My European Adventure

Last post from France...

2010-04-27T02:14:00.001-07:00

Hello again! I’m sorry it’s been so long since I last wrote, but time seems to be speeding up as the end draws near.

I had a wonderful week of vacation. When I arrived in Grenoble (at 11p.m. – thank you strikes!), Pauline’s family was there to greet me. She has a brother, Hugo, and a sister, Clara, and her parents, Michel and Isabelle. They were so welcoming. It took us about 30 minutes to get to Le Touvet, a small mountain village where they live. They had champagne and Isabelle had made an apple cake in honor of my arrival. We stayed up until about 1a.m. talking!

When I woke up the next day, I was amazed. The morning view from the window was breathtaking; Le Touvet is situated in the middle of the Alps, so I was surrounded by mountains. We went to their market (which was much smaller than the one in Angers) and hiking. I learned that the area they live in is a well known site for paragliding, and international competitions take place annually in their town.

The rest of the week was packed with fun activities. Sunday, we went skiing in the Alps. Monday, we went to see the small town of Annecy (another picturesque town at the foot of mountains) and had lunch with their grandparents. Tuesday, we walked around Le Touvet and saw the castle there. Wednesday, we went to Lyon, the 2nd largest town in France after Paris. Thursday, we walked around and visited the town of Grenoble. I left Friday morning and was very sad to go. I felt like I had known them for years and that I was a part of their family.

Luckily, I didn’t have any trouble with the strikes on my way back to Angers. It was a typical weekend for me here; I went to the market on Saturday and tutored in English. I went to Mass and had dinner with Elena. Sunday, Corinne (Catherine’s daughter) came to town, and I got to spend some time with her. I did another week of teaching, finishing some of my classes.

However, it wasn’t just a typical week; I continued to travel around some. A priest that is in the group that I often eat lunch with took Elena and me on a day trip to visit the southern part of the region. His name is Pere Drochon, and with him, we visited about 6 different churches in the Southern part of the Maine and Loire region. It was so interesting; he knew so much about the different architectural movements in the church and the local history. I really enjoyed the trip.

Saturday was also another travel day. I went to the town of Saumur, a town to the east of Angers that is reputed for their wine, with a group of students. Sofie, the Belgian lectrice, invited Elena and me for one last outing before the end of our time here together. We went to some areas around Saumur as well, touring a troglodyte museum, exploring a former monastery, visiting a chateau, and seeing a local variation of boules, a popular game in France where players compete roll their balls get as close to the target ball as possible. It was an excellent way for us to spend our Saturday!

Sunday I went to a local fair with Elena and another Spanish teacher, Marie-Helene, where artisans were selling their goods. They also had an interesting exposition about Indian culture. Marie-Helene treated us to lunch, introducing us to the “spécialités Dauphinés,” a kind of ravioli that is typical of a region in southern France. It was divine; I have never had such delicious ravioli in my life.

After a fun weekend, the week started full force. Elena left on Monday afternoon, so we had one last lunch party before she caught her train to go. This is my last week of classes, so I’m turning in final grades and attendance to the appropriate people. I’m also trying to organize things for the next American lectrice so that she might have a better idea of what to do and have some materials when she arrives in the fall.

I leave to go back to the U.S. next week (May 6th, to be exact), and this last week is also filled with lots of social dates. I have been invited to numerous dinners, as well as some “soirées” with my friends here. This is going to be a busy but fun week. I am also going to start packing my bags soon in preparation for my return.

This is the last post I will write in France. I’ll make sure to write another when I return to the U.S. so that you will all know that I’ve returned safely. Please keep me in your prayers as I conclude my time here; I’m really going to need them!

Happy Easter!

2010-04-10T06:26:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! As I am writing this, I am sitting in the Gare de Lyon train station in Paris. I am on vacation this upcoming week, and I reserved tickets to travel to Grenoble where I will stay with Pauline, a French girl who stayed with my family for three weeks this past summer. However, due to a strike, my train was cancelled, and I am now waiting to take a train for which I have no ticket and may very well have to stand for my three hour trip. Ah….Paris.

I realized it had been a while since I’ve updated my blog, so I thought I would take advantage of my long layover. Since I last wrote, I’ve had another round of visitors! My friend Siri and her boyfriend John came to visit me from Sweden last week (for those of you who don’t know Siri, Peter and I spent Christmas with her family this past year).

In Sweden, the universities had their week off last week, and so Siri and John decided to travel to Angers. We all met at the CIDEF (the Centre International des Etudes Francaises) where we studied French together. This trip for them was a pilgrimage of their relationship – coming back to see where they started – and they got a chance to see me! They stayed with Catherine during the week and everyone really enjoyed it. Siri and John appreciated Catherine’s cooking skills, and Catherine enjoyed having some company during the week.

Although I had to work during the week that they were here, I was able to do a little bit of traveling with them. We went to Tours, a town about an hour away from Angers. It’s most known for being a central location for tourist trips to the neighboring castles in the region. Some of you might also be familiar with St. Martin de Tours, a soldier who cut half of his cloak to give it to a poor man. He was from the town of Tours, and eventually became a bishop there. His remains are in his basilica at Tours.

In addition to the little trip we did together, we shared several meals together. They introduced me to a local sandwich restaurant in Angers that was positively AMAZING. I had a sandwich with rotisserie chicken, roasted potatoes, cheese, mushrooms, and a delicious sauce. I definitely have to make another trip there before I leave. I also invited them to dinner with me so they could meet my neighbors. Of course, we also ate several times together at Catherine’s house. It was so nice to see them again.

The following weekend was Easter! I went to a Vigil Mass on Saturday evening with Elena, the lectrice from Paraguay, at St. Madeleine’s church close to my residence. It was a beautiful service. We started outside the church on the main steps with a bonfire in a grill. All the parishioners huddled around to listen to the priest. While it was an impressive sight, the bonfire made me nervous; the wind was really strong, and the embers from the flames were flying everywhere. I was so worried that someone would get burned or have his/her hair catch on fire (I actually had to knock an ember out of a lady’s hair standing next to me!).

When the priest had finished with the reading and his prayers and blessings, he lit the main altar candle from the fire. This gesture was to symbolize Christ’s light and love in the world. Afterward, we all proceeded into the church singing, and after a blessing, the priest lit the parishioners’ candles around him. Within minutes, the dark church was glowing with the light from our candles. I love this Mass because the symbolism is so simple yet profound; Christ’s love is like the lighted candles: glowing and filling dark places in the world.

When the Mass was finished (two hours later!), they had hot chocolate and brioche (a kind of sweet bread) for the parishioners. Several parishioners welcomed Elena and me to the parish, and we got to talk to the priest. They were so sincere and welcoming; I was definitely feeling the Easter spirit!

On Easter Sunday, I was invited to Benoite’s family’s home to have an Easter lunch with them. They also had an uncle, an aunt, and some cousins over for the feast. I remember walking in and hearing the minor chaos around me; I miss the noise that comes with being in a family. It was so refreshing to be able to a part of their Easter.

They had just finished the Easter egg hunt when I arrived, and so we had some little munchies before starting the main meal. We had a traditional French Easter meal with lamb and veggies. For dessert, we had a chocolate cake and lemon meringue pie – both fresh from the oven. However, the real sweets didn’t come until coffee, where they opened up all the chocolate! I have never seen so much chocolate in my life. I was amazed by Benoite’s brother, Louis, who ate at least 10 pieces of Ferrero Rocher chocolates.

While we were drinking coffee, we decided to play a game of Cranium. I was really nervous about playing since it’s such a culturally and vocabulary centered game, but I did really well! My team was even in the lead for a little while! It certainly helped to boost my confidence in French, although, quite honestly, the Renault family helped me out quite a bit.

The next day, Easter Monday, I had another lunch invitation. Anne Marie, a friend of Catherine, invited Catherine and me to have an Easter lunch with her. She made rabbit (ironically enough!), and it was divine. I also had the best champagne I’ve ever tasted; I made sure to take a picture of the bottle for future reference.

I know rabbit sounds a little strange to be eating at Easter, but in the French tradition, there is no “Easter Bunny.” Their tradition is that the bells from their churches go to Rome to get chocolates. Between Good Friday and Easter Sunday, the church bells do not ring in France because the Catholic churches do not have Mass during the period between Jesus’ death and His resurrection. The children believe that the bells have flown to Rome to get chocolates. As the bells return, they drop the chocolates in the families’ yards, which the children have to find later.

Anyway, back to my Monday agenda! After lunch, Anne Marie took Catherine and me to the Bouchemaine, where the Loire and Maine rivers (the rivers after which the region was named) meet. It was a sunny day, and walking along the riverside was so relaxing. I certainly had a wonderful Easter weekend; I am very blessed here in Angers to know so many warm, welcoming people who are willing to share special moments with me.

My classes resumed on Tuesday, and it was another typical week of teaching. I only have two more weeks of teaching before I return to the U.S. – I can’t believe how quickly the time has flown by! After this week in Grenoble, I will have less than three weeks left in Angers. Wow.

I will be sure to write again before I leave and tell you all about my trip to Grenoble. Hopefully, the rest of it will be a little less complicated than the beginning. I hope you all had a happy Easter and are doing well! A la prochaine, et bonne semaine!

Visiting France with two Americans

2010-03-22T10:58:00.000-07:00

Hello again everyone!

It’s taken me a little while to write this post; resuming my normal schedule proved to be a little more difficult than I expected when Peter and Paul left.

We had a great time all together! The gentlemen arrived on Saturday, March 6th, and I started them off on a busy day. We had lunch at a little pizzeria not far from our hostel, and then went back to the hostel so they could freshen up after their long flight. That night, we went to see the Sacred Heart Cathedral, Montmartre, the Moulin Rouge, the Eiffel Tower, the Champs Elysees, and the Arc de Triomphe. We went all the way to the top of the Eiffel Tower as the sun was setting, and the view was incredible. Despite the really, really cold wind, it was very romantic. We went back to the room for sandwiches and a beer and called it a night.

The next day, we got up early to go to the Louvre. As it was the first Sunday of the month, the entrance was free of charge! We spent most of the morning there and then headed to the Notre Dame Cathedral for Mass. It was definitely a neat experience. We caught the train at 4pm to head to Angers.

Peter and Paul stayed with Catherine during the week, and I think she was very happy to have them. She said that they were a pleasure to feed, and she enjoyed making “typically” French dishes for them. We had escargot (snails), boudin noir and blanc (sausages that are special to France), bouchee a la reine (a pastry with meat and a cream sauce inside), and plenty of French pastries (pains au chocolat, croissants, chaussons au pomme). I think Paul especially appreciated it; he’s studying to be a cook, and he was able to taste a lot of things he had studied in his classes.

I still had to teach the week that the boys were here, so they visited Angers while I was teaching on Monday. They came with me and were interviewed by the students on Tuesday, which I think the students really enjoyed! Since I finished with my class at 9am, we rented a car and Peter drove us to Mont St. Michel and St. Malo. Another American girl named Kendra came with us too as she had never seen either of those places. We all had a really good time.

On Wednesday, we went to Le Mans, home of the famous race track and the race “Les 24 Heures du Mans.” While it’s not a trip that I would typically take myself, I really enjoyed seeing the cars. They had a museum of the race track and races, complete with cars and their evolution. It was neat to see the first cars from the 1900s to the super sleek, super fast cars they have now. The guys were practically drooling the whole trip! We also got to go out on the race track where we were able to walk around and sit in the stadium seats. There were some motor bikes practicing, so we even got the thrill of the revving engines!

We were back in time Wednesday night to have dinner with Armelle – Catherine’s hairdresser and the mother of the boy I tutor in English. She invited them over, and made an exquisite dinner that included foie gras, a dish with calf, lots of different French cheeses, and little lava cakes for dessert. We ate very well that night; it was very generous of her to have us!

Thursday was an easy day. Peter and Paul came with me to classes and were interviewed again. That night we had dinner with my friends and went out so they could see the local night life. The bar scene in France is so different from the U.S.; people really go out to socialize here, not to get drunk like so many people in the U.S. do. We danced and had a great time.

Friday, I taught a class in the morning while the boys slept in. We went to Saumur that afternoon, a city nearby that has a beautiful chateau and is known for its vineyards. While we only saw the chateau from a distance, we went to three different wine tastings. Peter left with two bottles – one of a sweet white wine and a red champagne. We’re saving them for our honeymoon.

Saturday, we went to the local market so Peter and Paul could get a taste of what a European market is like. We also found Peter’s wedding band in Angers! Catherine showed us a little jewelry store that was really – excuse the pun – a “diamond in the rough.” They had a sale on their wedding bands, and we took advantage of it! Now he has a beautiful band from a very special town; it really is our little treasure.

That afternoon, we went to the Cointreau factory for a tour and afterward went to Mass. We had a quiet dinner with Catherine and then went out for drinks with my friends. The week passed much, much too quickly.

They left early Sunday morning, and it was back to the real world for me. The beginning was a little difficult because I really missed having Peter around, but luckily, God blessed us with warmer, sunnier weather which lifted my spirits considerably. Other than that, it was a routine teaching week.

I am looking forward to the end of this week because my Swedish friend, Siri (the girl with whom I spent Christmas) is coming to visit me in Angers with her American boyfriend, John. I am really looking forward to seeing them both again.

I hope you all are doing well, and please know that you are in my thoughts and prayers! A la prochaine, mes amis!

La Bella Italia!

2010-03-04T11:29:00.000-08:00

After an enchanting vacation in Italy, I am back in Angers! I had a wonderful time seeing la bella Italia! I left Angers in the afternoon on Thursday, February 18th. I took a train from Angers to Paris, and then a night train from Paris to Florence. I was a little nervous about traveling on my own, but God really provided me comfort! When I was on the train to Paris from Angers, I met two American girls who were traveling to Paris as well to catch a night train to Florence! What’s more is that they were supposed to be traveling with their friend Kassie who couldn’t make it because of a kidney infection. So, they also had extra space in their sleeping car so I wouldn’t have to sleep with strangers! It was all very serendipitous.

Our train to Florence was two hours late arriving, and then over the course of the night, we managed to add two more hours. So, I was a total of four hours late meeting my college roommate, Bekah, in Florence. On top of that, the train couldn’t go into our scheduled station because there was some kind of unforeseen complication. I had to take a train from the Campo Marte train station to the Santa Maria Novella station. This glitch showed me just how travel-savvy I actually am. I met other Americans on the train, and while they were having a lot of anxiety about the change of plans, I kept my cool and helped them get to where they needed to go. It really boosted my traveling confidence!

When I finally met up with Bekah, we walked around Florence. Despite the drizzly weather we were having, the town was absolutely beautiful. I saw the Duomo (the Italian word for cathedral) and the Ponte Vecchio – a bridge on which they have built buildings, most of which are home to breathtaking jewelry stores –, as well as many other beautiful sites in Florence. Unfortunately, I don’t have any pictures to post because my camera went missing in Italy. I’m not sure if it fell out of my bag or pocket, or whether it was stolen from me, but either way, I no longer have a camera.

I also got to have a glass of wine with Dr. Betty Webb and her husband, John Rose. Dr. Webb is the supervisor of the program, and she was also my boss when I worked in the Office of International Programs as a student worker. It was so nice to see her and get to talk with her. I also got to meet the Meredith students who are studying in the program this year. They were very kind and fun to be around! I enjoyed spending time with them. Being with the Meredith group was so refreshing for me; it was like traveling with family! Seeing familiar faces from home definitely helped with my homesickness. I am ready to conquer my last two months in Europe!

After Florence, Bekah and I took the train to Arezzo where we caught a bus to Sansepolcro, a small town in Tuscany where the Meredith Study Abroad Campus site is. I fell in love with it right away. Meredith has renovated an old palace there (“palazzo” in Italian), and they have the good life! The rooms are beautifully furnished, and they get a real homemade Italian lunch during the week. The town of Sansepolcro was even more charming; with the vividly colored houses and the clay tile rooftops, it was like a picture in a travel brochure. The people were very welcoming and friendly, and I felt right at home!

I was also lucky to get to meet Sarah and Patrizio, a couple that Bekah stayed with for a summer as a nanny. Sarah works as an instructor for the Meredith program in Sansepolcro. They have three children: Leonardo, Genevre, and Veronica. It turns out that they were celebrating Leonardo’s third birthday while I was there, and I got to meet the whole family! They were very open, welcoming, and patient with my limited Italian skills! They later invited me back that week for gnocchi – a kind of potato pasta, if you will. Patrizio is a chef, and he made some gnocchi from scratch. It was sooo delicious. It melted in my mouth as I was eating it. I will never look at American Italian food the same way again!

During my week in Sansepolcro, we took a daytrip to Siena, Italy. Bekah spent a semester studying in Siena our senior year at Meredith, so this was a special trip for her. I got to see the new building where her school is now and meet some of the people she got to know. The town of Siena was hauntingly enchanting. It’s an old medieval city, and being within the walls was like walking through an old history book. There were paintings of the Madonna with the infant Jesus all around the town as we were walking through. The streets were hilly and paved with cobblestones. The houses were all touching each other with laundry hanging from the windows. It was like being in a movie.

I got to see the main square in Siena where the town hall is, and I also saw the beautiful Duomo there. It is, undoubtedly, one of the most beautiful cathedrals I have ever seen. Bekah was telling me that during the time it was built, it was supposed to be the largest cathedral in all of Christendom. However, when the plague hit, they ran out of money and could not finish the construction. The front, despite the fact that the rest of it is unfinished, is incredible. Another important thing that I saw in Siena was the head of St. Catherine of Siena. I stood in the church where she received her visions, and her head is displayed there. It was really neat to get to see my mother’s patron saint!

I spent my last day in Italy in Milan. I have a friend there named Amber who is doing some mission work for a two year period. It was great to get to see her and meet the people she hangs out with! They were very friendly and made me feel very welcome. We had dinner at a restaurant that served “all you can eat” appetizers with a drink order – and it only cost about 7 Euros! That restaurant was a great little taste of food in the city. Afterward, we went site-seeing. I saw a lot of the major things there are to see: the cathedral, the opera house, the first shopping mall, the decorated cemetery. The cathedral was absolutely my most favorite. The towers were intricately decorated, and the size was amazing. It is impossible to look at it and not be reminded of the majesty and power of God.

After a quick evening of touring and socializing, we returned to her apartment and crashed. I flew out from the Milan Malpensa airport to Charles de Gaulle Paris. Little did I know that earlier that morning, a huge storm had swept through the region. From my understanding, it was like a hurricane with high speed wind and lots of rain. Some cities by the coast were, and remain, flooded. There were over 50 people killed. A storm like this does not happen often here – only once every decade or so.

Needless to say, the weather affected my traveling. When I arrived in Paris, all the trains were running late because of branches blocking the train tracks. Some trains were canceled all together! Luckily, my train was only an hour late; however, we had to stop several times during the trip to wait for the tracks to be cleared. In all, we arrived about three hours late, doing what is usually at two hour trip in three hours.

When I got back to the residence, my neighbors had made me dinner! We’re quite an international group: Sofie is Belgian, Cristina is Italian, Guillaume is French, and Thedi is Bulgarian. I was so excited to see them, and it was so thoughtful of them to cook for me, especially since I was exhausted from a long day of traveling.
I started with my classes the next day, teaching 4 hours total. It hasn’t been a normal week though because I haven’t had any classes Tuesday through Thursday. These few days have been “Journees Professionelles” where the students don’t have classes and are supposed to attend conferences concerning the degrees they are pursuing, while the teachers catch up on work. Luckily, I am all caught up, so I had another few days free to recuperate from my vacation!

I am also really excited because on Saturday, my fiancé Peter is coming with his friend Paul. It’s Paul’s first time in Europe, and I am really excited to give him a taste of the European lifestyle. I’ll give you another update on all of that after their visit.

I hope you all are doing well! Please know that you are in my heart and prayers! A la prochaine.

New Reflections

2010-02-15T09:45:00.000-08:00

Another enchanting week in France has gone by, but to be honest, the first half wasn’t so enchanting.

Monday night, before going to see my weekly movie with the English movie club at the university, I went out to dinner with two of my former students, Maxime and Lauriane. We went to T’Chips, a local kebab place (a kebab is like a gyro). I’ve eaten there before, and I was in the mood for a good kebab, so it seemed perfect. However, later that night, I became really sick with a fever and nausea. I got food poisoning from the kebab I ate! I had to cancel my classes for Tuesday (again), and I spent all day in bed. Needless to say, I won’t be eating another kebab anytime soon!

Fortunately, I was half way better on Wednesday, and all better to continue with my classes on Thursday. The week finished up nicely. We’ve had nice sunny weather lately, and I took advantage of it on Friday. After lunch, Elena and I went walking around downtown Angers, peering into shop windows and looking for good deals. I ran into a couple of my students, and we exchanged pleasantries in the street. It’s really nice to be recognized on a casual stroll downtown; I feel like I’m truly a part of the community. I think it’s going to be really hard for me to leave Angers for that very reason – I have a community here that I will be leaving behind. Alas, such is life. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to experience it and contribute to it, even if it was for such a short time.

My weekend was full of social events. I got up on Saturday, did my shopping at the market, and then did my English tutoring with Theophile. Afterward, I had a lovely lunch with Catherine; she made a delectable dish of fish and mashed potatoes. We talked for a while about the people she has hosted at her house and the memories she has of them – both good and bad. She was preparing herself for two new students to arrive on Sunday; they’re two Japanese girls who will be studying in Angers for three weeks. I haven’t met them yet, but Catherine invited me to dinner tomorrow, so I will get a chance to make their acquaintance.

After leaving Catherine’s, I had a hot chocolate date with an American student studying at the Catho. She wanted to pick my brain about teaching English and, essentially, what I intend to do with my French major. Her name is Kendra, and she’s studying at a university in Arkansas, although I’m not sure which one. She was really pleasant to talk to, and the rendezvous turned into an advice session. She definitely came to the right person; I wrote my Meredith honors program thesis on foreign language careers!

Later on, I went to Mass with Elena, and she came back to the residence with me and made empanadas! They were absolutely delicious. It was the first time I had had anything like it – a pastry crust filled with tomatoes, ham, cheese, olives, eggs, and anything you wanted! As usual, we made more food than we could eat, and so our neighbors benefited. It was so much fun to have everyone together that we decided to have another dinner the following night in honor of Valentine’s Day.

I am really glad that my neighbors were around for Valentine’s Day because being away from Peter was difficult – more difficult than I expected it to be. It really took me by surprise. Luckily, we all ate lunch together around the same time and decided to go on a walk to take advantage of the beautiful day. We walked for two hours through downtown, across the river to the other side of Angers and back. They are so much fun to be with, and I am so grateful for their friendship during this time. It is really important to be around others to avoid loneliness, and they are helping me so much to enjoy my time in France.

That night, we had a dinner in honor of St. Valentine. Elena got really creative with the decorations, and the kitchen looked amazing! We cut out red hearts and made flowers out of red plastic bags, so the kitchen looked fit for Cupid. For dinner, we had galettes – a salty crepe – that had ham, cheese, mushrooms, and other ingredients that we wanted on them. For dessert, we made a chocolate fondue and had mandarin oranges, bananas, and pears for dipping purposes. It was scrumptious! We ate and talked and laughed for about 3 solid hours, and everyone helped clean up afterward. One thing that I have noticed about the people here is that there is a real sense of solidarity; no one leaves until everything is taken care of. This mentality is so refreshing and reassuring; it really helps create a community here.

Today is Monday and the start of a new week. My classes today went well, and I had a relaxing afternoon running errands. I’m trying to get things in order before I leave on Thursday for my week long vacation in Italy visiting Bekah. Tonight, I am going to see the film Psycho by Alfred Hitchcock. I’m really hoping it doesn’t give me nightmares! I don’t handle scary movies well; however, it is a classic film, and I fell like I should see it even if it makes me a little uncomfortable.

I hope you all had an amazing week! I’ll write a new update when I return from Italy. A bientot, or rather, a presto! 

February in France

2010-02-09T11:56:00.000-08:00

Bonjour à tous! The spring semester is off to a good start. I am still enjoying my classes and students, and I am really enjoying my extra time! Last semester, I taught 15 hours of classes in a week, but this semester, I only have 10. With my extra time, I have taken advantage of more of the social aspects of Angers. I have been seeing more movies, going out more with my neighbors and students, and attending more cultural events such as concerts. I’m really trying to soak up as much of the culture as I can before my return!

These past two weeks have been pretty relaxed. Unfortunately, I was sick with the stomach bug and confined myself to my room for two days, but I got over that fairly quickly. The school weeks have been going by so fast – I can’t believe we’re already in our fourth week!

We actually have a vacation coming up at the end of February. I’m taking that time to visit my college roommate, Bekah, in Italy. She is working as a Resident Assistant at the new Meredith College study abroad site in Sansepolcro, Italy – a small town in the Tuscany region. We are meeting up in Florence for the weekend, and then we’re heading together to Sansepolcro. I am not sure what we’ll be doing during the week, but I am so excited just to see her and play “catch up.” A lot has happened in the past few months! I’ll be ending my Italian vacation in Milan visiting a friend whom I met through Bekah. Her name is Amber, and she is doing Christian mission work in Milan for two years. I cannot wait to see them! Seeing people from home definitely helps with the homesickness.

Luckily, I haven’t had too much trouble with homesickness over my trip, but in the past few weeks, Virginia Beach and Raleigh have gotten quite a bit of snow. I have had the opportunity to webcam with my family and friends there, and I was so jealous that I wasn’t there to cave-dwell and play in the snow with them. I hope all of you that have been affected (or continue to be affected!) by the snow stay warm and safe; I know people do some dangerous things when weather conditions are bad. The weather has been cold here, but we haven’t had any snow. Catherine is predicting that all the snow that has hit Washington D.C. is heading our way, but we’ll see…

To combat the homesickness, I have tried to fill up my free-time with activities. I mentioned some of the things I have been doing above, and I have also taken up a tutee. Catherine’s hairdresser has a son who is studying English. She was looking for someone to come and speak with him in English for an hour a week, and I gladly offered my services! It’s been a great way to get to know another family as well as earning a little extra pocket money.

That’s really all that I have for now! I hope you all are well back in the U.S., and please be safe with all the crazy weather! I miss you lots, and you’re in my prayers. A la prochaine, mes amis!

I've finally written!

2010-01-25T10:27:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone! I am sorry it’s been so long since my last update! I have been so busy, as you will soon find out…

When I last wrote, I was leaving for Italy to meet Peter’s family for the ordination of his brother, Josh, as a priest with the Legionaries of Christ. Peter’s father had found and rented an apartment for the week near the Vatican; we were five minutes by foot from St. Peter’s Square. It was absolutely amazing. We went to a prayer service led by the Legion on Friday night, and then had the ordination on Saturday.

It was held in St. Paul’s Basilica, and it was a sight to see! There were about 60 priests ordained that day, and the basilica was packed with around 5000 people. Mr. and Mrs. West had special seats for parents, and the rest of us were sitting around the basilica. Luckily, they had an elaborate film system and projectors everywhere, so every seat was a good seat! Father Josh celebrated his first Mass the following day at St. Peter’s basilica.

The following week was a blur of sightseeing. We went around to different churches, monuments, and museums around Rome. We also got to see the Pope twice – once at the Sunday blessing and again at the Wednesday audience. We were sitting pretty close to Benedict, maybe only about 100 ft away! During that week, we also traveled to Assisi and Naples, where the Wests showed me where they used to live. They took me to an excellent pizzeria, which was cool since Naples is the birthplace of the pizza!

Another very memorable event happened in Rome – Peter proposed in front of the Trevi fountain! He asked me to marry him on December 16th. We had just gotten out of a museum with his family, and we were splitting up. Peter and I went with his sisters to do some more sightseeing while his parents and brother went to do some shopping. Peter’s sisters stopped to watch a street artist painting, and Peter and I continued on towards the Trevi Fountain. Once we were there, we sat down to look at the fountain, and Peter gave me this strange look. I asked, “Why are you looking at me like that? Is it because you love me?” and he responded, “I’ve been thinking about how to say this, and this is what I came up with: I can’t wait to tell our kids about this story. Will you marry me?” He pulled out a beautiful diamond ring, and I was speechless. The whole time, I was thinking in my head, “Oh my gosh, this is really happening!”

Of course, I said yes, and he put the ring on my finger. There was a photographer at the fountain who took our picture so that we could capture those few precious moments after the proposal. When we were walking back to find his family, I kept asking him to pause so I could stand and stare at the ring. When we found his family, everyone was excited, and Mr. West ordered a round of Amaretto for all. I will certainly treasure this memory forever.

To inform you quickly about what we have planned for our wedding so far, we already have a date – August 21, 2010, and we have a church reserved in Virginia for the ceremony. I have colors picked out – dark purple and white -, but that’s about the extent of what we have planned. It’ll be interesting to organize this big event from abroad.

Anyhow, continuing with our Christmas vacation…

After Italy, Peter and I continued onto France. We landed in Paris, and it was covered with snow. A big cold front/snow storm had gone through France, and almost the entire country was covered by a blanket of snow. We caught a train from Paris to Strasbourg, a city on the eastern side of France, by Germany. They are known for their Christmas market which resembles those in Germany. It was magical with all the Christmas lights, the snow falling from the sky, and the hot wine to keep us warm. We stayed there for 2 days, and then we were off to Geneva.

While in Geneva, we didn’t see much. We walked around downtown a bit looking for a place to have dinner, but that’s all. We were there to catch our flight to Sweden, where we would spend Christmas with my friend Siri and her family.

For those of you who don’t know Siri, she is a Swedish girl I met while I was studying for the first time in France. We were in some of the same classes, and we did one project together. We’ve kept in touch and our acquaintanceship has blossomed into a friendship that I hope will last a lifetime. She invited Peter and me to spend Christmas in Karlshamn, a small seaside town on the southeast of Sweden, where her family lives.

Peter and I flew into Copenhagen, Denmark, and took a three-hour train ride to Karlshamn. It was so good to see Siri again! It was like we had never had time apart. Her family is very nice as well, and they speak English superbly. They welcomed us as part of the family, and we got to share in some Swedish traditions! We had pickled herring at dinner, learned how to say “Merry Christmas” in Swedish, and witnessed their drinking songs. Let me explain; in Sweden, before each sip they take – whether it be schnapps, wine, beer, liquor, etc. – they sing a song. They have different songs for each type of drink. It was fun to watch them all sing and smile at the table with a uniquely Swedish tradition.

In Sweden, we went to a neighboring town where Siri’s father works. It is a navy town, so we got to see some of the ships and the military base there. We also went to visit Lundt, the town where Siri goes to school. We had a nice, relaxing visit at each.

After Sweden, we flew back to Geneva and caught a train to the town of Avignon in southern France. It was nice to come back to warmer weather and longer days – we only had about 6-7 hours of daylight in Sweden! In Avignon, we went to see the Christmas market, Ft. St. Andre, the Chartreuse (an old monastery), and the Palace of the Popes (where the Popes resided in for about 100 years while the civil wars were going on in Italy). Peter and I had a great time taking it easy and getting to see all of the sites.

After Avignon, we headed back to Angers where he stayed with Catherine. We celebrated the New Year with her, and she fed us well! We saw all the sites around Angers – the Chateau of King Rene, the Tapestry of the Apocalypse, the chocolatiers, the shops, etc. We also went to visit Nantes – an old port city about 45 minutes west of Angers by train. It is famous for being the capital of the Brittany region before it became a part of France. We saw the chateau there along with the cathedral. It was so cold while we were there; some of the fountains we saw were frozen solid! We fortunately managed to stay inside warm buildings out of the cold.
We headed to Paris for his last night in France; we walked around and saw the Sacred Heart Cathedral, Montmartre, the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, and the Champs-Elysees. It was beautiful to see Paris at night.

The next day, I saw Peter off to the airport. It was a tearful goodbye, but luckily, my friend Ginny arrived the same day he left. She definitely cheered me up and got my mind off of Peter’s departure. It was her first time coming to Europe, so it was neat for me to see everything through her eyes too. We went around and saw some of the same sites again, along with some new ones – Notre Dame and the Louvre. We also walked through some of the neighborhoods in Paris and got to see some of the less-touristy side of the city.

We left for Angers the next day. She stayed with me in my room at the residence, and while it was tight, I think we managed it well. While she was in Angers, she met Catherine, saw where I worked, and got a taste of what everyday life is like for me. Unfortunately, we had some bad weather while she was here – freezing and snowy – so it limited our traveling a bit. We did get to see the sites in Angers as well as travel to Nantes. Overall, I think she enjoyed her stay. I saw her off at the train station last Monday, and then real life started for me again.

I started my classes again last Monday. I only have a handful of new students this semester which is nice because everyone already knows what I expect in class and I already know a lot of names! I am also teaching fewer hours this semester which is such a blessing as it allows me more time to enjoy life in Angers as well as more time to plan a wedding!

This weekend was a little bit different of a routine for me though. As some of you may remember, I spent Thanksgiving with a Meredith alumna and her husband who live here with their two children. Their names are Debra and Charles, and unfortunately, Charles has been having problems with his sciatic nerve. He has been having intense pains in his left leg and spent all of last week in the hospital. They discharged him this past Friday, and Debra asked me to come over this weekend to help her with the kids. They live in a small town near Beaufort, which is about 50 minutes by car to the east of Angers. They bought half of a farm which they renovated into their beautiful home. It is absolutely enchanting to walk outside and see nothing but fields and farm animals. There is also a tranquility there that you could never find in Angers.

I had a great time there this weekend. Cayleigh (2 years old) and Jayden (8 months old) were so much fun to play with! Jayden just sat, played, and drooled by himself almost the entire weekend, and Cayleigh was a ball of energy. We walked around outside, watched some movies, played with PlayDo, etc. Despite the pinching and general testing that a typical 2-year-old goes through, I had a wonderful time with her!

I came back by the train today, so my second week is starting. I hope you all are well and had lovely holidays; thank you for those who sent letters and emails! I’ve really enjoyed them. Please continue to pray for me during my marriage preparation and my remaining time teaching here in France. I should be able to update more regularly now that I’m not traveling all of the time. Many blessings, and until next time!

Joyeux Noel!

2009-12-08T11:21:00.000-08:00

Hello to everyone! I hope you all are doing well and that the craziness that is this time of year has been pleasant enough to handle. This week has been quite a frenzy for me, trying to finish my classes and pack for my month long adventure coming up.

Last week was really a lot of fun. I had the chance to go to "Mardi Cafe" on Tuesday. Mardi Cafe is sponsored by a student organization at UCO that was created to help French and foreign exchange students mingle. Each Tuesday, they host a social event at a different bar in Angers with themes. This past one had a theme of Latin America, and it was a great time. I invited my neighbors, and we all went as a group. I got to spend some time with my students outside of the classroom, as well as meet other foreigners. I had a mojito and a margarita - they were both delicious!

Friday night, I was invited to dinner at Gaelle's (one of my students) house, and she made a delicious pork, rice, and vegetable dinner. For dessert, I made a pumpkin pie that was nothing like what I have eaten in the U.S.; it had more of a flan consistency. We sat talking for several hours about learning languages and exchanging some cultural information - things like songs, comedians, etc. It was really nice to have a Friday evening out!

On Saturday, I went to the Saturday market and the Christmas market with my neighbor, Anziz, and his sister, Amanda, who was visiting during the weekend. I loved the Christmas market! There were chocolates to taste, products of craftsmanship to admire, and hot spiced wine to drink. There was Christmas music - surprisingly in English - playing in the streets, and all around was the enchantment of the Christmas season.

Places all around are getting ready for Christmas. There is a manger scene in the main hallway of the building where I teach at the university. We have a decorated Christmas tree in the lobby of the student residence. You hear Christmas music when walking around downtown. It's strange to think that the time has gone by so fast!

Anyway, to continue with my Saturday agenda, I went to a foie gras tasting with Catherine before having lunch at her apartment. For those of you who are unfamiliar with foie gras, it is a kind of pate that is made from the liver of a goose or a duck. It is a very expensive French delicacy that is traditionally eaten at Christmas. It was positively divine!

Afterward, I went back to Catherine's house for lunch, helped Elena buy her tickets from the airport in Paris back to Angers, chatted with Peter online, went to Mass, and had dinner. I went to bed at a reasonable hour because I had to be up early to help Catherine prepare for our Thanksgiving celebration!

Despite the fact that Peter was nice enough to send ingredients to make an "American" Thanksgiving, Catherine didn't use any of them. She told me she would save them to make a meal for Peter when he comes to visit Angers in a few weeks. This frustrated me a little bit because I was really looking forward to some stuffing and pumpkin pie, plus I was hoping that Peter would get to taste some good French cuisine while he was here. That aside, the meal was superb. My favorite dish was a cauliflower and chestnut casserole; my mouth is watering now just thinking of it!

After the amusement of Sunday came the busy hustle of Monday. This week is especially busy as I have to turn in grades and finish the minute details of my trip around Europe with Peter. I am definitely a type A person, and I want to have everything organized before I leave.

I keep alluding to a trip around Europe, but I haven't yet outlined what the trip will entail! I am leaving this Thursday, December 10th, to go to Paris. I will stay the night there and catch an early flight to Rome. There, I am meeting up with Peter and his family who have come to see Josh, Peter's brother, ordained a priest. The ordination is taking place on the 12th, and then afterward we are staying in Italy for the week! Our week-long excursion includes tours of the Vatican, a trip to Naples, and hopefully the Wednesday audience with the Pope. I am sooo excited to see the West family and to get to share this important event with them!

On the 20th, Peter and I are leaving Rome and heading to Strasbourg, France. Strasbourg, which is located in the Alsace-Lorraine region (right next to Germany!), is famous for its beautiful Christmas market. We'll be there until the 22nd, when we head down to Geneva, Switzerland for a flight that leaves early on the 23rd to go to Copenhagen.

In Copenhagen, we will meet up with my friend Siri whom I met during my studies in France in the fall of 2006. We've kept in touch over the years, and I went to visit her in Washington D.C. when she came to visit a year and a half ago. She invited Peter and me to spend Christmas with her and her family, so we get to have a Swedish Christmas this year! I'm so excited to see her again and finally meet her family. It was so kind of them to invite us.

After Sweden, we are heading to Avignon France and staying there for a few days. Right now, the plan is to leave on the 30th, but we're not sure where we are going to go next. Maybe Grenoble, France to spend the New Year with a French student who stayed at my family's house this summer. Maybe Rennes to spend the New Year with another student who stayed with my family. Or maybe we'll head back to Angers to recoup from three weeks worth of traveling!

As you can tell, I am going to be doing a lot of traveling over the next few weeks. I'm not sure when I'll get another chance to update my blog, so I will take this opportunity now to wish you a very Merry Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year. Thank you all for your prayers as Peter and I travel. Please know that you'll be in ours!

...it's that time of year!

2009-12-01T09:31:00.000-08:00

This week will be a rush of getting ready for the holidays and getting grades in. People, especially teachers, understand very well the chaos that comes with the end of the semester and the approach of a very welcomed Christmas break. Luckily, though, I stayed organized this semester, and it shouldn't be too complicated getting all of turning in everything before the end of next week.

My Thanksgivings were amazing, and the change of pace was certainly needed. On Wednesday night, I went to have dinner at the home of one of my students. Her name is Benoite, and she is interested in being the French assistant at Meredith College next year. I think she would be a great teacher! Below is a picture of her and her mother and brothers. They were all there for the dinner.

We had a fairly nontraditional Thanksgiving at her house. Her mom made two delicious quiches and a fruit salad for dessert. Below is a picture of one of the quiches. Benoite's family was so welcoming, and they've already invited me back again!

The Thanksgiving I celebrated on Thanksgiving day was absolutely splendid. Debra, a professor at the Catho who is a Meredith alumna and was a lectrice (like me!) 7 years ago, is living here in France with her family. She met and married a British man named Charles, and they have two small kids: Kaylee is 2 years old, and Jaden is 6 months. They are here initially to do mission work, but they teach English to pay the bills. They are a young and energetic family.

Debra made an EXCELLENT Thanksgiving meal. She had ingredients shipped from the U.S., courtesy of her mother, so we were able to have real stuffing! As a whole turkey is difficult to find in France, Debra bought turkey breasts, stuffed them with stuffing, and baked them. It was so delicious! She also made a white gravy for the turkey, sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, and pumpkin and pecan pies. Below is the pumpkin pie! It was just what I needed to get me through missing my family over the holiday.

I helped her set the table for the party of 20 she invited (all of which were first year students at the university - I have many of them in my classes too!), cut and empty the pumpkin, and watch the kids while she ran a few last minute errands. The atmosphere around the meal was also enjoyable. The students brought her flowers to thank her for hosting the event. In France, the relationship between professor and student is more distant than in the U.S., and I believe it was the first time they had ever been invited to a professor's house. They seemed to really enjoy it.

I still have one Thanksgiving to celebrate! That is coming up on Sunday. Catherine is hosting a Thanksgiving party for me and Trevor, the American that is staying with her. It should be great fun, and the food should be scrumptious (and authentic, thanks to Peter!). I'll be sure to let you know how that goes.

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving, and that the Christmas season brings you joy! Until next time!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-23T05:53:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone! While some of you are slowing down this week due to the wonderful holiday we call Thanksgiving, things are picking up for me in France! The end of the semester is approaching, and along with that comes getting final grades together and preparing students for national exams.

Right now, I am organizing a review session for the Cambridge Exam, an exam that non-native English speaking students can take to measure their proficiency in English. In the French tradition, I wasn't given the materials to prepare my students for the exam until a few weeks ago, and they take the exam on December 9th. So, I have had to work very quickly to become acquainted with the exam and to figure out how to best prepare them to take the exam. It's been a challenge trying to work an additional 4 hours into my schedule. Luckily, though, I was smart this week and am having my students do "show and tell," so that buys me some extra time. :)

On a personal level, I had a really good week! I have had the opportunity to get to know my neighbors better. Thedi, a Bulgarian girl living on my floor, cooked a dinner for all of us on Friday night. She made Musaka(sp?), a dish with potatoes and ground beef and pork. It was sooo delicious! Saturday night turned into another impromptu dinner with my neighbors. Originally, I was supposed to have dinner with the Belgian and Paraguayan lectrices, but since we made WAY too much food, we invited our neighbors to dine with us. Our party of 3 doubled into a party of 6! It was so much fun - each person brought his/her own thing to share with the group. And, we were truly an international group; not one nationality is repeated. We have one: Paraguayan, Gabonese, Bulgarian, Belgian, French, and American. Needless to say, the cultural diversity makes each meal interesting.

On Sunday, we decided to have an "American Day." We were going to go to McDonald's (since I have never been to a French McDonald's - they wanted to share that experience with me!) and see an English speaking movie. However, on our way to McDonald's, we had a flash storm, and we got soaking wet. We decided to go back to the residence hall, change into dry clothes, and eat leftovers there. We did still go to the cinema. We saw the film "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus" in the "version originale" - the original version (i.e. English). It was a very interesting movie - very creative and imaginative. It stretched your imagination and appealed to your senses in a very unique way. I think the film comes out in the U.S. in January - I recommend seeing it! It's also Heath Ledger's last film; he died while he was filming that movie. It was so strange to see him up on the screen.

I also spent some time with Catherine this weekend. I went to the market with her on Saturday. After the market, we went to taste a red wine that only comes out the third week of November in France. It's called Beaujolais, and a French store (La Comptesse de Barry) was having a wine tasting in efforts to sell it. In my opinion, the wine was not the best I have had, but I think the appeal comes with the fact that it only comes out once a year.

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with family, laughter, and blessings. I am thinking of you from across the ocean. Please pray for me that I remember my gifts here and not be too homesick. I am actually going to celebrate Thanksgiving three times! The first is with one of my students (who is actually interested in being the French assistant at Meredith next year!) on Wednesday and then with Debra (the Meredith alumna here) and her family on Thursday. The third I will celebrate in December with Catherine. God has certainly blessed me with wonderful people willing to share the holiday with me! I'll give you an update on all of that next week. Bonne semaine, mes amis!

...another atypical week!

2009-11-16T05:44:00.001-08:00

Another manic Monday, and time to update my blog! Last week was another atypical week in France. Classes were normal on Monday and Tuesday. Monday I went to eat at Catherine's house, and she had some visitors over from out-of-town. There was a woman named Alberte, who is Catherine's age, her two daughters, and her grandson. They were over on Sunday, but I didn't realize that they would be staying until Wednesday. I had another opportunity to eat dinner with them and to get to know them better.

They're from the north of France, from a city in Normandy. Alberte is from Angers - she grew up here - and they were coming back to visit friends. The little boy, named Noah, was the CUTEST kid. I believe he is 3 years old, and his mom is expecting another little boy in February. There is nothing that brings a smile to my face quicker than hearing a little kid talk, especially in a foreign language! I love their high-pitched voices and their expressions as they're talking. We were playing with some origami birds that Hitomi had made for him, and when I would hide them, he would constantly say "Ou ca?" (where is it?) It was incredibly adorable.

Wednesday was a holiday here in France as well. While it's called Veterans' Day in the U.S., it's called Armistice Day here. No one had work or classes. I was invited to have lunch at Jacqueline's house, and I was there from 1pm until 6pm. Catherine, Trevor, and Nellie were also invited.

It was a typical French meal. I drank a lot of different wine and liqueurs that she has collected from her travels. The most interesting one was called Suze, and it's made from a plant in Spain. To me, it tasted like green beans. She served us a salad, beef tongue as the entree, cheese, and then apple pie for dessert. It was fun to just sit, talk, and laugh with them. I thank God for this group of people every day. They have really made my stay in France so comfortable; they are "ma famille angevine" (my Angevine family).

Thursday was a relaxed day for me as I only had one class, and Friday was a free day! Catherine invited me over for dinner, and afterward, I went out to a fair with Trevor. The fair in Angers comes during the month of November, and it's located on the other side of the Maine, the river that separates the town. They have rides and games that you can pay for, much like a carnival or fair in the U.S. For those of you in Va Beach, it is a lot like the Chesapeake Jubilee.

I went with Trevor because he had to take pictures of streets for a class project, and I really wanted to go to the fair! We rode on a "horror" ride and a super scary ride called "No Limit." With the "No Limit" ride, we were strapped in, and it flung us around - up, down, around, sideways, upside-down. It went on for a solid 5 minutes I bet, which is way to long for my body to be subjected to such conditions. I got off the ride feeling very sick to my stomach with a headache. While it was a thrill to the adolescent boys who were being macho during the whole thing, I enjoyed it the first three minutes, but the last ones were torture. That was the first time in my life that I have felt ill after a ride, and it made me feel like an old lady. I'd like to go back to the fair, but I probably won't try that ride again. "No Limit" definitely showed me my limit!

Saturday morning, feeling much better after that last evening, I woke up and went to the market. Turns out that the weather in Angers is much like home; when I left my residence building, it was sunny and warm. When I got to the market twenty minutes later, it was a torrential downpour. I was soaked, and worse, I couldn't find Catherine. I searched in the rain and finally went to her apartment, hoping to find her, and she wasn't there. I waited there, and eventually she got there, all wet just like me. I helped her unload her baskets, and then we had lunch. Thank goodness for a roof in weather like that!

That evening, I met up with the Spanish lectrice, Elena. We watched the movie "The Holiday," and then went to Mass. We tried a new church this time, one that was closer to my residence hall called St. Madeleine. I really liked the parish - it's much smaller than St. Joseph's. They also offer Reconciliation before Mass, which is great! I'd like to go sometime before Christmas; it'll be interesting to have a confession in French. After Mass, we made dinner at my residence hall.

Sunday was a pretty calm day too. I did my laundry in the morning then headed to Catherine's in the afternoon. I helped her to start organizing things for our Thanksgiving celebration in two weeks. We picked out a table cloth that was big enough, and I started translating cooking directions from English to French. Peter (my boyfriend) sent us some things to make stuffing, pumpkin pie, and cranberry sauce for the feast, and it was my job to translate the directions, measurements, and temperatures. I left Catherine's after dinner.

Today has been an ordinary Monday. It's actually making me a bit homesick as we are talking about American holidays and I'm going into detail about how we celebrate Thanksgiving. I know it's going to be difficult to be away from my family and friends during that time. Thank you all for your prayers because I really need them!

Also, my prayers are with you all who had to endure the nor'easter that came through last week. I know my family was without power for some time, and I hope those of you who were effected by the weather are resuming your lives without much difficulty.

Hope you all have a great week, et a la prochaine!

My One Month Anniversary

2009-11-09T06:10:00.001-08:00

Hello to everyone!

Sorry it took me so long to update my post. Coming back from a week of vacation was busier than I anticipated. November 5th marked my one month anniversary of arriving in France - and what a trip it's been so far! Here are my latest updates:

Celebrating Hitomi's 21st birthday proved to be very enjoyable. Catherine invited some people over that I hadn't seen since my first trip to Angers. Among those visitors were Bob and Josette, a married couple who I met my first time in Angers. Bob is from Marseille, a large port city on the Mediterranean Sea in the south of France, and it is always so entertaining to listen to him speak. He has a very different accent from the people here. The French have a saying about the southern accent - you can see the sun in their speech. I love it! I wonder if Americans would agree with that phrase in regards to the American southern accent...

The past week was much like any other week. I taught my English classes and continued taking my French Business class. One interesting thing that happened this past week was that my third year students (the equivalent to undergrad seniors in the American school systems) invited me out with them on Thursday night. In France, Thursday night is the big night to go out as most students leave to go home for the weekend; Thursday night is the last night of the week to hang out with their college friends. So, my students were planning on going out at 8:30, and they invited me to come.

I, being absentminded as I am, had already eaten dinner (some pizza) before we went out. I thought that 8:30 was too late to go get dinner and that we were merely going out for drinks. Turns out they intended to eat dinner at a pizzeria, called La Strada, that is pretty well known in Angers. So, I had pizza twice that night! It was really fun to get to know my students outside of the classroom; I'm hoping also that it will translate to an easier flow of conversation in class.

Afterward, I went with some of them to a local bar called Kalypso. It was such a different experience going to a bar here versus going to a bar in the U.S. In France, people really use a bar to socialize. I met some very nice people that just wanted to talk and meet other people their age. It's not the same in the U.S. in my opinion. I feel like people in the U.S. who are looking to talk to other people in bars do not always have the best of intentions. I tend to put my "guard" on, but I didn't have to do that on Thursday. It was really fun!

Going out that night did affect me the next day though. I woke up with a sore throat and went to a pharmacy on Blvd. Foche (a main street here in Angers). Luckily, I know the owner through Catherine, and she was able to help me get exactly what I needed. She gave me a cough suppressant that I think is a lot like Nyquil in the U.S. because it knocks me out at night. It also makes me have some REALLY strange dreams. However, it does serve its purpose since I'm not waking up coughing in the middle of the night.

Saturday I went to the market and bought some honey, some sausages (I can't remember the specific name right now - I'll get back to you on that), and some broccoli. I also tasted a delectable wine from the region. The name is also fleeting me, but I intend to go back next weekend and buy a couple of bottles; I'll try to remember to give you an update on that as well. I did some window shopping in the afternoon. I love being downtown when the glow from the store windows start to light the streets. It feels so much like the Christmas season - which is probably exactly what the stores want you to feel so you'll start buying stuff! They've already begun putting up Christmas decorations at certain stores. I ended the evening with going to Mass at St. Joseph's Church. One gentleman asked me to be a lector and read one of the readings. I kind of wish that I had stepped up to the challenge, but I responded quickly with "I'm a foreigner! I may not know some of the words." Oh well, maybe next time. :)

I didn't do anything special on Sunday. I went to Catherine's apartment again; she hosted another lunch party for people that were visiting her from out of town. I helped her set the table and prepare and serve some of the dishes. Helping her host parties makes me so eager to have a place of my own and be able to host parties like she does. They really pay so much attention to the presentation of the table and the food; it's really an art. I'll put some pictures up on my picture website soon.

Now the week has begun; my crazy Monday is almost over. I have one class left for the day. Wednesday is Armistice Day and a national holiday in France, so I have another short week! I won't be taking any of my French business courses this week, but I will have one class on Thursday. After that, I'm done with my work week! I really need to enjoy this time while I have it - I know the majority of my adult life will be spent working long days.

I hope things are well in the U.S. and that everyone is gearing up for Thanksgiving! Love and miss you all! Bisous!

Joyeux Toussaint!

2009-10-31T07:50:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! While most people in the U.S. are saying "Happy Halloween," the French are all geared for Toussaint (All Saints Day). For those of you who are unfamiliar with this traditionally Catholic holiday, it's a day to celebrate and remember all those who have left our presence and are now with God. I went with Catherine and her friend Francoise yesterday to clean and decorate the tomb of their late friend Martine. The cemetery was absolutely beautiful - the tombs were decorated with all kinds of flowers, and there were so many people there visiting the grave sites of their family members. It was such an interesting thing to see; we don't really have a holiday when we remember those who have died.

The city of Angers is decorated in flowers too for the holiday. The fences surrounding the various parks and gardens are covered in flowers. It's nice to see all that color in the dreary, cloudy fall weather we've had.

I had a week off of teaching classes this week in honor of Toussaint, so I had a nice little vacation! While I didn't travel anywhere outside of Angers, I took the time to visit with my friends here. Catherine and I went to go see a movie on Monday. It's a German film titled "The White Ribbon," and it was playing at one of the "independent" theaters - not one of the main theaters that play American films. The theater is named "Les 400 Coups" after a movie by the famous French director Francois Truffaut. It receives money from the government to show films that are produced in Europe; the intention is to support the art of European cinema. The movie itself was strange; it was about a town where crimes were happening, and nobody knew who was committing them. The ending didn't give you a resolution - it left you with two possibilities of who could have been the criminal. Overall, though, it was a quality film.

That night, I went out with the exchange students that are staying in Catherine's house (Trevor and Hitomi). We went to a little restaurant downtown since the one we initially wanted to go to was closed on Sundays and Mondays! It's funny to see the cultural differences here; you would never see a restaurant closed during the week in the U.S. (unless, of course, you're Chick-fil-a!). After dinner, we went out for a drink, and then called it a night.

The rest of my week was pretty relaxed. I am taking a French business class at the university that was still meeting this week, so I went the to the university Tuesday through Thursday. I went over to Catherine's on Tuesday night for dinner, and then Wednesday night, one of my neighbor's cooked dinner for me! His name is Anziz, and he's from Gabon, Africa. French is his native language, so he does a great job with teaching me new vocabulary - especially in the kitchen. He made a great fish-pasta dish for me and Thedi, a Bulgarian girl who also lives in the residence.

Friday, I went to lunch with one of my French business classmates. Her name is Nadia, and she's from Mexico. She lives here with her husband in Angers, and she's hoping to pass the national French business exam after this class so she can work in an office setting. For lunch, we got some Chinese take-out and went back to her apartment to eat it. I got to meet her husband, Johnathan, who works for a French communications business. They were so funny, and I really hope that I will get to see them regularly.

Today has been a little less pleasant of a day, unfortunately. I woke up with a headache (I think it's due to the weather and pressure changes), so I didn't go to the market and canceled my plans with Catherine. I've been resting and feel much better; I'll probably go to Mass tonight and then take it easy - watch a movie or something.

Tomorrow should be a big day though! Catherine is throwing a party for Hitomi's birthday; she'll be 21! She's inviting about 10 people over (which is quite a group in her little apartment!) and cooking a feast. I had intended to go help her prepare for it tonight, but she told me to stay home and rest. I'll give you more details on how that goes in the next post.

Thank you all for your emails and thoughts and prayers! I hope you all are doing well, and I miss you! A la prochaine, mes amis!

Getting into the swing of things

2009-10-23T07:04:00.000-07:00

Hello again everyone! I'm sorry it's taken me so long to post again. I was really busy this week trying to get into the swing of things.

Last weekend I spent the whole weekend with Catherine Marc. Catherine was my host mother the first time I came to Angers. She now has two students living with her, a Japanese girl named Hitomi and an American from Michigan named Trevor. They are both very nice, and they have welcomed me in to their little international family. Below is a picture of Catherine.

Saturday morning, I went to the market with Catherine. Each trip I take to the market is so exciting. I jump on the opportunity to learn new vocabulary by reading food labels on the stands and through eavesdropping on conversations. I love the sights, sounds, and smells that flood my senses, plus I always walk away with quality food for the week ahead!

After the market, Catherine cooked lunch. We had boudin blanc - a specialty of the region. It looks like a sausage, but it's made with milk, bread, and some other ingredients. It's quite tasty with some cooked apples! After lunch, I went out downtown with the her students. I took the opportunity to visit the SNCF store (the train system in France is called the SNCF, which stands for la Societe Nationale de Chemins de Fer Francais/the National Society for French Railways)to buy tickets for Christmas for Peter and myself. He's coming over to France and we're traveling around Europe - more details to come! I am so thankful that I bought the Eurorail pass for that time as each train ticket now only costs me a mere 3 euros. Definitely worth it!

After going downtown, we returned for dinner that night. I didn't get back to my room at the student residence until about 10:30.

The next morning, I went to Mass at St. Joseph, the same church I attended my first time in Angers. It is a beautiful stone church with religious statues depicting our Lord, the Blessed Virgin, and several saints. There is an organ, and the entire service echoes the majesty of God. Ironically enough, though, I feel quite at home since the priest uses a PowerPoint presentation during his homily. In the U.S., I go to Ascension Catholic Church, where they have a continual PowerPoint of images going through the Mass. The similarities are very comforting. :)

I went to Catherine's again after Mass. She fed me lunch, and then we left to go bottle wine in her friend's basement! I had the opportunity to bottle wine my first time in Angers, so I was an old hat at it on Sunday. Here's a picture of me corking a bottle!

It's really interesting how they do it. Nellie, the woman who hosted us in her basement, buys wine in big plastic barrels and then bottles them herself at home. She puts the wine in bottles that she has saved throughout the year and corks it with her own corking machine (which I am using in the picture above!). The corks have to soak in water to fit in the bottle easily, and the labels are dipped in milk and dry on the bottle. The milk allows the label to stay on the bottle, but it's much easier to get off than glue. It only costs Nellie about 1.35 euros per bottle - a very good price for wine from Bourgogne!

After we finished, we ate dinner at Catherine's appartment, and then I went back to my room. I needed to get a good night's sleep to start off the new week!

This past week was my second full week at the Catho (the Catho is short for L'Universite Catholique de l'Ouest - where I am teaching this year). Overall, the classes are great. I was a little worried about one rather large class of 28 students who kept whispering in French, but I think I got a handle on it; this week I heard them whispering in English instead!

Today is Friday, and I have the day off. That's one really nice thing about this job; I only have classes Monday through Thursday. It is a beautiful day outside, and I took advantage of it this morning! I walked about 20 minutes to a larger grocery store to buy some things that I can't get at the market. I also stopped by the post office to send some documents needed to obtain the second half of my long-stay visa. I also went downtown to walk around and look at the shops with Christmas gifts in mind. Now, I know you might be thinking that it's a little early to do Christmas shopping, but I want to make sure I can get the gifts to my family in the mail before the Christmas rush!

One thing that really surprises me on Friday is how tired I am. I was talking to my mom about this earlier, trying to figure out why I feel so exhausted and, even though it's a nice evening, why I'd rather just sit around in my room. I think that teaching 14 hours of classes in four days has something to do with it, but I also think that having to constantly think and speak in a foreign language - no matter how comfortable you may be with it - is tiring.

I do have some loose plans for the weekend. I am going to the market with Catherine in the morning and then staying over for lunch. I am meeting up with Elena, the Spanish lectrice, to get some travel information and do some more window shopping downtown. Tomorrow evening, we are going to Mass at the St. Maurice, the cathedral of Angers. They are supposed to have an impressive organ player. Afterwards, she is coming over and we're making dinner together. Sunday, I will probably go to Catherine's for lunch, and then who knows what!

Please pray for me this upcoming week. Next week is the Toussaint (All Saints' Day) break, and it is quite lonely already around the residence hall. A lot of people went home or are traveling during the week. Due to my lack of money, I was not able to travel to Italy to visit my college roommate, Bekah, as I originally planned, so I am going to try to keep things exciting in Angers this week. Please pray that I continue to focus on the blessings I have here and not get caught up on the fact that I am away from my family and friends. I will keep you all up-to-date on the happenings of this upcoming week! Don't forget to visit my photo website for my latest pictures!

Gros, gros bisous!!

Pictures are up!

2009-10-13T13:29:00.000-07:00

Hello again! If you'd like to see my pictures, bookmark this website:

http://community.webshots.com/user/drakecas

You'll see pictures posted from my first trip to Angers and my new albums here. Happy browsing!

My (second) first impressions

2009-10-13T02:59:00.000-07:00

I've had my first weekend in Angers! It started very nicely. Friday night, I went to my former host-mother's (Catherine's) apartment and had dinner. I got to meet the students that are staying with her now and see her and her good friend Jacotte again. When I walked into the apartment, it was like I was entering my second home. I have some wonderful memories from my first visit to Angers there, and it was really comforting to enter a familiar atmosphere. Of course, the dinner was delectable, and we did some catching up. It was such a lovely evening.

I started the weekend in a very French way - I went shopping at the Saturday market! You can get fresh produce, meats, breads, etc on Saturday morning. My intention was to help Catherine carry her groceries, but it turned out that she helped me pick out mine! I bought some zucchini, potatoes, apples, pears, eggs, and an onion. The vendors are so nice, and it challenges me linguistically because I hear so many different French accents at the market. I'm looking forward to going back next weekend.

Sunday I went on a trip with other students who live in the same student residence that I do to Brittany. An Italian student reserved a private bus to travel to Mont St. Michel and St. Malo - two cities in the Brittany region. We were able to fill it up with about 50 students, so the cost only came to be about 16 euros a piece. It was a very cost effective way of traveling! I had had the opportunity to travel to the two cities my last trip in France, and I found them to be just as charming the second time as I did the first time.

I really appreciated the trip because it allowed me to meet other students living in my residence. I'm surprised at how many international students are living in my building - we have Italians, Americans, Spaniards, Germans, Bulgarians, Belgians, and the list continues! The students I met are very friendly, and it's nice to have the faces in the building be familiar now!

The weekend came to an end quickly, and my classes started on Monday. I had 5 hours of classes, seeing 5 different groups each for one hour. I was so tired by the end of the day; I realized that I have to work up my teaching endurance again! The classes overall went well. There was one class of 27 students that was a little overwhelming; this group of students are in their first year here at the IPLV, so their language skills in English are not as strong. With a group so big, it was hard to give them the individual attention that they needed, which resulted in lots of whispering in French among the students. I've talked to the supervisor, and we've come up with a solution of how to decrease the class size - we're splitting the group in half and I'm meeting each group every other week. I think the conversations will be more fruitful that way.

It's funny to see the differences between the American school administration and the French administration. I am so used to having everything organized in advance. The schedule for universities in the U.S. seem to be set by the time students arrive. Here, they are still working on a schedule even after several weeks of the students being here. Sometimes it frustrates me, but then I remind myself that I am in a different country and that it's an experience for me work under a different kind of system. It's definitely teaching me flexibility and patience.

I also have the pleasure of taking a French class here through the CIDEF (the French language program for foreigners here at the Catho where I studied before). I am taking business French, a class that I have wanted to take since my first trip to Angers. I am learning a lot about the formalities and the basic functioning of French business. I think this new information will be very helpful for my future students.

Tomorrow, I get to have lunch with a Meredith alumna named Debra. She was one of the first lectrices here in Angers from Meredith. She met a British man during her stay here, whom she married, and now teaches English at the IPLV. I'm looking forward to chatting about the lectrice position, how it's changed over the years, and reminiscing about Meredith. I'll be sure to give you an update on that later this week.

Hope all is well with you in the U.S.! A bientot.

I've arrived!

2009-10-06T14:19:00.000-07:00

Bonjour to everyone from Angers! I am finally here after an eventful 24 hours of travelling. My mom, dad, Julia (youngest sister), and Peter (boyfriend) all came to the airport to see me off. As expected, I cried at hugging and kissing everyone goodbye. This trip to Angers will be the longest period of time that I have gone without seeing my parents. It gives me a whole new respect for students from foreign countries who come and study in the United States; they have so much courage to leave their homeland and family for four years.

My original itinerary was to fly from Norfolk to Washington D.C., then to Charles de Gaulle, Paris. However, as my luck would have it, the plane to Norfolk was delayed for two hours, making me miss my connecting flight to Paris. Fortunately, the gentleman working at the desk was able to get me on a flight to Frankfurt from Washington, and then I would take a flight to Paris from Germany. While it sounds more complicated, it worked out for the best because the flight to Frankfurt fell over my normal sleeping hours, and I was able to get about 6 hours of sleep on the plane.

When I arrived in Paris, I was pleased to see that both of my bags made it over safely despite my change of itinerary. I muscled my way to the train station where I found that the train leaving directly from the airport would put me in Angers after 9pm, which I thought was too late. I decided to take the bus from the airport to Montparnasse, a train station in the southern end of Paris. However, due to an accident and afternoon traffic, the bus got me to Montparnasse about 30 minutes after my train departed. Fortunately, for only 13 euros more, I was able to get the next train out and arrived in Angers at 8:22pm. I met a nice gentleman on the bus who helped me with my luggage. It’s so comforting to see that people are willing to lend a hand to a perfect stranger; that’s why I jumped on the opportunity to return to Angers.

One of the professors of English at the IPLV (where I will be working in the university) named Brigitte LeBillon picked me up from the train station. She was so kind with her warm smile and open arms, and she had thought to buy me breakfast for the next morning! When she discovered that I had not yet eaten dinner, she took me to a little supermarket where I bought Taboule and yogurt for dinner. It was the perfect end to a long day of travelling.

She dropped me off at the student residence where I am staying during my time here. I am on the 5th floor, and seeing as there is no elevator in the building, going up the stairs with my suitcases was an adventure in and of itself. I eventually made it up, and was very pleased with my room. It is small, but very space efficient. I have a desk, bed, two bookshelfs, a closet, and some cabinets. The bathroom is so small. The toilet, sink, and shower all on connected; only a shower curtain devides the sink and toilet from the shower. It’s interesting to see where cultural priorities lay in the construction of buildings. I’m not complaining though. It’s the perfect size for me, and at only 5 minutes from the university, I couldn’t have asked for a better situation.

Today was my first day at the university. I finally met Mr. Atkinson, the gentleman with whom I was corresponding before my arrival. Much to my surprise, I found him to be a very cordial man! He had lunch with me in the self-serve dining facility for faculty – which is where I will be having my lunches during the week. He then took me around to meet important people with whom I will be working. I was surprised to see how unorganized the programs seemed to be; they were working out the schedules on paper between each visit to get an idea of what my schedule would be like. I was expecting to arrive and have a set agenda ready for me. Maybe that’s typical of university classes; I guess it all depends on what the students want.

I begin my teaching tomorrow. I have two upper level classes tomorrow that are going to be graded courses. The idea of grading the students intimidates me a little bit since I will be using the French system. For those of you who are unfamiliar with it, the grades are out of 20, but instead of using percentages as we do in the U.S., a 14/20 is considered to be a good grade – a very strange concept to American students. The other classes I will either be assisting a professor or leading conversations that are not graded. Overall, I will be teaching about 12 hours a week. I am also happy to say that my weekend starts on Thursday afternoon, leaving me Friday through Sunday to travel if I so desire.

I have yet to see my French host mother from my last stay in Angers. I have called her three times but have missed her each time. I did receive an email from her friend asking if I arrived safely. I responded to that and hope to get a reply soon that will result in a rendez-vous. We shall see.

I hope you all are doing well. Thank you again for your prayers! They are certainly working. :) I intend to have a picture website up soon so that you can see some of the places that I am talking about. I’ll give you an update on that asap. A bientot, mes amis!

...and the adventure begins!

2009-09-25T07:47:00.001-07:00

Welcome to my blog! I hope that you will find this helpful in keeping up with me while I'm in France!

I will be an assistant in the English department at the Institut de Langues Vivantes (Institute of Living Languages) - which you will see me refer to as the IPLV. I'll be working with students who are studying for a Masters in English. While I'm not exactly sure what kind of classes I will be teaching, I believe that they will be mostly conversation courses and phonetics classes.

As some of you already know, I've already had a little "road bump" in my trip. I was scheduled to leave 8 October to go to France when I found out that I had misunderstood the email from my IPLV supervisor, M. Atkinson. It turns out that classes start on 5 October, putting my in Angers a week late. Luckily, through the patience of several friends, family members, and professors, I calmed down enough to call and change the date of my flight.

I am now departing for France on 4 October, arriving on the 5th. I'm not sure whether or not they will have me in class that day, taking me from the train station to the school, or whether they will let me rest and start on Tuesday. I am still waiting for response from M. Atkinson.

So, simply put, the adventure has already begun and, without a doubt, will have a few surprises in store. Please pray for me as I prepare to move onto the next stage of my life. I will certainly need it. :)