as it is in the USA, but there are some areas that do it. Felt closer to home. Now if only I could see a giant inflatable Santa.

-Thursday was Portsmouth. A great little harbor town full of shops, and a really cool structure called the Spinnaker tower. It's high and from the top you can stand on a glass plane and look down all 170 metres to your bloody death if the pane didn't hold. Good stuff. It even blows in the wind.

-Shopping in Portsmouth: New Years cards (which is code for late Christmas cards), dress for Christmas day, and super cheap lady garment in my size! Take that, France.

-Lunch in Portsmouth was yummy pizza. But let's talk about dessert:

-Southampton was Friday. Did shopping, found my New Year's dress (the theme is class). Crap weather though, so we didn't bother to go find the Tudor houses. They were probably closed anyway.

-Fish & chips minus the fish.

-Tea, tea, tea

Will catch up later. For now, I'm off to see Winchester and the round table. Little bit of history for my Christmas Eve!

finally caught that holiday bug!

The last few days have been Christmas on lock.
-Home Alone plays on YouTube while I make crafty presents in my kitchen.
-My voice laces the beads of water under the shower. I'm singing The Drifters' version of "White Christmas."
-I buy all of my families' presents on Amazon this year so they will arrive on time. Bank card information is entered while I listen to my GrooveShark holidayzzzz mix.
-Buying more Xmas presents today - Normandy specialties for my English family!
-SCORE: Danny Elfman's "Ice Dance" from Edward Scissorhands just started playing. Spooky Christmas rock.
-Saving the Christmas soap that Erin gave me for England. Why just be excited for Christmas when you can smell like Christmas?
-Oh damn - "This Christmas" by the Temptations just came on. Mmm. Hang low the mistletoe - I'm gonna get to know you better, baby.
-There is an ice skating rink in Centre Ville. How many times do you think I will fall?


Merry Christmas! Now, let me hear you make some holy ghost crazy noise right now.

charlie chaplin helps me out of a funk

So it's Christmas time and I've let myself get a little depressed. Homesick to the 100th power. Haven't got a tree yet, haven't listened to any music yet, STILL haven't started my craft presents. But you know, life is still good. I spent the weekend in Brittany with dear friends of mine and the new addition to their family. I'm going to a holiday dinner party on Thursday and a birthday party on Saturday. And in a week, I will be in England with an amazing friend, laughing and enjoying the holiday spirit.

This video made me feel a lot more hopeful today:

Also, thinking of starting a blog in French.

The glowing review you have been waiting for

So I had to go to the doctor and get a prescription.

My appointment was at 19h15. Me being me, I got lost on the way. For about an hour, I walked around Calvaire Saint Pierre, which happens to be the same neighborhood I work in, and still I couldn't find it. Man, am I nulle at orientation.

In the space between getting lost and finally getting there, I called the doctor's office three times for directions. The receptionist was never frustrated with me or even hurried. He continually told me to take my time. And the third time I called, he non-sarcastically asked if I would like him to come and get me in his car.

Finally I arrived and quickly realized I had not been talking to a receptionist, but the doctor himself! Because doctors answer their own phones in France! What? We sat down, he asked me what's up, and I told him what prescription I needed.

Silly me, I didn't bring the box with me. BUT, not to worry, there's an app for that! Doc whips out his iPhone, types in the American name, finds the French equivalent, and BAM! I have a prescription in my hands.

As Doc is signing the prescription, he frowns and apologizes to me. He says, I'm sorry mademoiselle, but this prescription isn't covered by insurance here. You will have to pay.

In the USA, with insurance, my prescription is $60 a month. In France, without insurance, it is $5 a month. Again I say, what?!

All in all I was only there 10 minutes, and the last three weren't even necessary - we were just talking about insurance in the USA. OK France, major points for you.

Birthday in Paris!

Did you ever meet someone and after just a few hours you had this feeling that you could have a super strong friendship with her? That's how I felt after I met Sara. We took the same flight here to France, and we ended up sitting not far from each other on the flight. We had lots of time to chat when our layover was delayed in Iceland, and some more time as we figured out the train situation in Paris.

Sara is an assistant in Lille, so I hadn't seen her since the flight. But she invited me to spend her birthday with her in Paris! Of course I was looking forward to it all month. And it really was a lovely weekend.

I arrived on Saturday before Sara, so I headed over to Sainte-Chapelle, a Parisian church that is known for its gorgeous stained glass windows which depict scenes from the bible and the apocalypse. After that I met up with Sara and was pleased to find out that two other people who were on the flight were coming to dinner - Ellen and Madeleine. I also hadn't seen them since the flight!

We walked along the Christmas markets on the Champs-Elysées, and we bought churros, vin chaud (hot wine), and chocolate covered marshmallows. We could see the lights of the Eiffel Tower in the distance and the Ferris Wheel up close.

After that, we took a long stroll in the mild November chill to a restaurant district by Notre Dame, where we found a pizzeria. After dinner, gelato. After gelato, a smooth liquor called Cointreau in Sara's hotel room. Funny how cointreau gets you talking. Funny how talking bonds. It amazes me how four women like us, from completely different places and situations in life, can have so much in common and feel so close. (Side note: if you wanna see some seriously baby-sitters club photos of me and my girls, just go to my FB page)

Sunday we had a stroll in the Tuileries garden as we ate crepes and gaufres and chit-chatted some more. After a lunch at a bistrot, it was time for me to get on the train back to Caen. I wish I lived closer to these ladies, because I would love to get to see them more.

S & E in front of the Louvre

It was a great weekend for me, and I hope Sara had a wonderful birthday!!

Who's Thankful? This dame.

For the most part, the French don't do Thanksgiving. But I have been blessed enough to find a wonderful Franco-American family who has taken me in, so to speak. And this year they invited me to Thanksgiving with their folks. So instead of sitting in my room missing my family back home and listening to sad mopey songs on Grooveshark, I spent the evening with a super welcoming family eating all the delicious staples of an American Thanksgiving.

First course: Veloute of pumpkin and potatoes with creme fraiche and parsley. A veloute, as W reminded me when I posted my pics on Facebook, is a hearty soup that has been blended into creamy deliciousness.

Then there was the turkey! Turkeys are typically hard to find in France at this time of year, but this family has been doing Thanksgiving for 6 years. They found this bird at a local farm. He's grain-fed and free-range. Which basically means he had a happy life. More than you can say for your average butterball!

Our sides were gravy, stuffing, and these two mashes. Plus homemade cornbread and cranberry sauce. Best I ever had.

Cheese course! I'm definitely introducing this part of the meal to my family next year. We had chevre (W's favorite - the cylinder cheese) and two local cheeses: Pont L'Eveque (the square) and Camembert (the round wheel).

And then it was time for dessert. E really outdid herself. Not one, not two, but three pies! From top to bottom, pumpkin, apple, and pecan.

The night was over much too soon, but I was left with the feeling of family, of holiday, of tradition. I truly am a lucky girl. I hope all of you back home had a great Thanksgiving too!

Les Comediens

Joined a choir!

That's where I've been these Wednesday evenings, singing my heart out with the other assistants who invited me and their professors. We will even have a performance in May! Oh, how it reminds me of being with Bev at Stockton. How happy I always was to leave the writing center to go sing for an hour. And how happy I am on Wednesdays to go sing in French, in English, in Spanish, in Italian! Our choir is a little European Union and my apartment is a little planet. I'm a lucky girl. Plus, I get to sing fun songs like this:

Nov 1 Check-In

It's November already, and oh, how I have been busy.

Halloween was amazing. Pumpkin carving with Americans, Halloween party in Saint Contest Saturday, American-themed dinner in Caen Sunday. And to top it all off a comfy Halloween night chez moi watching Sweeney Todd and skyping mon cheri as he got ready to hand out candy to trick-or-treaters.

And today is November, All Saints Day. It's a national holiday here, which means no school, no work. For the most part, everything is closed. And the church bells are ringing off the hook.

Felt like a good time to look at my goal progress!

1. Get healthy physically, mentally, spiritually: Working on it. Have not set aside any time to meditate. Thinking of doing a cleanse when the seasons change.

2. Run 5k nonstop by March (the 3k track is literally right outside my door): Been to the track twice and can make it over halfway around, which puts me at just about 1.5k. I hope I can get to 5 by March!

3. Find yoga and do it at least weekly - First part down! Found yoga with recommended instructor at a University and first class is on Friday!

4. Eat seasonally: Succeeding. Shopping at the weekly market really helps.

5. See Germany: Planning to go at the end of May when my contract is up. Have been invited to Volksfest by a friend of mine who lives there =)

6. See south of France: Planning to go in February when my friend E comes to visit!

7. Perfect my french: This is an unobtainable goal as my french will never be perfect. But it feels better than ever. More on that later.

8. Cut down dairy/sugar consumption: Success! Despite living in the land of cheese, I have not bought any since I've been here. In fact, the only dairy I have purchased is a tiny can of creme fraiche and a block of butter. Am currently only eating cheese at restaurants/cafeterias, and I can feel the difference.

9. Write poems weekly: Unsuccessful, but turning it around.

10. Try other forms of writing/arts: Not yet.

11. Create lessons that I can use later as a teacher: Yes! I now have three that I can use.

12. Save money: Check.

13. Make awesome friends (already cracking away at this one!): Done and done.

14. Talk to family as often as possible: No trouble there.

15. Translate some French poems: Have found a few poets who pique my interest. Have to choose which poems.

16. Complete National Poetry Month in April (write a poem a day): Still far away.

17. Volunteer: No movement. Gotta get on that.

18. Complete advanced degree of french studies: Pre-registered today!

19. Handmake Christmas presents: Idea ready, and now time to get started on the execution!

things i did today

(in no particular order)
-bought three sweaters for 5 euro at the friday market
-gave a mean produce vendor a dirty look and bought all my produce from the vendor directly opposite her*
-received postcards from donna and rach! <3
-bought 30 euro winter coat instead of 60 euro winter coat
-bought 20 euro boots instead of 60 euro boots
-FINALLY bought warm running clothes
-found yoga and was offered three free classes
-listened to bad religion while cleaning to feel closer to T
-skyped my besties at loaf day!
-made and ate cauliflower, kidney bean,& red pepper stir fry
-met an awesome former assistant from Texas
-drank a chocolat chaud outside of a bar tabac

life's good.

*She deserved it. Last week she yelled at my friends and I for touch-testing avocados, and when her coworker told her she shouldn't be talking to us like that, she said she doesn't need to have any respect for us because we're foreign and don't understand anything. Oh, how satisfying it is in those moments to look the person in the eye and say, "je comprends madame."

It was a graveyard smash

Last night, rendez vous USA, or, as Whitney called it, Operation confuse the hell out of the french by carving into pumpkins. This is one American tradition that did not carry over to France. So we brought it!

Mine's the baby, and Preston's not looking too good. Too many tiny wines and chocobons maybe...

And the award goes to nightscape in Paris by the talented Kaitlin!

I was afraid of missing out on Halloween this year, seeing as how it's my 2nd most favorite holiday of the year. But with friends this awesome, I think it's gonna be one of the best Halloweens yet!

Blissed Out

Did you ever have one of those days that just will not stop getting better?

That was yesterday for me. In the order of which they appear, my Sunday in awesome:

First little bit of awesome: Sunday market. There's an open-air market just about every day here, but Sunday is the biggest one. Walking past table after table of cheese, veggies, cider...it never gets old.

Second little bit of awesome: See-saw in the park across from the crêperie! (still waiting for those photos from W)

Third little bit of awesome: Crêpe flambée, as in the waiter set it on fire right in front of me!

Fourth little bit of awesome: Finally able to get photos off my phone! Back story: apparantly I am where cameras come to die. My first digital camera was stolen in Peru, so I had to buy a Peruvian one. That camera was swallowed by the Atlantic Ocean last time I was in France, and my amazing colleagues all pitched in to buy me my French camera. Couple weeks ago, it stopped working. Nothing dramatic this time, it just wouldn't turn on anymore. Then we have the camera on my phone, which takes beautiful photos, but which I can't find the USB cable for. Solution? Buy a card reader! The first card reader I bought didn't read either of the cards. The one I exchanged it for read the camera card, but not the phone! So, completely on a whim yesterday, I thought I would try to plug the cable for the new card reader directly into my phone...and it worked!

Fifth little bit of awesome: My absolute favorite favorite favorite bande dessinée by Marjane Satrapi (fabulous author of Persepolis), Poulet aux Prunes, has been made into a film and is coming out next week! I could shout joy from the rooftops.


Sixth litte bit of awesome: I've been invited to a proper English Christmas in Southampton! One of my best friends from the last time I was here and her family have asked me to hop the pond and spend the holiday with them. I feel so full of love it is unreal!

Seventh little bit of awesome: Skype. Thanks to this amazing software, the last thing I see most night's is T's smile. Perfectly happy end to a perfectly awesome day.

Friday WTF

Sitting at Le Lounge Cafe with some dear friends of mine, chatting in franglais and drinking my chocolat chaud, and a freaking hummer drives by. The kicker? It had a french license plate. Discuss.

One month in and already on vacation

Toussaints was on all the professors' minds yesterday, my last day of classes before the break. No work until November 3rd for me. I might be traveling with one of my floormates next week.

Class update: things have been going lovely at my school. Everyone has been incredibly welcoming, teachers and students alike. I have even been invited to a Franco-American Thanksgiving! It never stops amazing me how kind and generous people can be with complete strangers. I feel incredibly lucky.

I was a bit sick this week, but was able to get all of my medicine and multivitamins for under 20 euros. Thanks France!

Today I hit up the Friday market. I can not express to you how much I love open air markets. It may be my favorite thing about this country, and I often said when I was home that it was the thing I missed most (aside from friends of course). I mean, a place where I can buy enough fresh fruit and veg to get me through the week for 5 euros? Hell yes.

We are approaching Halloween and I have plugged in my orange lights (damn I wish my camera was working). I think tonight a John Carpenter marathon is in order. All of the English floormates have left or are leaving tomorrow for vacation. Me, I'll be here, introducing all the other assistants to American Halloween. I even brought my devil costume.

urban legends and baked beans, oh my

I'm happy as this day was long. You may have noticed I don't blog nearly as much this trip as I did last time. That is because I am crazy super busy all the time in the best way. Living in Caen is awesome. Always a new assistante de langue to meet. I must have met 30 already and that's not even half.

Today I met two new friends at the station and we had a bit of a tour de Caen. Walked around the castle, the abbaye aux dames, brunched in an English tea house (baked beans with breakfast, really?), walked around the hippodrome where the horses race, and then met even more assistants in centre ville.

In total, we were fifteen. I don't know how we managed to find enough space at a cafe. French cafes are typically small and also jam-packed on Saturday afternoon. But we managed and I was smack in the middle of people who only wanted to speak French. Score!

Then off to dinner, my favorite creperie again. The hostess remembered my name and thanked me for bringing her lots of business. Last week I brought her ten, this week fifteen. I should get a free cider or something, right?

Then it was off to ONE OF THE MOST AMAZING THEATRE PERFORMANCES I HAVE EVER SEEN. The theme was urban legends, and this one was about William the Conqueror. I am really stoked about it. First there was a musical performance in the lobby. Couldn't tell you the instrument. Looked like a giant silver leaf. It was somber and beautiful.

Then they ushered us into a big common room where everyone sat on the floor and listened to the story of William's skeleton. Long story short, it was raided, and after a seriously long time they managed to find all of his bones, except his femur. Pesky femur. Then they found it! Well, they're 90% sure it's his anyway.

After story time we broke into four groups and watched dramatic scenes in the cloister. Two each about William and his honey Mathilda - one for each in their own time, and a reinterpretation of each set in modern times. The performance finished with the old and modern characters coming toward each other. It made me think about conquering, and how whenever we embark on a new quest, we have to think about our past and contemplate our future too. Very well done.

Guillaume, pissed off and ready to conquer

Crazy Mathilde, being courted by a peasant


Photos to come! Promise!

call me ambitious

When else in my life am I going to have the chance to really focus on self-improvement? Let's face it, in the USA I never have time to create and reach goals for myself. Here, I work 12 hours a week, giving me plenty of time to travel, read, write, do whatever the heck I want, really. So, I present to you my goals for 2011-2012.

1. Get healthy physically, mentally, spiritually
2. Run 5k nonstop by March (the 3k track is literally right outside my door)
3. Find yoga and do it at least weekly
4. Eat seasonally
5. See Germany
6. See south of France
7. Perfect my french
8. Cut down dairy/sugar consumption
9. Write poems weekly
10. Try other forms of writing/arts
11. Create lessons that I can use later as a teacher
12. Save money
13. Make awesome friends (already cracking away at this one!)
14. Talk to family as often as possible
15. Translate some French poems
16. Complete National Poetry Month in April (write a poem a day)
17. Volunteer
18. Complete advanced degree of french studies
19. Handmake Christmas presents

This list was inspired by a photo I took last time I was in France of my goal list. And I realized I had done most of them:
1. Find yoga
2. Eat better
3. Walk 1/2 mile a day
4. Become fluent
5. Finish l'histoire de pi
6. Try 20 cheeses
7. See D-Day beaches
8. See Eiffel Tower
9. Go to England
10. Complete NaPoMo (intentionally not completed)
11. Write poem in French

Funny what changes in three years, what stays the same.

Two Words

Lavender. Chocolate.

15/16ths to go

Talking to T last night, I said I've been here almost a full two weeks, and he said that means I'm 1/16th done.

When you put it that way, it doesn't seem long at all! 8 months sounds forever to me, but 16 biweeks sounds like it's going to fly by!

I'm already anxious to be back home and see everyone I love/miss, but I am also really excited about all the new friends I am making here. I live with about ten other assistants from all over the world - Russian, Chinese, English, Spanish, and Arabic - which means we speak only in French woot! And almost every day I meet some new assistants at school or from the Caen Facebook group. Living in Caen there is always something to do. I already feel busy and I haven't even started classes yet!

September October November December January February March April May

I know sometimes it's going to feel like forever, but maybe I don't have such a long road ahead.

Sister Act

This is the story of how I almost came to live in a convent for a year.

Since the lease was postponed, I started looking at other housing options, you know, just in case it didn't work out. I couldn't stay on Nath or C's couches forever after all. I'd been in France over a week and still hadn't unpacked my suitcase.

Suddenly I had a few options.

Option #1: Single room in an apartment attached to a family's house. Apartment to be shared with a perfectly nice-seeming gentleman University student I had never met. Forgot to check if the door had a lock when I checked it out.

Option #2: Convent where another English assistant is staying. Cheaper than aforementioned apartment and closer to the town center and all relevant tram/bus lines. The catch? Lots of rules to obey. No cell phone ringers after 9pm. Vibration with discretion. No talking after 9pm. No showers after 10pm. No boys allowed upstairs. Wanna go out after 9pm? Not unless you asked for the key by 4pm that day! It wasn't all bad. For one thing, I knew it was safe. I knew I would get to speak French all the time. And I would even have a housemate who I already knew I got along with.

Option #3: Room at a local high school. This one didn't seem likely because I had asked them over the summer and they were all booked. But wait, what's that? One of the assistants never showed up? There might be a room available? Well, guess who was knocking on their door at 8:30 the next morning with all of her bags saddled on her sides, looking like a homeless person who really needed a room? THIS GIRL.

So here I am, settled in, tiny buddha bought for my desk and keychain bought for my new keys. Sacrilege?

forgive me; i spoke too soon

All this week I kept saying, I'm too lucky. Something bad has to happen.

So I went and lost track of my cell phone for 20 minutes and it was stolen. And my lease was delayed a week, meaning I can't move in tomorrow as was the plan. Now I have to wait until Thursday.

Hmm.

Voila le week-end!

It's late Thursday morning here, and I'm wearing a big smile because this afternoon I go to sign my lease. I can't believe how lucky I am. A super cheap apartment in a nice neighborhood. Very calm, just families and senior citizens, mostly. I met my roommates and landlord yesterday when I went to help them move in furniture. All of the bedrooms have brand new armoires, desks, and beds. Then the living room and kitchen have a hilarious blend of old and new furniture. Retro, c'est cool.

And on top of all that being free, we have our pick of anything we want from another apartment that has been abandoned. Well, not really abandoned. See, it's kind of a come and go apartment, people come and leave stuff, knowing a new group of people will be moving in after. So over the years tons of stuff has accumulated - from mattresses and sheets to suitcases, clothing, games, and kitchenwares! I already eyed up a super nice food processor. Get ready roomies, hummus is on the way.

Tonight the weekend begins. I've heard exciting things about Thursday night in centre ville. Lots of people out and about, drinking, and making a ruckus. On vacation, Alex and I saw a drunk fight, and it wasn't even a Thursday! Oh, how I am happy to live in a University town.

Photos to come of apartment and city life. For now, how about a tour of my town's history?

Chateau Ducal de Caen - built by William the Conqueror in 1060. Was used as a barraks in WWII and extremely damaged. (Excuse the bad photo - couldn't get a shot that wasn't blurry and had to put the camera on the ground just to get a clear shot of one tower!)

Abbaye Aux Dames - former abby commanded by William the Conqueror for his honey Matilda. Founded in late 11th century.

There is also l'abbaye aux hommes, which I haven't gotten around to taking a photo of yet.

Eglise St. Pierre - one of the many churches here, this one is closest to where I am staying now. Built somewhere between 13th and 16th centuries. This view is from the drawbridge of the castle at night.

Pardon my bliss. There isn't much better than being in a beautiful historic city with some of the most supportive friends in the world, speaking a language you love everyday. Now, if only I could bring all of my besties and T over here, life would be perfect. But hey, close to perfect is pretty damn good. :)