Kicking January Out :)

So, as it turns out, an incredibly long January has ended in a flurry of activity and some new beginnings. This past week, a group of about 10 assistants decided to take advantage of cheap, last-minute Opera tickets. On Tuesday night, we trooped out into the freezing wind to see what seats we could get at Pelleas et Melisande. The Opera de Nancy was every bit as beautiful and intricately carved on the inside as one would imagine from the outside. Beautiful ribbons of gold snake up staircases and onto the ceilings, mirroring the gold that emanates from Place Stanislas. The opera itself was a bit lacking in plot, but still an experience that I’m glad I had. The music was beautiful, and from my seats I could see the orchestra perfectly, though not always the actors J. And, Janie, Henry and I benefited from the chocolate I snuck in.

The next day, there was the most beautiful thing—sunshine! It lasted almost all morning, enough for a run before my first college class at Nancy University. Janie, Jenna and I attended our first civilization lecture, and learned all about the workings (and not workings) of French government. It was so interesting to compare the two systems, and be back in college again! The professor is so nice, and speaks slowly so everyone can understand.

Also, Janie heard back from a job she had applied for…and got the go ahead to move on to the next step of interviews! So, with classes, job prospects, and approaching travel, we are kicking January out.

Today, I accompanied Jenna to visit Geraldine in Jarny, and went to Metz after for some wanderings/shopping. We got into a discussion with the server at a restaurant about the differences between Nancy and Metz, and learned so much about why they are so different. The presence of so many students in Nancy creates a younger environment, and the presence of the Germans in the past has given Metz its different architecture and style. Then, on the train back to Nancy, we made friends with the controller who checked our tickets (which is a good thing, because I forgot my 12-25 card which means 40 euro fine) and talked all the way back about America/France relationships and differences. Definitely been learning these past few days!

I hate to wish away my time in France, but I am so glad January is about over. It has been long, cold, and I’m ready to see Chris and travel! Also, we can't forget that my niece is 2 months! Megan and Andrew have been very good about sending me pictures of lil c, who is quickly becoming the most adorable chunker on the face of the planet. Looking at her pictures makes me happy no matter what, but also a little sad that I can't be there to see her start to smile and make her noises.

A long January

Wow, I am horrible at the blogging thing. It's been over a month since I've written anything!

Christmas in Centerville was amazing to say the least. It was indescribable to see my new niece, with whom I fell in love with immediately. Not to mention seeing the rest of my family, friends, and Chris, all wrapped up in a Christmastime atmosphere of good food, good moods, warm houses and cars, and snow. The Christmas attitude made it ten times harder to come back to France, which is so often a cold (literally and figuratively) environment. The first week was painful, but after a week at school and seeing other assistants, things got better. I am still impatiently awaiting Chris's visit in February, because I can't wait to see him and for him to see the life I've created here. Apartment, friends, routine, France!

January is passing slowly and coldly, and I've still got homesick pains that come in waves. However, good things have happened, and I know that February will go by fast, and then I will only have two more months here until my parents come. In february, we assistants (and Chris, too) are planning a trip to Morocco, complete with a camel trip into the desert. I can't wait for some more travel!! Also, Janie, Jenna and I start classes at Nancy 2, the university here in town, on wednesday. Should be interesting- we are so excited to meet more people our own age and be on the other side of the school system here!! We will be taking a French theater class, where we will be required to use our speaking skills to act out little skits and discuss. The other class we are taking is a lecture about civilisation (broad, alors on verra).

Last night, I went over to the Camille and Marine's house for the third time, and they generously fed me a late dinner of Raclette. Raclette started out in Switzerland, but the French took it and adapted it as their own. We sat down at the table at 9 p.m., after a long day. I had school from 8-1 that day, and then ran errands until going to Camille's house in a nearby village (Montenoy) at 3:30. When we first got there, we played a couple games of guitar hero and wii skiing, and then walked to the library, and to the farm down the street where Camille did a one-week apprenticeship because she wants to go into agriculture. She showed me the cows and bulls (huge!) and the huge funnels and tanks that make and store grains and cereal. The countryside is incredibly beautiful, and I was so mad that I had forgotten my camera back in Nancy.

After a half-hour or so, we went back to her house to make my American dessert- chocolate fudge! However, they hadn't exactly the correct stuff....I had asked for morceaux de chocolate (I should have said 'pepites' because that means chocolate chips) so we had to break apart milk chocolate bars which are sweeter than semi-sweet chocolate chips! However, it's very difficult to find chocolate chips here, because apparently they only sell them to bakeries! And indeed, I don't think I've ever seen a bag of chocolate chips in any grocery store I have been in. Also, they didn't have extract of vanilla in the sense that we do- they had a powdered version, which looked like sugar crystals, or a stick of vanilla. We used the sugar-stuff, and condensed milk, and voila, american fudge! (kind-of). Just as I suspected, they thought it was way too sweet and caloric, but they knew that the chocolate was too sweet. I could've eaten half the brick, but I restrained myself because everyone else only had one teensy piece :(.

After watching Camille's horseback riding lesson and talking some more, we sat down to dinner. Raclette is amazing and so unique! I thought it was going to be like fondue-uhhh I was very wrong. Here is a picture to help explain.

Not included in this picture are the huge plates of sliced raclette cheese and rolls of smoked ham, white sausage, rolled ham, smoked ham and red sausage. Note the pan of hot, boiled potatoes on the top of the raclette machine and the bottle of white wine that is reserved only to drink with raclette. They had to give me lessons several times, because apparently i wasn't doing it right! I preferred Camille's way, because it was easier and melted everything at once. Okay, so first you skin and cut (mash, really) your small potato and lay it in the bottom of that little black shovel-thing. Then, you layer on your meat of choice (my favorite was smoked ham) and then you layer on a generous portion of raclette cheese on top. Mash it all down a little, and slide it into the raclette machine which sits in the middle of the table. While it's cooking, start peeling another potato and cutting the rind off the raclette cheese. Wait a few minutes until the cheese is golden, and voila, raclette! Its a savory mess of melted potatoes, meet and raclette cheese, to be washed down with white wine. Um.... YUM.

They kept making fun of me, because the combo of wine on a (very) empty stomach, the fire (which I was sitting next to) and the raclette machine in the middle of the table, my face was redder than their tablecloth! Dinner is always an interesting event for me there, because they speak no English. I was already exhausted by the time dinner came around at 9, from being up since 6 and speaking in French all day at school and after school, and it just gets harder at dinner because they forget to speak a little more slowly, and ask me tons of questions about America. And, they wanted to talk about recent politics, of which I am behind due to lack of television, newspaper, and any semblance of regular internet. So, I had to get a report of my country and my President from a french viewpoint- I'll just keep it at "interesting" because they are so generous and have been nothing but nice to me. I also spend a generous portion of my time defending the eating habits of Americans- they were under the impressions that "Americans don't eat salad" and that we eat beef every day and never take the time to cook right. Sigh. For sure, I learn something here everyday, from people's perceptions and delusions of America and the French to actual truths (good and bad) about both places.

I'll leave it at that for today- going to run soon and hopefully see a movie with Janie and Jenna later. Here's a picture of Camille horseback riding.