March Madness.

upcoming post- all about my experience with the french medical system and the falling action of my time in france. I can't believe it's almost April!

What a crazy month February has been! It has flown by, whereas January creeped and crawled. Two weeks of this short month were spent gloriously on vacation, in which Chris came to visit me! I picked him up at Charles de Gaulle airport on Feb. 14^th (yes valentine’s day, no not BECAUSE of valentine’s day) and we headed to our hotel near the Eiffel Tower. Chris was pretty exhausted that first day, as was I because I couldn’t sleep the night before I was so excited! Those first couple days in Paris were nothing short of amazing (except FREEZING cold) because Chris and I got to catch up and spend time in person for the first time since Christmas. I also got to show him around Paris, where I lived and studied abroad for a summer two years ago. It was the best feeling ever to show him things that meant to much to me, and have him finally understand my love for Paris and my desire to come back for a longer period of time.

Paris was absolutely freezing, but luckily our hotel was right next to the metro on line 6 (our old line, anne-tyler!) so I got to take 2 hot showers a day, ha ha. On the first day, we took pictures by the Eiffel tower (notice my frozen face, it was hard to smile!) On February 15^th, Chris and I went to Montmartre so I could show him my absolute favorite spot in Paris. We walked around the lovely cobblestone streets filled with artists painting and ivy-covered cafes and restaurants, and looked out on Paris from the top of the steps at the Sacre Coeur. Montmartre was still beautiful in winter, even if under a cover of gray clouds and an icy wind. Chris said he wanted to come back and take a picture of the view of the city at night, so he told me I could pick out whatever restaurant I wanted to for dinner, and we would walk around the rest of the city and come back that night. Afterwards, we got coffee by the Moulin Rouge, and walked around Pigalle so he could see the not-so-classy district J. We also went to Galeries Lafayette, the Louvre, Jardin des Tuileries, and Place de la Concorde. I was so happy I could remember how to get everywhere, and even where metro stops were! Haha.

Since we could barely move for the cold, we went back to the hotel to take another hot shower before going back to Montmartre for our dinner. We made it back up the hill about 8:30 pm, and went back to the beautiful little restaurant down a side street we had found earlier. It wasn’t cheap, but for Montmartre it wasn’t too badly priced. We each got a three-course dinner, with a small pitcher of wine and a basket of bread. My appetizer Salade Nicoise was enough to fill me up, but I couldn’t resist the Poulet Basquaise. Chris ordered French onion soup for his appetizer, Beouf Bourgignonne for his main dish, and crème caramel for dessert. After dinner I wanted to roll back down the hill and go to bed I was so full, but Chris wanted to “take pictures” of the city from the top of the steps at night. We took some beautiful pictures of the city while the Eiffel Tower was lit up and sparkling, and then all of a sudden Chris said “hey, stop here by the fence, can you take the camera for a minute?” I could hear his heart pounding, and I asked if something was wrong- I thought maybe he was sick (ha). Next thing I knew, he was down on one knee, getting something out of his jacket pocket. The next hour is a complete blur to me, due to shock and probably the good red wine at dinner. I’m 95% sure he said “I love you so much; I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?” but I could be slightly off J. Apparently I scared him a bit, because it took me just a little too long to say ‘yes’ and I just kind-of stared with my mouth open. Then, I said, ‘hold on, I need a minute’ and walked away….but then came running right back. The rest of the night was spent racking up long-distance phone bills with our families, and of course I didn’t sleep a blink.

The next day, I had no idea how to tell Janie and Jenna. It came out to Janie when walking down the street, and I hit my left hand on a pole on accident, and it made a “ding” sound and I said “Ow” really loudly. She gave me a funny look, and I took off my glove to show her why that had hurt so badly. Jenna didn’t find out until later- that’s another funny story. We spend the rest of the day wandering around freezing Paris, getting ready to spend the night in Charles de Gualle before leaving for Morocco at 6 in the morning. We had to spend the night in the airport because our flight check-in time was so early, and no metro gets you to CDG early enough in the morning. No one slept that night (except Jenna of course) and Janie and I had a battle with 3 bags of stuck Madeleines in the vending machine at 3 a.m. We made beds of luggage and clothes on the floor, but no luck with sleep ever came. There was an astounding amount of people sleeping in the airport that night, and Janie informed us that CDG is rated number one for the worst airport to spend the night in. All the stores and even some of the coffee machines close by 9:30 at night, and the seats are bucket, not bench, thus much harder to sleep on. We ended up pacing the airport, looking for open coffee machines.

I had been flashing my ring all night, scratching my nose and playing with my hair, right in front of Jenna. Finally, when I was reading a magazine and not thinking about it, Jenna comes over and goes “wait. Wait. What. Is. That. Oh. My. God” and proceeded to flip out for the next half an hour, and periodically through the rest of the vacation. We recorded her initial reaction on Janie’s camera, but then had to delete it (sadly) later due to lack of memory for Morocco pictures.

Marrakesh was absolutely insane. After 3 hours of sleeping on the plane, we landed in much warmer, sunnier Morocco, and the culture shock ensued. We stayed in a Riad in the Medina, or Old City Center, surrounded by a huge wall. On the outside of the Medina is the New City, complete with a Mcdonald’s, gelato shops, a mall, and new bars and restaurants. In the Medina, it was rare to see a Moroccan woman without her head and body completely covered; however in the New City there were many native couples walking holding hands, without the cover of long robes and head scarves. The Medina is a beautiful, if not sometimes destitute, center of snake charmers, dried fruit and orange juice vendors, and more markets than the eye can take in. We visited the Souks, ramshackle stacks of shops selling Moroccan rugs, lamps and lanterns, scarves, shoes, wallets, spices and tunics. The Souks went on forever, winding through the mud and muck, up stairs and through tunnels. Voices yelled out “Hello, hello, fish and chips? You want to come here. Come and look at these pretty scarves! Oi!” everywhere we went. We girls wore our heads covered, but Jenna’s bleach blond hair stuck out like the sorest of thumbs in the dirty marketplace. The sights, sounds, and smells were almost too much. Fresh tiger and zebra skins hanging next to beautiful silk blue tunics, across from shining lanterns and Berber pottery, all while the smell of grilled meat, couscous and Tajine wafts from the crowded city center just outside the tunnel of Souks.

It was weird to get back to Nancy and shop at a grocery store and not feel hassled or flustered. Every tiny shop we went to (with the exception of a few) was complete with one or two Moroccan men who called at you and tried their hardest to get you to come into their shops. If they succeeded, sometimes by being way too pushy and in your face, it was necessary to barter to get what you wanted. For example, I bought to leather wallets, and got him down to 75 dirhams instead of 150. That sounds like a lot of money, but in actuality 10 dirhams is about 1 euro. So, I got two original leather wallets for about 7 euros. Not too bad! The haggling and harassing was scary the first day, but after a good night of sleep and a fantastic breakfast in the Riad, we were prepared to face it with confidence the next few days. We also had Chris as our one male bodyguard—he often heard calls like “oh man you lucky, you got three wives!” and other inappropriate things I won’t mention….

….which brings me to the Riad. A Riad is a Moroccan hotel/hostel, and was it ever beautiful. The building was square, with a hollowed out center courtyard. The courtyard had a red floor, out of which fertile orange trees grew and shadowed rustic wire tables and chairs. There was a little nook carved into the building with white cushioned couches and chairs, which we tried to claim every morning for our breakfast of Moroccan crepes, butter, honey, coffee, fresh orange juice and famous mint tea. If nothing else, we took Marrakesh for all its worth in trying all the cuisine it had to offer! That’s another page in itself. Hassam, the main man at the Riad, spoke to us in mostly French and some broken English, to generously take care of our every need.

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.

So one freezing December night, Jenna and I ventured out to take up pictures and soak up some Christmas lights. Jenna has an awesome Nikon, and I basically ran around trying to keep warm while she took some pictures. There was no one out in the cold, except one other shivering old man with a tripod. Here are some I stole from her. Check out the cafe- it was torture being on the outside looking in.

St. Nicolas in France

It's Christmas time in Nancy! The streets are decorated and everyone is out shopping all the time. The lights and colors help cheer up the rain and cold, so much so that I worry about after Christmas when they all come down. St. Nicolas is the patron saint of Nancy, and the holiday is today, Dec. 6th. The ancient story is that an evil butcher, le pere fouettard, kidnapped 3 wealthy children and put them in a box, to be cut into pieces and seasoned. St. Nicolas saved them, and forced fouettard to be his partner from then on to repent. So today, I am about to go see a parade where St. Nicolas (dressed in red and handing out candy to good children) sits in a carriage next to Pere Fouettard (dressed in black) and rides around Nancy.

Yesterday, Janie, Jenna, Alex and I went to Kaysersberg, a small village in Alsace famous for its Christmas markets. We could not believe our eyes! We felt like we were in a German North Pole. Everything was decorated in such detail, and every corner and cobblestone alley was selling hot mulled wine, choucroute, gauffres, crepes, bretzen, and any other pastry/german food you could imagine. It really started to feel like Christmas, and I got some good presents!! I have no idea how I'm going to get it all home in 11 days....

Pictures of Stan at night!

Beautiful place stan at night. Never get tired of looking at it, and watching the people that go by. One Saturday night, Jenna and I were drinking wine by the fountain in the corner, and a man from the restaurant came outside and offered us glasses...we just stared and stuttered because we were so surprised...and he moved on to put more chairs outside. Place Stan 1, Jenna & Lauren 0.

This next picture is Porte de la Craffe- I walk under here to get home at night. So beautiful! My camera doesn't do it justice. I walked around for about 5 minutes inspecting the ground/ buildings etc. to find a projector, and failed. The colors changed and the projected images swirled across the surface of the porte every few seconds.

What an incredible week. It started off with my niece being born on November 24th in the United States- November 25th at 5 in the morning France time. Charlotte June Rodney put my sister through 19 hours of labor, and then a c-section. She was born 6 pounds, 15 ounces, and with a full head of black hair. I absolutely cannot wait to be home and hold her! It was torture being here and not being able to share in her birth, but I know she won't remember that, and in a few weeks I'll get to hold her all I want :) The hardest part was wanting to be there for my sister, and being so far away from everything. But, the week got better with a fantastic Thanksgiving celebration on Friday night, after a very long day at school.

Thank you soo much to Evan, Steve, Henry and all the others who live at Georges de la Tour on the Mountain for having Thanksgiving!! So many people were there- British, American, French- it was the absolute best Thanksgiving I could have asked for away from home. We ate way too much, and were incredibly loud and probably annoying, in true American fashion. Janie brought little pieces of paper for everyone to write what they were thankful for, and we taped them up on the wall. There were 30 people there! I started the chain, and read what someone was thankful for, and then that person came up and read the next one, and so on...until mine at the end. It was perfect! Then, we caught the last bus home and fell into food-induced comas.

This morning, I ran the St. Nicolas 10k in downtown Nancy- two loops through Parc Pepiniere, Place Stanislas, and downtown streets. Great weather, I ran in leggings, shorts, and a short-sleeved t-shirt! Incredible. I wasn't registered because you have to have a "certificat medical", which I was too lazy to try and get- and my hip has been hurting. Last minute, I decided to try it and am so glad I did. Sore now, but it was a great experience! There was a band playing and so many supporters out, and they handed out St. Nicolas cookies at the end of the race! Souvenir :) Can't wait to see the picture Sophie took of Henry, Evan, me and Steve. Now on to lesson planning, and hotel booking for Lyon this Tuesday!

Life in France....

So, really late in the game, here’s the start of a blog. I have so much history to cover in the past few months, that I may just skip it and put up pictures instead.

I love Nancy, and I like my school in Custines. Custines is tiny, but beautiful with rolling hills and shadows cast by fast-moving clouds. Nancy is beautiful, especially right now with all the Christmas decorations. I can’t wait for them to actually turn the lights on! The downtown streets are lined with little stands that look like gingerbread houses, selling Gauffres, Bretzen, Beignets stuffed with nutella and chantilly, hot dogs, vin chaud, (hot spiced wine) and marrons chaud (hot, grilled chestnuts). The streets smell so good, it makes me want to spend all of my 1.5 euros right then and there.

When it’s not raining and incredibly windy, it’s so pleasant just to walk around and look. I never get tired of the turquoise doors and shutters of the old town, ornate balconies, and window shopping in the boulangeries/patisseries. There is a wonderful bakery right underneath me, and the smells are constantly tempting me- as well as the new Christmas croissantsand gingerbread men.

While I am in love with this place, it has been a roller coaster experience, and I think it’s the same with most assistants here. When you’re up, you’re up….but when you’re down it can be bad. Missing people, any semblance of belonging, getting tired of the constant weird looks (especially when running). The beginning was tough- deciding whether to live an isolated, but dirt cheap, life in Custines, or find an apt., pay more, and live in Nancy. I chose the latter. While finding an apt. in 3 days was rough, I am so glad I did it. I have great friends close by, and get to walk around beautiful Nancy whenever I want. I struggled with my decision for the first month, as all my money ran out due to rent and deposit, and my friends got to travel to Switzerland without me. (A lot of assistants have free housing). However, I worked hard to get the CAF (French government aid), and I finally god my CAF card in the mail! Huge relief- let’s hope it works out.

I also cannot complain about lack of travel, although I would like to travel more after I get paid. At the beginning, before our jobs even started, a group of 8 of us went to Munich for Oktoberfest- incredible adventure. We also took a day trip to the Neuschwanstein Castle on the border of Germany and Austria- the castle that Disney bases it’s movies on. I've also taken day trips to Strasbourg and Luxembourg. (Luxembourg)

Running has helped a lot, and it’s amazing that I have Jenna and Janie to run with. Jenna convinced me to sign up for the Paris marathon in April, and we have had some WONDERFUL and horrible runs here. We found a bike path that runs along the canal, taking us from Nancy to green, rolling country with cows, horses, and vegetable gardens. I always wish I could take a camera with me running—maybe in the Spring when the weather is better.

Here are some pictures of Nancy- Faubourg des Trois Maisons is my street.

Teaching was rocky at first, as one of the profs is new and didn’t realize my role as assistant. She would give me the whole class to teach, without much notice, and I would have no idea what to do. Even when she did give me notice, there was a communication barrier and I had no idea how many copies to make, what their English level was, etc. Now, it has gotten a lot better, and I’m starting to feel much more useful in most of my classes. I usually take small groups or individually, and work on something they are having difficulty with or something I have prepared. I also do a “revue de presse” every week, which is a review of big American news. I make them worksheets and fill-in-the-blanks, with plenty of pictures. On Halloween, we played Bingo with American candy, and a few of my students even dressed up!

I am also working on a yearbook with a few students, and help at English Club on Monday afternoons. I’m always back in Nancy by 6 or 7, because that is the last bus out.

November 23, 2009

So today was Monday, one of my longer days of the week. I actually don’t mind long days, because I feel I get the most out of my long bus ride, and I would rather either go to a school for a day or just not. Also, by the end of the day, I feel like my French is a lot better.

I started off today by catching the bus at 6:45, arriving at 7:15, and having the cleaning lady let me in the building and into the computer room J. (It pays to be friendly to the people with the keys, of which I only have one) I didn’t have class until 9, so I had plenty of time to print out my millions of Thanksgiving handouts, vocab words, and “pretend you’re a turkey” games, and make ten million copies. The cleaning lady, whose name I found out at lunch (Madame Kell?) kept popping in with her mop at regular intervals, and giving me a sneaky smile. (Ooh how sneaky, using the only computer and printer that actually works in the building, all before Madame la Principale gets to school! Quel horreur!) I always smiled back, because whatever conspiracy I’m involved in, I obviously need to be in it to use the computers before 8 a.m.

Despite the horrible weather and a few sarcastic preteens, the day actually went surprisingly well. I taught Thanksgiving all day, using a power point/handouts/wordsearches. The kids loved an excuse to make fun of how much Americans eat and look at pictures, and when one boy saw the picture of apple pie, all was lost. “American Pie! Hahahha!” and the whole class was lost to preteen snickers. Apparently I have a 13-year-old Stiffler in my class.

Then, lunch time. One of my favorite times of day, because I get hot food that feels free.

(I paid for it at the beginning of the year). And, because I’m a “staff member” I get to cut the line J. Today was a wedge of camembert, some shredded/seasoned carrots, yogurt, chicken, carrots, and peas. Or so I thought. Sitting next to Clare at lunch (the secretary’s assistant and my favorite person), I said “Clare, this chicken is good! Want to try some? There’s cheese in it!” First odd look of the day. “Lorraine, that IS cheese.” Oh.

I know you guys love cheese….but cheese patties that resemble chicken? Really?

Another fun lunchtime occurrence: wine. There are fetes everywhere these days, to celebrate the new wine that has been brewed for fall, and always a couple of bottles at lunch. A cheese patty was enough of a lunchtime adventure for me.

At the end of the day, I walked to the next town over to catch the bus, to get some exercise since I can’t run at the moment. First, I stopped at the local Carrefour to buy a birthday card and other small things. However, my American credit card didn’t work in Custines’ teensy Carrefour, and neither did my French card (?). I tried to explain it wasn’t a big deal, I could leave the stuff there, but the cashier kept repeating something and a line was steadily forming. It took way too many hand motions and 2 or 3 excruciating minutes for me to realize that she was just trying to get me to take the birthday card and candy back out of my backpack. Wowww. Head down, out the door. On the way to the bus, I proceeded to get pelted with rain, as the wind was too strong for my weak sauce umbrella, especially on the bridges over the rivers. Should be used to it by now.

Now, after I have showered away the embarrassment/ truck spray, I’m waiting for Jenna to arrive to talk about how much we hate that we can’t run right now due to various injuries. And, trying to work my way through Le Portrait de Dorian Gray. A plus!