First impressions

I'm in America. WEIRD. Since I've spent most of my first day here asleep, I've only noticed a couple of things.

1. It's COLD. As a matter of fact, when I got here it was about 50 degrees colder than it was in Saint Etienne when I left.

2. I'm literally afraid to drive. It doesn't help that there's so much snow on the ground that I can't imagine there's really earth underneath. It also doesn't help that it snowed all morning and there was a 10 car pileup on the highway. Without all of those things, call me crazy, but I think I'd still be scared to drive.

3. I'm going to miss French and French people. I like the language. I like the nuances of it. I like the people and their silly ways, even if they drive me crazy most of the time. I'm pretty sure people in general drive me crazy most of the time. After 30 minutes in the airport in Detroit I was already sick of Midwesterners and pulled out Le Monde.

4. My family is ridiculous. When we were in the car on the way back from the airport I had a moment where I felt like we were in some crazy movie like Home for the Holidays or A Christmas Story. Just your average ridiculous Midwest family, all packed into a car like sardines, all yelling at the dad.

5. I prefer my bed in Saint Etienne.

6. I love pickles.

7. I did a great job cleaning my room over the summer before I left for France, and I appreciate all that hard work now.

That's all for now. More observations to come.

Saint Etienne sous la neige

I didn't believe the Stephanois when they told me they got snow here. I shrugged it off and said "In Milwaukee, last winter, we had 3 meters of snow!" And then it started. And it didn't stop for almost two days. Even though it all melted in a matter of days, I believe them now.

Happy Christmas!

Just one of the many strange English phrases I plan to bring to America with me....TOMORROW! What can I say, it's a gift for the masses. Santa Claus is very generous this year. You've been forewarned, my English is a tad ridiculous. It's a mixture of the English the French (attempt to) speak, British English words, and a screwed up Midwest accent that I'd like to think changes a little bit everyday.


I'm not sure how to feel about the upcoming 2 weeks. I know that I'm excited to see everybody, and I know I'll be happy to come back to France in January. But, I wonder what will seem different, if anything. I wonder what I'll miss about France. I know it's going to be a whirlwind couple of weeks, and I really can't wait!


I'm hoping that everything will go alright with my flights. I know it's been snowing pretty much nonstop in the US for a few days now, and that has me terrified. Tomorrow will be a long enough day as it is, without the extra hassle of delays. I have to leave my apartment around 6:00 tomorrow morning to take the tram to the train station. I then take a train to Lyon. Then I take a train from Lyon to Paris (FIRST class!). Then, once in Paris, I get to brave both the metro and the RER before I finally arrive at Charles de Gaulle. Then I fly to Detroit where I'll hop on the plane to Green Bay. Complicated, I know. And probably more than you cared to hear, but now you can feel my pain.


I know I'm only leaving for 2 weeks, but still it feels strange that the people I see and talk to everyday these days will be 4000 miles away. I know I'll have my other people back in my life, for awhile, but this is why traveling is hard. I always miss someone.

Finally!

Boule à Neige, Boule à Neige, Boule à Neige d'Hiver!

The Christmas season is finally upon us, and Lord knows I'm one to be in a festive mood. Problem is, in Saint Etienne there's no snow. To me, it still feel like I'm months away from Christmas when in reality, I've only weeks to go!

Though there is no snow in Saint Etienne, that doesn't mean the Stephanois aren't in the Christmas spirit. We have a Marche de Noel complete with vin chaud, colorful chalets selling everything from dried meats to jewelry, and its very own ferris wheel! I counted down the days before the grand opening, and when the day finally came, I couldn't have possibly been more excited. So far I've gone no less than four times, which means I've consumed no less than four glasses of delicious vin chaud. More to come in the weeks ahead. Truth be told, I'm fairly certain the vin chaud lady (my new best friend) already recognizes us. I guess I can't really blame her for taking notice of the goofy Americans who are giddy at the sight of her delicious product. Just know that if it is between the hours of 10 and 7 France time, chances are I'm either at the Marche de Noel or am thinking about going to the Marche de Noel. It's pretty much the happiest place on earth!

In addition to the marvel that is the Marche de Noel, this region of France has some other special traditions for the month of December. One of which is the Fete des Lumieres in Lyon. This consists of millions of people crammed together in the center of Lyon looking at lights projected onto beautiful old buildings. I went yesterday for a few hours, and I'm glad I saw it, but I can't say it was the happiest place on earth.

Another, dare I say BETTER, tradition takes place today le 8 decembre in the region. This particular date commemorates the day the Virgin Mary came to heal the Lyonnais of the Plague. As the story goes, the people who were suffering from this disease placed candles outside, on their windowsills to notify the Virgin Mary that they needed healing. Now, every December 8th, the people of the region put candles on their windowsills and say a prayer. I, of course, being the good Stephanoise that I am, followed suit. Mathilde, Jean, and I each lit a candle, put them on our balcony, and said a little prayer.

Just like in the US, Christmas trees are all the rage here. Apparently, in our apartment, Charlie Brown Christmas trees are all the rage. Mathilde brought us back this tree after a weekend in the country with her family. We couldn't be more proud of our pathetic little sapin de noel!

To Go Cups

Though I really should be writing a blog about the Marché de Noel, I can't resist the temptation to recount a couple of particularily strange things that happened last night.

1: I needed to get money from an ATM, which, in France means you have the choice of using the outdoor ATM (like normal people) or going inside the lobby of the bank at any hour of the day to use the ATM without the threat of the elements one would face outdoors. Now I know that it is never worth the risk to use the special indoor ATM. Because the handle on the inside of the door was broken clean off, and the door needed to be pulled open, Morgan and I were truly stuck in the bank. We tried everything to get out, to no avail, and then resorted to pounding on the windows until a kind passerby opened the door from the outside, no problem whatsoever. The kind stranger looked at us like we were absolutely insane, but we were just happy to have escaped the hot little bank lobby.

2: I have seen this happen in Milwaukee once or twice too, but last night there was a dog at the Dirty Old Man Bar. I love dogs, sure, but a large dog in a crowded bar just seems a little weird.

3: As bartime was nearing, the power went out at the Dirty Old Man Bar. At first I thought it was a joke, or someone's birthday. But when it seemed that nobody was planning on turning any lights any time soon, I finally understood that there really was a power outage. So people lit candles and used cellphones to navigate the pitch black room. Strange to say the least.

4: Because there was no power in the bar, they told us we needed to finish our beers and go. Or, if we preferred, they had to go cups. This was not a joke. They truly gave us plastic cups to pour our beer into and finish on our way to La Mine. A couple of cops passed us on the way, nobody seemed to care in the least.

France is weird. And pretty cool.

Thanksgiving in Sainté

Just as it did in the US, Thanksgiving has come and gone in France. Also just as it does in the US, it has left us with memories of delicious food and ridiculousness to treasure forever.

Let me begin by saying that when I first arrived in France, my expectations for Thanksgiving were very low. I planned to live Thanksgiving Day just like every other day, and to mope around all weekend wishing I were in Georgia for Amanda's wedding. Luckily, I have happened upon some great friends in Saint Etienne that helped to turn things around.

As I told you, Mathilde decided that Thanksgiving sounded like fun and that we should have dinner here. However, the same part of me that wraps gifts for hours before Christmas to make them extra beautiful and perfect decided that it should be the Americans who prepare the meal. This being said, there were really only 4 of us at Thanksgiving. Needless to say, I had my work cut out for me. I spent the entire day of Thanksgiving chopping, baking, mashing, cleaning, etc. to get ready for the dinner. Luckily, I had the help of Corinne who made the pumpkin pies and the stuffing and Katie who carved the turkey. In addition, Mathilde and I had to put basically all of the furniture we have in our apartment in the living room in order to make a table large enough for 15. Add in the lengthy and practically impossible Skype conversation with my family in Georgia, and I am left wondering where I found time to do it all.

Sidenote: During this Skype conversation, I informed my little cousin Morgan that French people don't have Thanksgiving. I don't think she could've been more shocked. "Really? There are some people who have NEVER had Thanksgiving???" And then she told me about the sexy sailors on TV for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Ri. di. cule

Anyway, little by little everything came together and the guests started to arrive. Thanksgiving started at 7 o'clock, but this being France, we didn't eat until nearly 9:00. And then the real ridiculousness began. As we were 4 Americans, 2 Germans, 1 Australian, and the rest French, Katie thought it smart to create a new Thanksgiving tradition to trick everyone. And so after saying "I am thankful for..." each person took a shot of good ole American whiskey. Some took many more than one shot of good ole American whiskey. Nobody seemed entirely shocked by our American 'tradition,' and they all played along no questions asked.

Then we ate! Our meal consisted of turkey (killed and prepared by my local butcher AKA my new best friend), mashed potatoes, stuffing, green beans, roasted red potatoes with herbs, cranberry sauce, gravy, and pumpkin pie! To you, this may sound like your average Thanksgiving dinner. In France, where cranberries don't exist and turkey is only eaten for Christmas, achieving these things was nothing short of a miracle! The meal was great, and everyone got along famously even though most people hardly knew each other.

And then we played Christmas music. And learned that Jesus was black. And did what every good American does on Thanksgiving, get rip roaring drunk.

Before the big day, Katie, the "Spirit of Thanksgiving," attempted to calm my nerves by telling me that Thanksgiving isn't Thanksgiving unless something crazy happens. She insisted that for it to TRULY be Thanksgiving, someone has to cry, someone has to get ridiculously drunk, and someone has to pass out. Let's just say that our Thanksgiving was ALMOST what Katie considers a real Thanksgiving. Except nobody cried.

All things considered, this Thanksgiving was the most unique, yet one of the best I've ever had. I know, that every Thanksgiving for years to come, I will look back on this year and laugh. It is truly remarkable that we achieved it. It felt as American as it would've in Wisconsin, even surrounded by foreigners. So, this year, I am thankful for my friends here in Saint Etienne!

Grève de merde

There is ANOTHER train strike today. I wonder if I'll still be shocked by the amount of strikes come March or April. I think so. There was a teacher strike on Thursday, a post office strike on Saturday, and today marks the 4th strike of the SNCF since I've arrived in Saint Etienne.

I don't know how much more I can take.

Today's strike meant, for me, that the train I would've normally taken at 12:18, didn't exist. This train gets me to Rive de Gier over an hour before I would've had to teach, but is my only choice since the floods. So, my already limited train schedule has, today, become almost nonexistant. There was a train at 11:18, which I obviously missed, and now there is not another train until 3:18. Very practical for someone who has to teach a class at 2:00.

Damn the French and their strikes! If it were possible to strike against strikes I would! I'll let you know if I find a way. Until then, all of you Americans can rest easy knowing that you have your giant American cars to take you to work everyday.

Quasiment Decembre...

HELLO!

I haven't been updating as much as I would like. This isn't because life isn't interesting, it's because life is tiring. Working 12 hours last week was just about enough to put me over the edge!

I know it sounds ridiculous, but I really do mean it. Working 12 hours sounds like nothing. However, when you take into account that it takes me around an hour to and hour and a half one way to get to my school, it becomes much more. PLUS we had some major floods in the region when I was in Italy so now it seems like all I do is wait for trains. I mean, there's around one train an hour. Normally there are at least 3. This is a VERY busy line between Saint Etienne and Lyon, and people like me are NOT happy at all. Plus, to make matters worse, I saw someone puke on the train last week.

My job is treating me alright, aside from the commute that would even be ridiculous in Atlanta or Los Angeles. Most of the teachers just let me do my own thing, which is nice. This way I can to TRY to get the students to loosen up a bit. Keep in mind, these are students who have penmanship practice sheets ripped up in front of them at the age of 6. These are students I can only, in the kindest way, refer to as SERIOUS perfectionists. They are afraid to guess. They are afraid to speak. Of course, because of all I've learned about the communicative approach to teach a language, this is all I want them to do. We've had our differences, but the students are coming around. The problem is that, with a few exceptions, I see the students for 25 minutes every two weeks. This means that I'm not really their teacher as much as I am a living breathing REAL American for them to gawk at. I don't know the students, and they only know me as 'Ohhhh il y a KIM!' Strange to say the least!

Anyway, aside from that, Thanksgiving is on the way! Thanksgiving in France may not sound interesting to you, but to me, it will be one of my biggest challenges to date. Turns out, when Mathilde heard about Thanksgiving, she decided that she wanted to celebrate! A small celebration chez nous has now turned into a fullout dinner party of 15-18 people. Save me. Not to mention the fact that traditional Thanksgiving items such as cranberries, pumpkin pie, and stuffing don't exist here. AT ALL. Another major hurdle: turkey is eaten only for Christmas. ALSO, my oven is not exactly equipped for cooking a turkey (meaning, it probably heats to a total of 250 degrees and barely fits a pizza). This means that I had the pleasure of visiting around eight butchers, trying to trick them into not only selling me a turkey, but also cooking it for me on Thanksgiving Day. Each of these butchers felt it necessary to tell me first, that 'it's too early for turkey!' and then, that it is simply 'pas possible' for them to cook one for me anyway. After I had all but given up on the idea that a butcher could see past my broken French and cook me a turkey for my hypocritical American holiday, one of my colleagues suggested I try one more butcher.

It was then that I restored my faith in humanity. This butcher, who with a face like that should have no other job, saved the day. He started by giving me the same strange look as all the others and then said 'pas de probleme.' To which I responded, wide eyed, 'REALLY???? NO PROBLEM!?!' He simply shrugged and asked whether I needed it for lunch or dinner. I responded, and he wrote something down on his calendar for Tuesday. He explained that he would need to let the farmers know that day that he would need a turkey, since the turkey, of course is still alive and well as I write this. As Tuesday grows closer and closer, I am starting to get a feeling of impending doom for the poor turkey that is living his last days on earth. What an ultimate insult for a French turkey to be eaten for Thanksgiving.

I will be sure you keep you posted on further happenings involving Thanksgiving and the infamous turkey.

In other news, this weekend was spent 'en famille' in a town about 30 minutes outside of Saint Etienne in Feurs. I went, apparently, for the birthday of the son of the friend of Marie Lou (my host mom in Paris). Complicated, I know. Christiane, Marie Lou's friend, helped me open my bank account in September. And then she decided that it would be interesting for everyone if I came to their house for a weekend. Interesting it was! Everyone was very, very nice. The people in attendance included Christiane and her chatty (to put it mildly) husband Claude, their two sons, Germain (birthday boy) and Valentin, and their girlfriends, the grandmother who honestly believes that cowboys exist in America and believes EVERYTHING she hears on TV, the parents of Germain's girlfriend, a sassy aunt, the boys' old nanny and her husband, and me, the token American. I arrived to a strong apero before we were all seated 'a table' for lunch. This was the longest lunch I could have ever imagined and literally lasted until it was pitch black outside. When nobody could eat a bite more, we watched Germain open some gifts. Then it was announced that dinner would be served shortly. I waited for the others to laugh at the joke, but it turned out it wasn't a joke at all. We were then all invited to be seated 'a table' until nearly 11pm. All of this table time, inevitably, led to the French doing what they do best: discussing things. So, eat and discuss we did. A table. All day. Don't get me wrong, it was really lovely, the food was really good, and the conversation was really interesting, it was just the most entirely exhausting day I've had in a long time.

Today was no different really, although it started with me literally drinking tea out of a bowl like it's normal (here it is normal). It progressed even more strangely with a tour of the town given specially to me by no other than Claude. He whisked me around, showing me where the town was flooded, where he killed thousands of chickens throughout his life, and where the boys went to school. He ended the tour with a stop at the 'Christmas Market' at what I can only describe as the French Stein's Gardens and Gifts. And boy was he proud! And then, we were seated 'a table' until dusk once more. But really it was all very charming, and I feel really lucky that they even bothered inviting me for one meal, let alone an entire weekend and a tour of Feurs!! It felt good to spend time with a real family, especially since I'll be missing that aspect of Thanksgiving this year.

This week will be an interesting one. I work three hours tomorrow, and two hours Tuesday, and then am off until the following Tuesday for no reason other than that my schedule is amazing and I begged off work for Thanksgiving. Wednesday and Thursday will be consumed with Thanksgiving preparations. Saturday I'll spend the whole day wishing I were in Georgia, and hopefully visiting the Marche de Noel in Saint Etienne that opens that day.

And then it will be December.

Victory!

We won. We won the house, the senate, and Obama won the presidency. Finally!!!

Made in Italy

Well ladies and gentlemen, I am in Italy! I think it is pretty much everything I expected it to be, though I suppose I wasn't entirely sure what to expect...

So far things have been beautiful here, aside from the many not so pleasant people I've encountered. I suppose this should be understood though, as maybe they're irritated that I can't even pretend to speak their language. I must say though, I am shocked that people think French people are the rude ones!!

I arrived on Tuesday in Venice after a long, wet, bumpy journey from my apartment, to the train from Saint Etienne to Lyon, to the bus from Lyon to the airport, to the actual plane that ended up boarding from a building entirely seperate from the rest of the airport (guess that's what you get for budget travel), to the bus from the plane to the airport (again, budget travelers beware), to the bus from the airport to Venice proper, to the hundreds of stairs and canals and bumpy cute little streets and tiny little alleys that Amanda and I dragged my suitcase over on the way to the hostel. What can I say, I've never packed light...

Though the journey in Venice was rather God awful, especially once it started raining, I was amazed by just how much Venice looked like a storybook. Every turn (and there were a lot of them) brought another picturesque little street, with views of canals complete with Gondolas! Turns out one of my Italian phrases, "Quanto costa una gondola?" (How much does a Gondola cost?) won't ever be used since apparently the darn things are worth something like 20,000 euros.

Our hostel was really more like a hotel room, complete with bathroom, TV, and a towel warmer! Though Italian TV is....interesting....it was funny to try to try to figure out what was going on through the complete language barrier! Believe it or not, we even mangaged to catch a Brewers/Cubs game on TV when we were in Florence!

The next day, we rode on a Gondola (2 minutes is still a ride!), tasted a new fruit, Cachi (Kaki in French apparently), and walked around endlessly trying to avoid the rain! That night, after a delicious dinner, we decided to try to head back to take a few pictures of the main square, Piazza San Marco, at night. However, when we were within 100 meters (whatever that means) of the Piazza, it started downpouring. Being the silly, silly Americans we are, we decided to throw all caution to the wind and enjoy it rather than hiding from it. 10 minutes and about 1000 strange looks later, we were absolutely drenched and stinking of Venice. Though it took my boots a full 24 hours to dry out, it was one of the most memorable moments of the trip so far!

The pleasant outdoor seating at a restaurant along the Grande Canal in Venice.


Anyway, Venice was a wonderful little city, but truth is, there really isn't much to do there other than walk around and ooo and ahh over just how adorable it really is. That, along with the fact that it seemed to rain every time Amanda and I walked over to the Piazza San Marco, is why we decided to extend our visit in Florence rather than returning to Venice to lug our luggage (now I understand where the word came from) over dozens more canals.

We took the train from Venice to Florence on Thursday morning. I am so in love with trains I can hardly even explain it. Everytime I get on one, I am immediately calmed and often lulled right to sleep, just like a little baby. This train was no different. It was almost a 3 hour journey, but the time passed quickly and quite comfortably. Then here we were in Florence, with the city just waiting for us to discover it. And discover it we did. Upon arrival at the hostel, which is really a pretty cushy room just for us with 3 twin beds and TV, we learned that there was nobody there to let us into our room. So we wandered around looking for a phone to let them know that we were sick and tired of pulling suitcases around Florence. They didn't really seem to care, but about 20 minutes later we were escorted to our room, which is practically directly the reception room. So far I've been very comfortable. :)

The language barrier has been interesting. I'm horrified at how little I know, and miss the feeling of being able to communicate as easily as I can in France. Even in France it feels like a major accomplishment when I can get my point across, but here it is nothing short of a miracle. I have learned, however, that to make things plural I have to add an i. For example, espresso becomes espressi. Pretty cute. Also, white is bianco. Also, asking for the price in Italian means I will receive my answer in Italian and have to walk away ashamed that I can't understand. By the time I leave on Tuesday, I'm sure I'll be a pro!

Yesterday was quite possibly the best day yet! We decided that we wanted to try to take a tour of Tuscany to taste some wine. This tour ended up being a full day of driving around the Italian countryside, taking in breathtaking (albeit frightening) views of vineyards, small villages, and homes that belong to some very lucky families from up on the hills.

We visited a tiny fortified town, then a town in Chianti, before heading to the vineyard for a tour and a 'light lunch'. This vineyard smelled beyond wonderful from the first moments there. At the place, they produce wine, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, chickpeas, soaps, and much much more. We were lucky enough to sample many of these things during lunch. It was delicious, and the products were spectacular. One thing we tried was truffle oil, which I was nervous about because I've heard that the flavor is really strong, but it was actually really good. We also tried 31 year old balsamic vinegar on ice cream, of all things! Not what I expected, but YUM! The day concluded with a visit to the city of Siena which was probably one of the strangest places I've ever been. It seems that their whole lives revolve around what clan each person belongs to, and whether their horse will win the next race that takes place in the main square. We also may or may not have seen the real severed head and thumb of Saint Katherine. Relics, I think not.

"What the hell is up with Siena?"

Upon our return to Florence, we decided to grab some dinner at a restaurant that wound up being the Perkins of Italy. Not so great, but a good bargain if nothing else!

Today we spent the day walking around Firenze (which truly is constantly beautiful--see below), visiting David at the Academia, eating sweet treats while sitting on the ground, and bargaining with market people. Tonight we hope to see what Florence has to offer as far as nightlife. Should be interesting at the very least!

3 weeks on, 2 weeks off

I'm officially on the first of many weeks of vacation to come. After successfully (semi-successfully anyway) putting in my time at both Lycee Georges Brassens and College le Dorlay for about three weeks, I couldn't possibly be asked to continue without first enjoying nearly 2 weeks off. This vacation time is for la Toussaint, All Saints Day, a holiday the US doesn't even so much as blink at. I personally don't care what it's for! All I know is that I'm off until the afternoon of November 6th, when it's back to the grindstone for a 5 hour work week before the weekend. The following week will be a two day work week as one of the three days I would potentially be working that week just so happens to be a holiday as well. Such is the life in France. Between strikes, holidays, and teachers cancelling my classes, I'm still not sure what I'm getting paid for. I did, however, get my first month's salary today (i.e. the money the most opposite of 'hard earned cash' I'll ever make in my life, unless I'm lucky).

So with all of this time off, I'm hopping on a budget airplane (god forbid) and flying off to Italy, where I will meet Amanda, who arrived in Italy on Sunday. We will spend a week visiting Venice and Florence, and I will practice my 4 Italian survival phrases one of the Italian assistants so graciously taught me. Let's just say that three of the four phrases can only be used in a restaurant. The other can only be used if for some reason I need to purchase or steer a Gondola. Very practical, I know.

I am very excited to see Italy! The last time I was in France I thought for sure I'd get to go, but it just never seemed to work out. Now I'm finally going, and I can't wait! I just hope it doesn't rain the whole time because that would really put a damper on the whole trip! Nevertheless, rain or shine, warm, delicious, Italian restaurants that will be havens for me to charm the locals with my endless command of their language, await!

One other thing that can't be overlooked: I return from Italy on election day!! I am really glad I'll be traveling because the anticipation and thrill of the polls closing, the votes being counted, and Barack Obama being declared the clear victor, is almost more than I can handle! Vote, vote, vote!!

Contact me!

I decided it's time to give my faithful readers a way to contact me and send me things in the mail (!!!).

Phone number:

011-33-6-16-15-41-24

You can even send me texts from the US using this number!! I'll be looking forward to them!

Address:

Kim CALAWAY
12 bis Rue Emile Littré
42100 SAINT ETIENNE
FRANCE

Send me stuff! Getting mail from 4000 miles away is the best!

A bientôt!

Menthe a l'eau

Things in Saint Etienne are going really well. This week has actually been a really fun one, especially because of the 13 hours I was scheduled to teach, I only actually taught 9. And those 9 hours include two extra hours I put in at the collège (middle school) out of the goodness of my heart. I literally had 50% of my classes cancelled this week! Plus I already have two hours cancelled on Monday morning, so my 11 hour work week next week is also already 9! Pretty tough life I live, I know.

That being said, I'm sure you're wondering (maybe not) how on earth I'm managing to occupy my time! Basically, it's been a mix of shopping at Auchan (huge Walmart-like store), sitting endlessly at cafés, watching the entire series of House on my computer, walking around Saint Etienne all day, and going out at night.

The first activity, Auchan runs, sound about as much fun as they are. Though Auchan is wonderful because I can find basically everything I could ever need, the trips are tiring. Not only does it take 30 minutes to choose garbage bags, I am then stuck carrying all of my purchases home. When I wrote about Ikea, I forgot one other thing I bought there, this beautiful blue bag! I now use it as my shopping bag. Seeing as how Corinne can actually fit in it, you can imagine that it can get heavy! Then I climb the hill and two flights of stairs to my apartment, and I feel like I need a nap. For these reasons, Auchan trips are becoming fewer and further between!

If Auchan trips are becoming less and less, cafe visits are becoming more and more frequent. Though there are probably over a hundred cafes in St Etienne, all offering the same basic things, I've been sticking mainly to the cafes in centre ville, especially those at the Place du Peuple, a beautiful open square close to my apartment. This week I decided to get adventurous at the cafe and rather than ordering my usual "un cafe s'il vous plait" ordered a menthe a l'eau. Those of you that took French class with Madame Straub in middle school know what I'm talking about. Basically, it's water (I prefer it with fizzy water) with mint syrup! Sounds gross, but it's actually very refreshing and delicious! Too bad as the warm sunny days are fading, so will my taste for this yummy refreshment!


This photo shows all that I accomplished on Wednesday. And I truly mean ALL I accomplished. I managed to trick the BNP (my bank here) into giving me my Carte Bleue (my french debit card), which is beyond exciting! Now each time I buy something I won't get sympathetic looks for having to use a different kind of card that must be swiped rather than simply inserted into the machine. Additionally, I managed to order a menthe a l'eau with Perrier and got exactly what I wanted (not even including a strange look from the server when I ordered it wrong). Later that night I went to see Vicky Christina Barcelona, which I actually really liked! I'm looking forward to next week when I can go see another movie, I'm just not the type of girl who goes to the cinema twice in one week.

During all of this sitting and walking and drinking minty things, I have been required to introduce myself countless times to faces I'll never possibly remember. The students were asked to prepare questions for me and I've heard everything from "Do you prefer Obama or McCain?" (tough question) to "Do you have a lover?" (delivered by a 13 year old boy). However, since the kids don't truly care about me or Wisconsin (why couldn't I be from California?) I like to bring up American rappers and TV shows to get them fired up. Turns out, as far as TV goes, these kids have the same taste as me! For some classes Desperate Housewives, Grey's Anatomy, 'Doctor House', and One Tree Hill were some of the only comprehensible words I spoke in an hour long class. These kids LOVE American TV. One student asked me today if I knew how to do the soulja boy dance. I (regretably) said yes. You can't imagine the excitement! A few minutes later, I managed to talk my way out of actually performing the dance without music in front of 31 fifteen year old French kids....mostly I think I just confused them so much they forgot about my hidden talent. Thank goodness I have that power!

I am surprised at how quickly I have become accustomed to life in Saint Etienne. One of the secretaries at the lycée today asked me how it felt to be so far from home, thinking that it must not be easy. I thought about it for a second before telling her that actually I feel very much at home in St E. I love my apartment, I love my new friends, and I truly love this city. Though I really do miss my friends and family in the US, I feel like this is exactly where I should be right now. I am happy and comfortable. I can't believe I've been here for a month already! I remember a month ago saying how I couldn't wait until November when I'd have everything figured out, and now here I am, at that point I was dying to reach!

With the rest of my time (still plenty!) I've been going to some bars here in St. Etienne. I haven't even been to Lyon yet which I can't believe! The bars here are great, pretty cheap, and it's nice to just go and hang out! I haven't found the French Axel's or Vitucci's yet, though I think I'm getting closer.

This week the assistant who was teaching at my school 2 years ago is in town...which is really strange. But he's nice, and we've been going out with a series of different people all week. Needless to say, as it's now 11:30 I'm past due to meet him and some of the teachers from Lycee Georges Brassens out at the Irish pub in town!

Who ever said routine was a good thing?

I've definitely settled into my new apartment and my new life in Saint Etienne. I've been to my school in Rive de Gier a few times, but am still awaiting the ever elusive timetable. Basically I haven't been to Rive de Gier since Tuesday. Wednesday are half days of school, so I didn't have to go. And Thursday was my orientation with all of the other English assistants in the Saint Etienne area. And Friday I simply didn't have to go. So here we are, it's Saturday evening and I still don't know exactly when I'll be going back to do my 'job'. I'm thinking Monday or Tuesday. No matter what, that gives me at least one more day of lounging around St E drinking coffee, running errands, and living the good life.


However, as tomorrow is Sunday, life in Saint Etienne comes to a screeching halt. Virtually the only thing open on Sundays are markets, cinemas, and a handful of restaurants. It's like a ghost town! Everyone seems to retreat to the 'campagne' to eat ridiculously long and leisurely meals with their families. As for me, I'd love to have another Sunday like last!


Let me explain: Last Sunday a friend, Corinne, and I decided to find a market to buy fresh fruits and vegetables and even nail polish remover from local farmers. The only problem was that Saturday night was spent drinking (too much?) French wine with some German assistants, so we almost missed the market.

Me (with Katharina, one of the German assistants) preparing the salad for dinner!

That being said, we did get everything we needed to make homemade soup! And when I say homemade soup, I mean even the broth was homemade! After an interesting conversation with a farmer about how exactly to go about making a soup (un potage?), we had a bag full of vegetables, spices, and other delights, and we were determined! This determination inevitably led us to a cafe halfway between my apartment and the market where we spent quite some time drinking coffee to motivate ourselves for what was ahead. Once we arrived back at my apartment we were pleased to find a hand blender to use to puree the soup, just like the French do! So after about an hour and a half of chopping, sauteeing, and simmering, voila! La soupe!!! It was pretty darn good for our first time, and wonderful on a cold Sunday night!
The next couple of days were spent at Lycee Georges Brassens in Rive de Gier. To get to this school, it takes me over an hour including a tram ride, a train ride, and a climb up a seriously steep hill. Needless to say, once I'm there I don't leave until I'm completely done for the day. Because of this, I spent some long hours there over those two days answering questions about Milwaukee, celebrities, my family and friends, and Barack Obama. One kid told me that he liked Marilyn Manson and then five minutes later was the first to raise his hand when I asked who liked Desperate Housewives. The teachers say he's 'finding himself.'

Wednesday was another adventure! It was an awful rainy day, and I had nothing planned, so Corinne and I decided there was no better way to spent such an ugly day than inside Saint Etienne's very own Ikea, which is apparently one of the biggest in all of Europe! Apparently my American sensibility led me to believe that the bus would drop us off directly in front of the store so we wouldn't have to brave the elements. I was very, very wrong. The bus dropped us off with Ikea nowhere in sight, and we trudged around in the rain asking every person we saw how to find Ikea. After about a half hour in the rain, we finally arrived, soaked, freezing, and quite cranky. We dried off walking around the model bedrooms and kitchens and testing out the comfy couches. I found the most perfect, girly bedroom I've ever seen. I wonder if Ikea will ship entire rooms (and the attached bathroom, in fact) to the US... After all of this effort we had un petit creux and decided to get some coffee and a snack. The one euro coffee was amazing and 'à volonté' which may or may not have meant free refills. 2 espressos and 1 hot chocolate later, I was ready for all Ikea had to offer! Corinne lives in a basic white box kind of like a dorm room so she needed to get a lot of things to decorate, which is right up my alley! All of my time watching HGTV finally paid off and she let me help her decorate!!! My purchases included a sprig of cotton, a vase to put it in, some tupperware containers, a flower pot, and a cactus. All for under 10 euro and all to carry in the (now pouring) rain at dusk. Needless to say we felt a little 'mal a l'aise' and decided to take a taxi. After two brushes with death and a tram ride afterward, I finally made it home from my Ikeadventure, with my (still dry) purchases in tow!


Thursday was orientation which was beyond strange. I still have no idea why, but some possibly important European Union people that we were supposed to be impressed by came in and talked to us about ??? and then we were all invited to sample food from all around Europe. The spread was ridiculous and included mini versions of paella, tiramisu, beet root something, greek grape leaves, etc. as well as beer and wine (which is always important at noon at a high school), and a variety of French cheeses, breads, and meats. Absolutely insane, but fun to get to taste a bunch of different things!! Much later that night we ate at a 'Mexican' restaurant where 'tapas' included wings and onion rings, a taco salad included ham, and many things included zucchini. ALSO, the margaritas only came blended. It was apparently impossible to orden one on the rocks, which still stumps me because where I come from all margaritas start that way before heading to the trusty blender. Not your typical night at Jaliscos, that's for sure.


Yesterday was a day of catching up and booking my trip to Italy for Toussaint in two and a half weeks! Amanda will be coming from Milwaukee and we'll be going to Venice and probably Florence! I can't wait!

Today was one of the most beautiful days since I've been in Saint Etienne, sunny and warm. Though I feel like I spent most of the day indoors, it still was great to have such nice weather.

Wow, long update.


The week ahead brings more fun (and with any luck, very little work), hopefully including the cinema, and maybe including making something else from scratch with items purchased at tomorrow's marche!


Hope all is well with everyone who has been reading this blog! XO

I'm alive and well, but been having annoying internet problems lately! This picture is from Sunday afternoon, one of many adventurous days this week! Sunday included a trip to the market and making soup from scratch! Yum!

Next time, I'll tell you all about my very first trip to an Ikea and my trip to the Mexican (???)restaurant in Saint Etienne!

English Wednesday

Well, I'd been planning on waiting until I'd uploaded some more pictures from my camera to do this post, but I figure there's no need to put it off any longer?

Since real life starts again tomorrow (and by 'real life' I obviously mean my 12 hour work week), I should at least update those of you who have been reading this (which I assume is nobody, since I have very few COMMENTS!!) on what I've been up to since I left Paris on Saturday.

Basically, I've been settling into my new apartment and life here in Saint Etienne! I must say, Saint Etienne is a pretty cute town with really nice people. It's almost as though it's a completely different country than Paris. I'd gotten so accustomed to my life in France being in Paris that I didn't even realize all that there was to experience in other places. And here, what there is to experience is typical French lifestyle and habits.

My roommate, Mathilde, is hilariously funny. Because she's a student and takes English classes, we've decided to speak only English on Wednesdays. Though it was not ALL English today, we managed to speak some, and it was nice being the language expert for a change! Tomorrow it's back to French. I just learned that to say good luck, the French say "Merde!" which also means shit. Could be confusing...

I've been busy making trips to Auchan to buy things to make my room feel like my room. So far, so good! The bed is EXTREMELY comfy and cozy so I haven't had to buy any bedding. So instead I bought some pictures to put on my orange walls! When everything is all set and perfect I will take pictures so everyone (the 3 people that I'm assuming are reading this blog anyway) will see exactly what it looks like here!!! I have to say, it's very French, which is perfect! Though there are some silly nuances about the apartment, (such as the faucets don't really turn off the first time you try, you have to turn them on again then turn them off quickly and the toilet is in the middle of the toilet room so there's hardly room to sit and close the door but there's space behind the toilet for god knows what) it's okay! These are the things that I will always remember about my quirky little French apartment!

Tomorrow I have to go to Rive de Gier for the first time to see my school and meet the teachers and students. A little nerve wracking, but it will be good to finally know what I'll be doing this year! I'm excited to get my schedule, just like when I could hardly wait to get my schedule in middle school and high school, and when I'd spend days planning my semester schedules in college... What can I say, I guess I like to have a plan!

I'm waking up in about 6 hours to make the 8:48 train to Rive de Gier, so I should probably get some sleep! Wish me "merde!"

La vie Stephanoise

Well, it's finally happened! I'm in St. Etienne!!! I just finished unpacking all of my stuff after a successful trip to the Auchan (which is like Walmart but much, much better) for groceries and towels and other necessities including a 46 cent baguette. People here are definitely nicer than in Paris, I've already noticed! I'm just relieved to be here settling in!

These are a few of my favorite things...

In no particular order...

1) Café

2) Rachel and I doing whatever we want in Paris, even though the French pretty much think we're insane. (The pictured café had a stick of chocolate in it...obviously meant to be eaten seperately.)

3) Sitting on benches.

4) Sitting on the ground looking homeless.

5)Making mad faces while posing in front of national monuments (see the tiny Eiffel Tower?!?)

6) French trains

7) The Rhone-Alpes region of France, which just so happens to be where I'm going to be living for the next 7 months!!

This is St. Etienne!!

8) French salad dressing, french bread, and putting french mustard on everything!

9) Sunny days

10) SKYPE!

In other news: Today I went to St. Etienne, which is the town I'll be living in, for the very first time!! My only knowledge of the city was from my host family who said it was 'not beautiful'...not a good sign. To me, it was adorable. It's a little French city, and I think I'll be very happy there!

The other very important thing I did today, besides laying eyes on St. Etienne for the first time, was checking out the apartment/roommate that I set up before leaving for France. I was beyond nervous that something was going to go wrong, so I didn't want to say anything to jinx it, but it's for real! I officially HAVE A PLACE TO LIVE! (M&I coworkers: I didn't even need the canned chicken or cardboard sign yet!) The apartment is pretty cute and there is a fireplace IN MY BEDROOM. It's very typically French, with a really nice French girl named Mathilde, and it's exactly what I was looking for! And it's close to the center of St. Etienne, which is wonderful! Needless to say, it's a major relief. I feel beyond lucky to have gotten this figured out, and just as I was told it all worked out in the end!!!!

So after 2 months, I am no longer homeless! :)

A day in pictures

So today was my first day back in the swing of things in Paris! However, choosing a Sunday to do that was kind of a dumb choice as most things are closed on Sundays. It was good walking around and reminiscing at any rate though!!

This is a picture taken from where Rachel, Holly, and I sat on the banks of the Seine for quite some time today. We have been having some AMAZING weather in Paris!!!

The following picture is of a man we saw. Mind you, it was about 67 degrees in Paris today. Parisians were wearing coats and scarves. Also, look at all the people around, unphased!!!

Pschitt! What a drank out of a cup that had a picture of a giraffe wearing nothing but a bikini and boasted pulp and bubbles.

That's all for now, folks. France is weird.

Oh Ternaux....

For my first full day in France today was definitely a strange one!! Like I said in my post yesterday, today I went with Rachel to Reims! Reims is a very pretty town, and apparently only about 45 minutes by train from Paris, which is really great for Rachel!

Anyway, we spent pretty much the entire day taking wrong turns and making bad decisions (but not fun ones really) all of which made us realize how much tougher we are now than we were 2 years ago!!

At one point we were so lost/tired, we just decided to sit down on a bench at a bus stop for TWO HOURS!!! Let's just say, when people say 'apartment hunting' they mean really HUNTING. It was practically the most impossible thing ever to find these places we were looking for, not helped at all by the fact the Rachel didn't have a decent map of Reims, internet wasn't working, and her phone was dead! Oh la la...

At any rate, we made it back safe and sound, and the day was quite eventful.

I LOVE being able to come home (home in Paris anyway) and be able to use the internet, while it lasts at least!! I opened my inbox to 25 new emails! One of which was from Jamie, promising to write me everyday. Pretty much the nicest thing I've ever read. :)

It tears my heart in two to think of all I'm missing back home, but makes me really happy to know that people are thinking of me, because I'm definitely thinking of them.

Je suis arriveé!!

Well, I made it! My flight was exactly what I expected it to be, actually it was an hour EARLY of all things!! Who has ever heard of a flight getting in EARLY!? Anyway, I got all of my luggage, sans problème, and met Jacques and Marie-Lou (my host parents during my study abroad in Paris in 2006). They decided to take me (straight off an airplane, stinky and gross) to what ended up being one of the nicest restaurants I've ever been to for lunch. The food was great, and it was a lot of fun to see them and catch up!

I remember right after I left Paris the first time, I would have really odd dreams for months about how strange it would be coming back. Needless to say, none of that was true. Actually, the strangest thing of all is that absolutely NOTHING has changed! I feel almost like the last 2 years didn't happen. When I left Paris in 2006, I had felt like those four months never happened either. It's like I live a bizarre double life or something!

Ma minou Rachel came over tonight! It is so comforting to have her here in France with me, going through all of the same things I am. Tomorrow we are going to Reims, where she will be teaching, to find her an appartement!

As for me on the apartment front: I think I've found one, but I don't want to jinx it before I've met the girl and signed the lease! I will keep you all posted!

Anyway, I am absolutely exhausted, so even though it's 4pm in Wisconsin, I'm headed to bed!!

Leaving on a jet plane...

Well today is the day I've been waiting for since the minute I stepped foot off the plane on my way back from Paris almost two and a half years ago. This isn't to say that I wasn't happy to come home then, but more that it's just weird feeling like I want to be two or three places at once. My desired superpower would really come in handy right about now!!

It's around 8 AM, and my flight leaves at 6:00 tonight. Of course, I haven't really started to see just how much I can fit into my giant suitcases quite yet!! I feel ready though. I'm actually surprised at how prepared I feel. Kim left for Spain on Tuesday and Rachel left for France yesterday. I just got an email from Rachel saying that Paris feels just like we never left, which is a good thing! The next time I post on this blog I'll be in France... !!!

My going away party was on Saturday and thought it was a stressful and exhausting day, the party was really fun. I really appreciate everyone that came, especially the ones that came from out of town. We went to a townie bar in De Pere of all things, but it was hilarious. It's times like those that make me wonder how crazy I must have to be to fly 3000 miles away and leave everyone behind. It was great to see everyone, but definitely bittersweet to say the least.

This is a picture of Rico hulahooping at said townie bar.
Note: the only visible people in the entire bar are people from the party.

Also note that is was after the Angry Pirate shot..


Anyway, I'd better get packing! Hopefully all goes as planned! I've never been a light packer...

Kim:2 - French Consulate:0

Well today was the big day in Chicago!! I officially HAVE my visa and now there's nothing holding me back!! I have to admit, I was pretty stressed out about getting the visa (no real surprise there to some of you), but everything went better than I could have possibly hoped! I got there at 10:45 for an 11am appointment, and left before it was even 11! Then I had to go back at 12:30, and was there for less than a minute before I was handed my visa and sent on my way! A definite success!

Then it was a long journey back to De Pere where I am finally on the last leg of my journey before the real adventure begins!!

It has been SO much fun, albeit exhausting, staying with friends over these past 3 weeks! I am beyond grateful for all the hospitality, support, and love I have been shown during this crazy time in my life! In three weeks I have had more than a few homes, so thanks go out to: Ma minou, Sara & Craig, Jamie (and her roommate Kaila), Amanda, Mike, and also my relatives in Chicago!! Now here I am, back where I started, and it feels more than a little strange.

That being said, words can't explain how excited I am to sleep in my own bed!! In fact, off I go!

Voila!

So, after very little thought I decided that the creation of a blog was necessary to record my experiences both for myself to have and for others to read about! After my not so successful bout with livejournal, I feel that I owe it to this blogspot blog to really give it my all to be diligent in my updates!! Anyway, the plan is to post pictures, thoughts, plans, etc. to share with anyone who wants to know what's going on with me while I'm in France!

There is only one catch, if you read my blog, you need to post a comment! Let me know you're reading, and let me know how you are doing too!

I leave for France in officially less than 3 weeks. I can't hardly believe how quickly the summer flew by. I wished the time away and now it won't slow down! Pretty soon I'll be getting my visa, packing (god forbid), and on the plane on my way back to Paris. In some ways I feel like I just left Paris and in others it feels as though I never was there at all. I've been planning for this trip for over 2 years now... I just wish I had planned for some sort of remedy for the never ceasing knot I have in my stomach!

I have to keep telling myself (if others don't do it for me) that it will all work out in the end. I never would have pegged myself for someone who would be such a basket case, but the lack of control of ANYTHING with this program is definitely not for the weak of heart.

Anyway, wish me luck! It's almost time!