Saturday, June 5, 2010

Playing catch up

The last week in Orléans was busy and stressful, so the blog was put on hold.  Since being home, I've had time to finish my post about Ireland and the South of France as well as posting my thoughts on leaving and my joy of the French seasons.  There are 3 new posts below and I'm currently working on one about being "on the other side".

I want to thank everyone who supported me during my time abroad - I can't say how much it meant to me to know that there were people rooting for me and sending their love.  So thank you to everyone for all those good wishes and thanks to all who read!

Thoughts on leaving

It’s very hard to believe that in one week I’ll be on a plane, Razu by my feet, going home.  It’s an odd feeling.  On the one hand, I’m so very excited to see everyone that I’ve missed, on the other hand I know that what I’m leaving, I can’t come back to.  It’s not that I can’t come back to France - it’s that if I do, it won’t be the same.  The people that I’ve shared these 7-8 months with are some of the most incredible people and, of course, they won’t be here.  But beyond that,  after 8 months, I do finally feel like I live here.  And that feeling of comfort (most likely shaped enormously by the good weather) makes it hard to go elsewhere.  I felt the same way leaving home in the first place - I was leaving something really comfortable and moving into the unknown.  This time, I’m leaving a place of comfort and going back to my previous comfort space - but will it be the same?  Will I feel the same?  It’s a big question.  

Some of the Seasons

One thing that was always a surprise in France was how different each season looked.

From my window/skylight a view of each season:

Late fall/early winter

Winter

Spring

Ireland and the South of France

Volcano be damned, Seamus and I did make it to Ireland.  There were some looming ash cloud problems the two days before Seamus and I traveled - affecting only Ireland, Scotland and parts of England.  Go figure.  But on our scheduled day of travel the skies were clear - which was good.


Our morning started off with a final climbing of the Joan statue with Caitlin.  We had to sneak around a very lazy security guard to sit on our favorite monument, but it was no problem and a nice, bittersweet goodbye to Joan from the three of us.  Afterward we confirmed that we were good to travel and said an incredibly sad goodbye.  It was like losing a piece of my heart saying goodbye to Caitlin - but I know that we will meet up again.


We had an uneventful trip to Ireland and spent most of the time with Seamus’ family - which was absolutely lovely.  We went on a beautiful hike up to see a Cairn built by travelers leaving Ireland, which gave us a really nice view of the area:


We also went on a day trip to Donegal - which is gorgeous!  Seamus’ parents did all the driving and we even took a ferry across:


looking at Donegal

We did a very cute hike to see a waterfall:


And then visited some gorgeous beaches.  Who knew that Ireland had such nice beaches?


Seamus and I visited Belfast for a day and spent most of the time trying to stay out of the cold.  We also did a fair bit of shopping.  But mostly, we just hung around chez - Seamus and enjoyed his family.  There was a wii tournament and actual bowling along with a lot of wonderful meals.


After 6 nice, lazy days we left for Nice - which was very nice, but not lazy at all!  We got into our hostel at about 10 - only to find out that they were overbooked.  They asked, very nicely, if they could put us in the ‘overflow’ room under the very noisy bar, in exchange for a ‘private’ room the next night.  I asked if we really had a choice, and was told no.  So off to the incredibly noisy overflow room we went.  Not only was the bar noise bad, but some of the people in our room were worse!  One guy didn’t seem to understand the concept of shutting the door (at 3 am) so that was fun.


The next day we hauled our very tired selves off the Chagall museum - which was incredible!  I do believe that Chagall is my favorite painter (or one of them) so it was really wonderful to see some of his earlier works as well as some more obscure paintings.  We had lunch at their very cute cafe and then headed down toward the beach. And what a beach! 


Afternoon sunshine

 Beautiful sunset

It was a beautiful morning/ early afternoon so we drank in some sunshine and people watched at a cafe.  Seamus really wanted to visit Cannes (the film festival was on), so after getting turned around and drenched by the sudden rain we finally managed to get to the train station and to Cannes.  Which was something of a let down.  What did we see?  About 1000+ irritating tourists looking for famous people, the building where the festival was held and the train station.  So, unless you like looking for famous people along with 1000+ tourists, there isn’t much to see.  Seamus was really disappointed.  We hopped on the next train and fled.  Safe and sound back in Nice, we finished off our evening with drinks and dinner and then dragged ourselves back to the hostel.  We were indeed given a private room, but I spent the entire night convinced that my bunk had bed bugs ... which it didn’t.  I think I was just too tired.


The next day we were up bright and early and off to Marseilles!  I had literally no expectations for the city - and was pleasantly rewarded!  We spent what was left of the morning (after a surprisingly long train ride) wandering aimlessly, bumped into an incredible church:


and had a less than satisfying lunch.  I am always baffled by how many non-tourists (better known as locals) will eat at a crappy restaurant ... why do they go back if it isn’t very good?  


After lunch we wandered toward the cool old part of the city (but got lost first) and learned that the very famous Chateau d’If is just off the coast of Marseilles!  Seamus was incredibly excited and persuaded me to get on the boat (“remember sailing in Italy?” “Yeah, but this boat will go faster, it’ll be ok”).  Our boating excursion wasn’t for 45 minutes, so we parked ourselves at a cafe, had a beer and people watched.  It was lovely.


I’m happy to report that Seamus was indeed right, and I didn’t get sea sick on the way over.  Also, the Chateau d’If and its little island are incredible!  


The prison

We spent a good hour wandering around and reading the 5 million signs inside the old prison (most of them about the various movies that have been filmed there and what Dumas based his characters on) while enjoying the incredible views:


A view of Marseilles


The island / ocean

Before leaving Marseilles, we headed over to an ancient church that has been around since roman times (it was a necropolis back in the day).  I have to admit, I really don’t like cemeteries or other things having to do with, or related to, dead people.  But I couldn’t resist the lure of this church.  And so, after paying 2 euro to see the crypt, I decidedly creeped myself out and spent most of the time not actually looking at anything other than basic structural objects.  There are no pictures of anything in the church because I was much too creeped out.  (even the relics were creepy - one had a whole skull in it ... shudder).  


That evening we made our way to Arles in Provence (which took some luck since the trains were being a bit erratic, and ours ended up leaving 30 minutes later than it was supposed to).  We got into the ancient roman town around 9 pm, and tummies rumbling immediately headed off in search of dinner.  I have long been intrigued by provençal cuisine and was delighted to discover that most restaurants had something traditional on the menu.  We settled for a place right next to the roman arena and I tucked into a plate of aioli.  Aioli usually refers to a garlic mayonnaise sauce, but in Provence it is a complete dish of boiled vegetables (mine had carrots, green beans and cauliflower), a baked potato (which can also be boiled), boiled fish (typically cod) and a hard boiled egg all served the aioli sauce.  Wikipedia tells me that this is correctly called Le Grand Aïoli.  All I have to say is, it re-inspired me to continue traveling, gave me faith in french food once again and made me ecstatically happy.  The fish was tender, flaky and moist.  The green beans were fresh, slightly salty and well buttered.  The cauliflower, which typically is not a favorite of mine, disappeared.  And the aioli.  What can I even say?  It was, simply, divine.  It was tangy and smooth, the garlic was a clean taste and it perfectly went with every item on the plate (even the hard boiled egg).  It was perfection.  Even Seamus loved it and he hates fish, cauliflower and eggs (the sauce was that good).  


The next morning I planned to venture to the large outdoor market, but thanks to a combination of severe allergies (thank you winds) and sleep deprivation, I simply didn’t make it.  Instead I settled for a trip to a boulangerie across town (about a 5 minute walk) and phoning in a reservation for L'Atelier de Jean-Luc Rabanel.  I can honestly say that I have no idea what we did for lunch, but sometime in the early afternoon we headed to Avignon in an attempt to go see the Pont de Gard.  Now, my allergies were so awful for the duration of my time in Provence that a lot of my memory is fuzzy - Provence suffers from extreme winds called the mistral.  Let’s just say that they weren’t much fun at all and we spent a lot of time with sand in our eyes and me attempting to scratch my own face off.  SO, we had planned to catch a bus in Avignon that would take us to the famous roman aquaduct so that we could canoe down the river that flows underneath it.  Upon our arrival in Avignon we discovered that there was only 1 bus to the Pont de Gard on weekends - at 4:30.  So, we had a good three hours to see beautiful Avignon.  We decided to spend it by exploring the Palace des Papes (Pope’s Palace) which was a massive building sparsely filled.  After about an hour we decided that we had seen enough stone walls and large ceilings and decided to call it a day.  But, lo and behold, on our way out we entered a delicious smelling room ... of wine!  Apparently the palace isn’t famous for just being papal, but also for having an excellent cellar.  Not being one to pass on a wine tasting, we settled in for a beginners foray into exceptional Côtes du Rhone wines.  The highlight was by far and away the 2005 Châteauneuf du Pape.  Just as we were starting to realize the effects of a good bit of wine on an empty stomach (oh, that’s right! We didn’t have lunch, which is why I couldn’t remember it!) I made the mistake of looking at my watch and discovering that we had 40 minutes before our bus left.  Two bottles of wine in hand we misguidely perused the gift shop and then ran as fast as possible to the bus station getting hopelessly lost along the way.  After asking directions from a bar owner and two policemen we finally made it to the bus station ... 2 minutes after the bus had departed (the only time a bus in France has ever been on time ... sigh).  Disappointed, we purchased train tickets back to Arles and spent our waiting time in a cafe (drinking coffee).  Safe and sound back in Arles we headed off for dinner where we an absolutely incredible woman from Maine.  She was dining alone, and having traveled alone before, my heart went out to her, and after giving her a smile over a raised glass of wine she struck up a conversation with us.  We talked for well over an hour on all kinds of subjects and thoroughly enjoyed every minute.  At the end of it all she insisted on paying for our dinner and then disappeared.  It was like meeting an angel.  I really cannot say just how profoundly she affected me.   


The following day was the big day - the day where I got to realize all my french food eating hopes and dreams -- it was our Sunday lunch at L'Atelier de Jean-Luc Rabanel.  This restaurant was the whole reason for visiting Arles and something I had been looking forward to for, literally, months.  We arrived woefully underdressed but were treated with utmost respect.  After settling in we were given the choice of a 7 or 13 course lunch.  Knowing the limits of our stomachs (and wallets) we chose the 7 course option.  Now, this lunch wasn’t cheap, but we both had been saving up for the experience and it was, not only a treat after finishing our work contract, but our last big meal in France.  Also, as a dedicated foodie, it was something that I needed to experience.  

Now, to save you from literal pages of my meal being describes, I’m just going to talk about some of the highlights:


- When presented with the overwhelming wine list and the option to choose a course by course wine pairing, I put my monetary concerns aside and opted for a small glass of wine paired by a sommelier with each course.  Seamus opted for water.  After noticing me giving a taste of champagne to Seamus, the waiters offered to split my wine evenly with him for the same cost.  We both got to share the wine for just one price!  How awesome is that!


- The artichoke course which consisted of an artichoke and dumpling soup and one of the most interesting and best white wines I’ve ever had.  The sommelier described it as an atypical wine with hints of artichoke.  And it was indeed an atypical wine - it was minerally, light and had a very faint taste of artichoke.  Which is incredible!  Artichokes are a real problem for wines - they usually make most wines taste overly sweet - this wine however was absolutely made to go with artichokes and even complemented their taste!  Perfection!


- A fried piece of licorice that perfectly matched its dish.  I would’ve never thought of a piece of candy matching a savory dish, but it did!


- The meat course which not only had a ridiculously rich, falling apart, tender piece of beef, but tiny new potatoes, fresh peas and a rich yet subtle sauce.  The potatoes put all other potatoes I’ve eaten to shame.  They were tender, their skin was blistered and crunchy and they yielded just slightly to the bite and then melted with buttery perfection.  


- Receiving lovely complements on our french speaking abilities.


- Discovering that tapioca can indeed be tasty.


- Rosemary macaroons served with coffee. Savory and sweet, they matched the end of meal exhaustion and didn’t leave a sickly sweet taste in the mouth.


- Realizing, upon leaving, that lunch had lasted close to 4 hours.  Also realizing that we had no idea we’d spent so much time on a such a wonderful meal.  


- Not needing to eat again until breakfast the next day.


It was the meal of a lifetime and something I’m so glad I got to experience.  If I’m ever given the chance to eat there again I will have no doubts and saunter in (better dressed this time) for yet another 7 course food and wine pairing.


The late afternoon consisted of napping, reading and playing cards.  That evening we decided to go out for a drink (food really was not even necessary) and met up with our new friend - the wonderful woman from Maine.  We bought her a drink and listened to her adventures and spent about 2 hours soaking up her wonderful company.  Before her arrival, Seamus and I had been talking about how funny it felt to be going home 10 days - and the uncertainties that accompany such a change.  Would people be the same?  Would our friends still be our friends?  Could we handle a long distance relationship?  I had been feeling especially worried about Americans in general after our experiences in Nice and Cannes (the worst examples of tourism and individuals from any country) and wondered if I had changed so that I no longer fit in with my own countrymen?  But our wonderful friend not only dissolved all my worries, but made me proud of all the wonderful characteristics that make up Americans.  In so many ways I had forgotten about not generalizing and opening myself up to meeting people.  She really was my angel.


On our last day of vacation and last day in Arles we took some time to see the big sites - the Roman arena and theater.  They were very cool but thanks to my horrific allergies, I wasn’t really able to enjoy them much.


The Roman Theater

A view of Arles

The roman arena

  Our train left Arles around 3:30 - and we had a very interesting ride.  We had a transfer in Lyon and then another transfer in Paris - so we needed for things to be on time.  Well ... they weren’t.  Our first train spent 30 minutes in a random train station because, “A staff member was missing.”  What does that mean?  Either, a) the staff member was on an extended smoke break, b) the staff member was late to work, or c) they were making a random excuse for some other problem.  Thanks to the “missing staff member” we missed our train to Paris by 3 minutes and had to wait an hour for the next one.  By the time we got back to Orléans (at close to 1 am) we’d been traveling for over 10 hours.  

Friday, May 21, 2010

sorry for the delay

So, a very short post to say that the vacation was amazing!  Now, I'm back in reality and dealing with closing out bank accounts (or not), and the CAF and all the other things that I signed up for.... It's going surprisingly easy, but there is a ton to do.

So, I'll do my vest best to finish the blog entry I started about my travels, but don't hold your breath!

Oh, and I come home in 6 days ... wow...

Sunday, May 2, 2010

And in the end...


As of last Friday I am officially unemployed.  It's hard to believe my time teaching is over, and it's a very bittersweet feeling.  

My last week of classes was shortened by a day thanks to a SEMTAO strike.  No public transportation for a whole day? Yeah, not going to walk 1.5 hours round trip for a 50 minute class. 

Tuesday I had 4 parties thrown for me, which were absolutely adorable.  I brought some Big Red gum to share (that had been sitting in a cupboard for 7 months... it was still good) which was the cutest thing ever.  French people, in general, don't like spicy food.  Big Red gum?  Turned their faces red and encouraged a lot of coughing.  Too cute.  I had a bag of candy to calm their delicate palates, which was much appreciated.  My second group of students brought a ton of sweets, gave me a handmade card and a bar of chocolate and gave me 1 million complements.  Here's a picture of me with the class:

Such amazing people

After saying some very sad goodbyes, I met with my next class (who I wasn't supposed to see, but took on an extra hour just to say goodbye).  When they all came in, I noticed right away that 3 girls were missing.  I asked another student where they were and she told me that she couldn't tell me, but please don't mark them late.  At this point I had to laugh, first of all, I don't know how to mark students late (in 7 months no one was late to my class...) second of all, it wasn't a very good cover.  About 5 minutes later the girls returned, cake in hand!  So sweet!

As I was going to leave for lunch, several students came back in and took a lot of pictures and gave me a lot of compliments.  As I was walking out, two girls stayed and chatted with me and told me that I was a great teacher (which made me feel very good).  I will miss that class - they are all just awesome.

After lunch I had two groups of secondes (my youngest age group) and the teacher had arranged for them to bring food and drinks and she brought a ton of candy as well.  One girl brought a homemade pear and strawberry tart!  Another brought what I can only describe as French brownies - both were incredible!  We talked and enjoyed the sweets and I was talked into trying a dozen different types of candy - if I politely declined the response was always, "But Madame, it is my favorite you must try!"  I had a 3 hour sugar high following those two groups!

The next day I taught a regular class (they were being punished, apparently, for bad behavior) and then had another party in my honor by another group of secondes.  They also brought a ton of candy and brownies and gave me a very nice card.  It was really very sweet.  They were such a good group of kids!  

Thursday ended up being very anti-climatic.  I turned in my keys and copy card and that was it.  No big goodbyes, nothing dramatic.  My teachers will be taking me out for a drink or dinner sometime after I get back from my upcoming vacation.

Being done with teaching is bit surprising.  I'm surprised how fast it went - although memory is fuzzy - there were days that went on forever and weeks where I dragged myself to work.  I do feel that my stint as a teacher was successful - once I realized that I couldn't really teach much in terms of english (seeing students one hour every other week isn't good for learning) and decided to focus on just making them feel loved and respected and trying to improve their confidence things went much easier for me.  And based on the conversations I had this past week, I seemed to have succeed in that respect.  More than one student told me that I was like no other teacher in France and that they really felt loved.  So, I'm glad that I could do that successfully.

There are so many things and emotions going on this week - amazing people are leaving and I don't know when/ if I'll ever get to see them again.  Re-entry has become a surprising thing to think about.  My emotions are so very mixed - I can't wait to go home, but I also feel like I'm leaving one of the most amazing experiences of my life.  It's so funny, I want to go home and I don't, I want to stay with all these people but I can't.  It's a funny thing. 

Thursday I'm off to Ireland to visit Seamus' family and see some Irish countryside and then I'm off to Nice and Provence for 5 days of sun and fun before returning to Orléans with 10 days remaining to sort out bills and accounts and packing before I come home May 27th.  I can't believe the end is here, it seems like yesterday that I got here and at the same time a million years since I left home. 

So much to say


First of all, I did make it home from Italy in one piece.  It took 10 hours on a train, 7 hours in Milan, a 16 hour bus, a metro ride and finally an hour train to get from Bari, Italy to Orléans.  It was not an easy trip, nor a free one, but I do have some great stories to tell.


But before I talk about Italy I have to cover the first part of my spring vacation.  I think if I were going to give this vacation a label, it would be transportation hell -- it’s very fitting.  First of all, Seamus, Caitlin and I had planned to visit Chenonceau, which is a really awesome chateau that I saw with my parents over Christmas (and 4 years ago).  Unfortunately, SNCF was on strike during the first week of vacation from Tuesday to Thursday.  So, Friday morning we went to the train station all set to buy tickets - except... the strike wasn’t over.  I had previously thought that strikes could only happen on the days that were specified, but turns out I was wrong!  We were at the train station at 9 am, with a picnic packed and found out that we could indeed get to Chenonceau.... at 6 pm.  So instead we went to Parc Floral in Orléans, which is an amazing place.  We brought our picnic, enjoyed it on the lawn and played frisbee for a good while.  We spent 6 or 7 hours wandering around and had a blast.


Seamus discovers a far off land

We found a random, blue, styrofoam egg in the park and decided to write a note and hide it there.
The note reads, "Dear friends, HELLO! From Outer Space! We have captured your grandmother, she is very happy to be with us! By the time you read this note, we will have returned to our planet, Kablorkabork.  Sincerely, Thomba, Noomba and Dork"
The beautiful chateau we attempted to draw

The next day we headed off to Paris to visit Adam, a friend of Seamus’.  We had a really lovely time.  We went to the Luxembourg gardens and sat on the grass (which, it turns out, is forbidden).  The very best part of sitting on the grass at the Luxembourg Gardens?  Everybody else copies you and then gets in trouble!  Ha!  That evening Seamus and Adam went to a play while Caitlin and I drank wine in a cafe with a view of Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower and the Seine.  I think we might have gotten the better deal.  That night we partied it up at Adam’s school apartment - which was actually in the school.  We slept in the next day and then wandered around Paris.  Drank some wine in front of the Eiffel Tower and spent the time trying to find a cheap way to get out of the sudden, surprising cold/rain.


During the second week of our vacation, a trip to Italy was planned.  On Wednesday 6 of us headed off for Italy, Caitlin, Seamus, Samantha, Jenny, Catherine and myself.  I swear, this trip was a marvel in public transportation, we took a tram to a train to a metro to a bus to a plane.  We got into Bari in the evening and were met by friends of Samantha who were amazingly nice.  Due to space concerns, Seamus and I had to stay in a B&B while the four girls stayed with the family.  We stayed in a really beautiful little town, Polignano a Mare in the world’s cutest B&B ever.  Polignano a Mare is right on the Adriatic and an adorable little place.  We had a decent dinner for super cheap and the next day headed on a a little trip to visit a huge cave and an adorable little town, Alberobello.  The caves were really, really amazing.  We ended up getting a personal tour guide, due to some confusion over what to do with 6 english speakers, and even though it was all in Italian, Catherine was able to translate amazingly.  I think it might have been the best tour I’ve ever gone on.  The guide was really nice and even let us sneak pictures:

The cave opening
The big room

That afternoon we headed to Alberobello, which is a cute little town made up of Trulli, traditional round houses.  The town is very touristy, but the houses were adorable!  We did some tourist shopping and picture taking and then headed back. 

Alberobello

Trulli houses


That night Seamus and I had dinner at a sandwich place where the waitress was, essentially, ecstatic to meet us!  It was such a change from France!  


Friday we had planned to go Leece, but ended up exploring Bari and Ostuni instead. Bari is a harbor town and a bit rough around the edges, but the historical center is gorgeous!  In the afternoon we got an adorable tour of Ostuni, the white city, by Antonio (Samantha’s friend’s boyfriend’s father) who besides his gorgeous house in Torre a Mare has a little place is Ostuni.  The town is built (carved?) all out of white stone on a hilltop and is composed of tiny, winding streets.  It was adorable. 


Ostuni

That night, the girls, and Sammie’s friend and her boyfriend (Natalia and Valerio) came to Polignano to have dinner with Seamus and I.  We ended up eating at a lovely pizza place.  Friday, of course, was the day that we realized there were significant problems with the whole Volcano issue.  At this point our flight was still on, and we felt fairly confident it would end up being ok (how wrong we were...)

The Polignano a Mare beach

Saturday, which was supposed to be our last full day, we went sailing!  Antonio and Anna-Maria have an 8 person boat and offered to take us out on the Adriatic!  It was an absolutely incredible experience and, even though I got sea sick 10 minutes in, I loved every minute.  On the boat we learned that our flight had been canceled - which seemed perfectly fine with all of us.  The weather had finally gotten nice and we all thought, hey, extra vacation days!  In the afternoon we sent e-mails to teachers and parents and decided to wait and see where the adventure took us. That evening Natalia and Valerio had a Salsa competition in... wait for it... Monopoli!  We decided to go and ended up watching Salsa dancing for 6 hours.  I have to say, I had no idea how exhausting the whole experience could be.  After 6 hours I think I was more tired than most of the dancers (who had the whole adrenaline rush advantage).  At 2 am we all headed back to Antonio and Anna-Maria’s (where there was magically space for Seamus and I).  Our original flight, but now canceled flight was at 9 am on Sunday.  We planned to go the airport the next morning to sort out the whole flight problem (on 4 hours sleep), figuring that you never know what’ll happen.  


So stuff in hand we left for the airport at 8 or so, hoping to find a solution to our flight problem.  Caitlin, Seamus and I were in a car with Valerio heading toward the airport when we got pulled over by the Carabinari, the nasty Italian military police.  I thought that maybe we had been speeding, but it was much more exciting than that!  First, I should say that my seat belt didn’t work (and in fact was stuck behind my seat).  So when we got pulled over, I didn’t want Valerio to get in trouble for a lack of seat belt, and so, with the advice of Seamus, decided to very quickly fall asleep (yes, I know there are many things wrong with the ideas presented in the last two sentences, but I also know that I had 4 hours sleep).  So there I am, pretending to snooze away while 2 very large and angry looking carabinari are circling the car.  Valerio is in conversation with one of them, when all of a sudden the other one knocks really loudly on my window and yells something at me in Italian.  So, since I don’t speak Italian, I have nothing to say in response.  Literally, all I can do is sit there looking scared saying, “I don’t speak Italian.”  Awesome.  Apparently, he was satisfied with my frightened look and so moved on to Seamus (who was in the front seat) and starts yelling at him.  But, again, we have the same problem.  Seamus doesn’t speak Italian.  So this guy keeps yelling and all Seamus can do is sit and look scared and say, “I don’t speak Italian.”  He realizes that Carabinari man just wants him to roll down the window, which he does, which then prompts the lovely police man to keep trying to talk to Seamus.  Now, at this point you would think it would be obvious that, besides the driver, none of us speak Italian and therefore have NO idea what these people are saying to us.  Valerio says to carabinari man, these people don’t speak Italian - does that stop them?  Nope.  Angry police officer #1 comes round to where Caitlin is sitting, jerks open the door and proceeds to look us up and down as if we were the most suspicious people on the planet.  Then the guy looks at me, really intensely, and says ... something in Italian.  He quickly translates to, “NAME!”  So I say my name.  Then he yells, “NAME!”  So I say my name again.  Then he gives up and yells something in Italian and then, “PASSPORTS, DOCUMENTS!”  At which point we all had to give them our passports.  While they were investigating our documents in their nice car, Valerio explains that they think he’s an illegal taxi and wanted him to prove that we were his friends.  Now, I have to admit, I wasn’t sure how he would prove this.  Caitlin is from Canada, Seamus, Ireland and I’m from the States.  We couldn’t even prove that we were friends if we had to!  Fortunately, Caitlin and I both have french visas and OFII forms, so I’m guessing they must have realized that we lived in France.  After about a minute they yell for Valerio to come out of the car where they proceed to ask him, apparently 4 times, if he was an illegal taxi.  Then they asked if he had a problem with justice.  He somehow passed their ridiculous test because nothing happened.  Our passports were returned and Valerio didn’t get in any trouble.  The best part?  After we’re all free to go, Carabinari man comes to my window and yells, “GOOD MORNING!” To which all three of us say, “Good morning.”  To which he yells, “GOOD MORNING!”  So we again say, “Good morning.”  And then he yells ... “GOOD MORNING,”  and walked back to his car.  I think it might have been the only English phrase he knew - but he certainly knew it well!


We finally get to the airport, only to find out that everything we need to do to change our flights was online.  But we do learn that there’s space on a flight leaving Wednesday at 6 am out of Milan (which is a good 9 hour train ride away, but you gotta do what you gotta do...).  So we head back to the house and start exploring our options.  Except, we can’t change our flight online (RyanAir, I hate you).  Meanwhile, the family made a really lovely lunch for us - including a new favorite of mine: artichoke heart, tomato and pickle salad with a vinaigrette dressing.  We also got to sample some homemade lemoncello made with lemons from their tree in the backyard!  Now I really wish I had a lemon tree at home!

Entertainment during a transportation crisis?  Learning two new card games, Yaniv and Scopa

From here on out, my memory gets a little fuzzy about what happened when, but it involved another trip to the airport to book our flight for Wednesday, a trip to the train station to buy train tickets to Milan, the discovery that our Wednesday flight was canceled too.  A night of panic where we tried to figure out any way to get out of Italy - and finally decided that a bus was our best option.  We decided to go from Milan to Paris since we already had train tickets.  Another trip to the train station to change our train tickets to go at a later time and a lot of bus rides in between.  We had some amazing meals - one cooked by Valerio, a lunch by Antonio and a nice pizza place that we took the family to as a thank you for their generosity.


We spent our last day enjoying Torre a Mare - which is an adorable little town.  It’s right on the ocean and as cute as can be.  The climate is a lot like Arizona, including orange trees in bloom, cactus and nice dry air but with an ocean right there!  Talk about a dream location!


Adorable street with Ocean view
The Adriatic
Torre a Mare, Adriatic and wildflowers

Wednesday night we heading to the train station for our midnight sleeper train.  The train pulls in, we hop on and figure we are finally good to go ... or not.  The 6 of us were in 4 different cabins and we all made a horrifying discovery at the same time - our tickets were for the day before.  When we changed them, the man gave us a lot of hassle but finally changed them for us.  When he handed over the tickets, Catherine (who had been doing all the talking, and a great job of it) put them in her purse and none of us ever gave it a second thought.  We were so tired, frustrated and disoriented that Caitlin and I actually believed it was the 20th and tried to argue the date with the conductor.  By the time we realize our error the train is moving and we’re in a pickle.  One conductor (who must have been in charge) tells us it’s ok, there’s space on the train we just need to follow him and sort it out. So the 6 of us follow him to the end of the train and after 2 hours of phone calls and sitting on the floor of the train we were finally allowed to pay for a new ticket and stay on the train.  At 2 am we finally went to sleep.  


The next day we spent an hour in the customer complaint office filling out forms for a refund that we may or may not get in 4 to 5 months.  Which honestly, all I could do was laugh.  I’m chalking that up to an expensive lesson.


Since we had about 6 hours before our bus, we wearily decided to go and see the Duomo - which was really cool.

The Milan Duomo


We slept our way through lunch and a metro ride to the bus station, and then all hell broke loose.  We had purchased tickets online, but had to go through a ridiculous check in process that was incredibly poorly managed.  Having a ticket isn’t good enough for EuroLines, you have to be on some magic list.  Which Seamus, Jenny and I were on, but the other girls weren’t.  Which meant that they wouldn’t let them on the bus.  So after 10 minutes of Seamus, Jenny and I arguing in 2 different languages we finally broke down and started yelling (I even had to scream) and then, they magically put them on a different bus!  They weren’t ever on the list, but they got to go home.  The bus trip, well, I don’t really want to talk about it.  First of all, 16 hours on a bus is never fun.  Second, 16 hours on a bus with asshole, incompetent drivers is even less fun.  And I’m going to leave it at that.


We finally made it home to Orléans after 36 hours of traveling.  I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy to see a train station.  


All in all, it was an amazing trip and an insane adventure.  Someday I might even get a refund from RyanAir and TrenItalia.  I’m not holding my breath though.

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Stuck on vacation

Due to the very exciting volcanic eruption in Iceland I am currently stuck in the south of Italy! First of all, it's been an absolutely amazing vacation. I've been loving being in Italy and had an amazing time. However, my flight home tomorrow? Cancelled. In fact, according to the website of RyanAir, I'm stuck here until Monday afternoon at least. Chances are good that it'll be a while before I go home. I have to say though, there are worse places to be stuck!

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Amazing, brilliant, awesome!


Turns out that I use these words to excess.  Some of my more attentive students often give me a little ribbing when I use them ... but the thing is, so many things are either a) amazing, b) brilliant or c) awesome.  So here are some little tales of France that are either a) amazing,  b) brilliant or c) awesome:


The amazing trip to the doctor / pharmacy:

So, many thanks to my last cold I acquired a sinus infection.  The thing is, I really hate going to the doctor and dislike the pharmacy equally.  Which means that I usually procrastinate going as long as possible - and if I can avoid going at all, I absolutely will.  But by Thursday I knew that I couldn’t put off a visit to the médecin any longer.  I called for an appointment around 1 pm, and got one at 4:40 pm.  I arrived at the doctor exactly on time - it’s a 2 minute walk down the street - had barely sat down in the small waiting area (no check in, no nurses, just the doctor) when the doctor appears.  I explain that I have a sinus infection, list the symptoms, get a quick check up (ears, breathing deeply, blood pressure), then receive a list of prescriptions, each of which is explained in detail and after paying 22 euro, 14 of which will be reimbursed I’m on my way.  The appointment took 10 minutes!  I head toward the closest pharmacy, hand over my list of prescriptions, everything is filled and I pay ... 0.14 cents!  Thanks to French socialized healthcare and my supplemental coverage all I had to pay was 0.14 cents for 5 different medications!  I couldn’t believe it!  After 20 minutes and 8.14 euro I was on my way to recovery!  Probably the easiest thing I’ve done in France!  (Grocery shopping is more complicated!)


The amazing student / the wonderful compliment:

Two Thursdays ago I met with 3 students for a BAC preparation class (I give them an unknown document and they prepare their presentation for 10 minutes and then they are expected to speak about the document for 10 minutes).  This group tends to have a very low level and there are a couple of students who are repeating their final year because they failed the BAC exam.  So I don’t usually expect a whole lot, but instead focus on simple things that can help them to improve.  The class was going well, the three students were very quiet but as sweet as could be and really made a good effort.  The last student, however, was really special.  During her presentation she did a great job, but noticeably lacked confidence - often pausing to make sure the word was correct or looking at me for approval on most sentences.  The thing was - she really didn’t need to worry.  And after her presentation I told her as much, encouraging her to trust herself and believe in her ability.  It was clear she was incredibly smart, and very sweet but lacking in confidence - which in the French system is a fatal error.  I went home really thinking about her and hoping that she would trust herself - she really struck me as someone very special and I hoped that she found her voice.  I was also hoping that my words had gotten through, but I knew that I would never be able to find out - since I usually see each student only once.  


Imagine my surprise when she walked back into my classroom this past Thursday!  I was so happy to see her!  Once again she went last, and I gave her a pretty tough document to work with, but I knew she could do it and told her so.  I have to say, I was blown away by her presentation.  She presented the document perfectly, made very few grammar/vocabulary errors and spoke for 9 minutes (most students in her class speak for between 2-5 on a document).  Needless to say, I was overjoyed!  I was so proud of her!  Her score improved by 5 points just because she trusted herself!  Not only was I thrilled for her, but if was nice for me to know that I am helping to make a difference.  To make things even more sweet, as she was leaving, she stuck her head back in the door and said, “I am really happy I met you.”  I think it’s one of the sweetest things I’ve ever had said to me.  So amazing.  


The brilliant french concert:

I spent most of Saturday running errands and feeling overwhelmed by the ridiculous crowds everywhere - French shoppers have a big tendency to buy things last minute (whether they like the freshness or are just procrastinators I have yet to figure out) so grocery shopping was an absolute nightmare.  I think all of Orléans was in Carrefour at once.  But Saturday night was really special.  A French friend, who I didn’t know was a musician until 2 weeks ago, had a concert as the Maison des Arts so a handful of us went to support him.  Such a great experience!  The opening act was a poet who absolutely stunned me.  Now, I didn’t understand everything - I missed the whole first poem and half of the second before the French speaking part of my brain decided to participate in the evening - but it didn’t matter.  He had such a sense of rhythm and storytelling - he incorporated a lot of music and he voice was so powerful and beautiful.  What I did understand was just phenomenal.  It’s not often that a poem can carry you away - but this guy really had be in the moment.  Seamus and I agreed - he belonged on a much bigger stage than the Maison des Arts of Orléans.  The music was really excellent as well.  Turns out my friend is an incredibly talented musician and has a great stage presence!  His songs were really well done and it was so fun to have a cultural night out!  Icing on the cake - I realized that when I have finally reached the point where French stays French in my brain!  I don’t need to translate to myself anymore!  And my vocabulary has improved a lot!  


The awesome Easter brunch and basket exchange:

I decided a while ago that Easter wasn’t Easter without a big meal and Easter baskets.  So I decided to make it happen!  I invited over 7 friends and made everyone swap names and make a 10 euro Easter basket for someone else!  We decided to go for brunch due to various plans and started bright and early at 10 am.  We had quite a feast - ham, potato salad, deviled eggs (all of which I made), pancakes, brioche and nutella, yogurt and granola, fruit salad, regular salad, fresh baguettes, and mimosas (alcoholic and non).  It was super good!  One of those meals where everyone ate in silence and went back for seconds.  I really love these parties where everyone brings something and it’s all good.  After we ate we searched for baskets - which took all of 2 minutes in my very small apartment.  It was so fun!  There was lots of chocolate and various goodies.  Such a nice Easter.  


The amazing Boulangerie:

There’s a really incredibly boulangerie down the street from me.  It’s so good that it’s won the best croissant prize for both 2008 and 2009 in the Loiret.  It’s so good that every Sunday the line is out the door.  It’s so good that I’ve witnessed people stopping in for just baguettes and croissants and then going elsewhere for chocolate items (even though the other places have baguettes and croissants).  But the very best part about this boulangerie is the fact that when I stopped in on Saturday the owner looks at me and says, “Une baguette et un pain au chocolat?” to which I said a very astonished, “Oui!”  Turns out, they know me.  And it just so happened that I had superior timing - the baguettes were still hot.  Which, in all honesty, warm baguette might just be the best thing on earth as well as the most irresistible, because by the time I got home my baguette was half eaten.  



The most amazing part of this upcoming week?  I’m on vacation!  For 2 weeks!  Trips to Paris, Chenonceau and southern Italy are planned.  It’s going to be awesome!

Thursday, April 1, 2010

why playing M.A.S.H. is the best thing ever

ok, so after my next two lessons it's vacation time! And after two weeks off I teach for two more weeks and then that's it! The lessons for the last two weeks look like this: candy+movie+party+nice speech about class+happy dance. Which is all fine and good, but I have NO ideas left for lessons. So this week I planned two lessons and then adapted them to an appropriate level and used them for every group. The older students got to find out if they would be a democrat or republican (and I gave a talk on the political system in the States) and then they played M.A.S.H.. The younger kids played M.A.S.H. and then wrote a story about their future selves.

For those of you who don't know or remember this is how the game goes:

M(ansion) A(partment) S(hack) H(ouse)
_ _ _ _ <-------- put numbers here
Spouse <------ write people you would like to marry here (famous or otherwise)
-
-
-
-
City <------------ places you want to live go here
-
-
-
-
Job <----------------- jobs you want to have go here
-
-
-
-
Car <------------------ cars you want to drive here
-
-
-
-
Salary <----------------- the amount of money you want to make
-
-
-
-
Wedding Dress/Tuxedo <------------- write colors here
-
-
-
-
Except I play my version a bit meanly. See, I let each person fill out two blanks in each heading, then I make them trade their papers with someone else and I encourage them to write terrible things. Like garbage collector and a salary of $1 with a bright pink wedding dress. Etc. And then, once it's all filled in one person makes tally marks until the other says stop. Then using that number you count the topics, starting with the M., once you reach your number, you cross off that item. And you keep counting until you have only 1 thing left in each category. And that's your future! I've had kids marrying George W. Bush employeed as cleaning ladies, making 1,000,000 a year while driving roller blades and living in apartments. And kids marrying Julia Roberts, having 70 children, living in a shack, working as designers making $1 and driving a Porshe. It's pretty awesome.
The best thing is, it's one of those lessons where they can't wait to read me their stories and tell about their "future" - which of course means a quick review of using "will" with verbs. Pretty awesome. But today had to be the best -students stayed after to finish their sheets and then in the hallway were explaining it to their friends and saying how much fun it was! Makes you feel pretty good about yourself. And to think - they were practicing using the future tense, saying numbers, learning about different jobs all while having a great time. M.A.S.H. is awesome!
(also, I keep getting new futures every class. Today I married Johnny Depp, had 12 kids, made 1,000,000 a year, drove a Tank, lived in a mansion, wore a red wedding dress and lived in Hawaii where I worked part time as a writer. Best future ever! except for the 12 kids part)

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Some pictures


Spring!


put in context

Hello!

Razu's view of the "park".  Credit- Seamus, who calls it "Cat's Eye View"
He's free! (ish)

A little Easter treat

dressed as the 80s for the decade dance.  Yeah.
The cathedral at night - St. Patrick's Day

Toasting Joan in awesome hats!