Toussaint

Things have been settling in here, with the bank, at school, setting up private lessons, validating my visa, etc. I am by no means finished in terms of the slue of paperwork that, depite having already lived here a year, inevitably await, but I am very comfortable in my room at Gisèle's (see photos of new editions i.e. bathroom) and at work.

Since I didn't know I was coming back, I closed my bank account last year. I am still working with the very nice woman who opened my account last year, however, in typical fashion, immediately after opening my account, she left for two weeks vacation. Once you open an account you don't have access to the money until you receive your ATM/debit card, which takes about a week.

My little "foyer"

Having only the cash that I came over with (that I ran out of days ago), I was naturally counting the days until that card came. She had said the card would arrive either Thursday or Friday so on Thursday between classes I stopped into the bank and spoke with the secretary. I explained what I was there for, and she begrudgingly obliged to check to see if it had in fact arrived, though seemed skeptical that it would be there so "soon." I waited patiently and she came back with raised eyebrows, as if she were personally offended at my efficiency and lack of waiting. When I explained that I did not yet receive the pin number in the mail she quickly corrected me saying that was "normal" as she herself had only received the card this morning. Best not to get uppity and try to speed things along, the longer you wait the more respect your earn in these parts.

View from inside the bathroom, looking out

Anyway! In other more exciting news, Gisèle left today for Stamford, CT where she will be spending Toussaint vacation with my family! We bought the tickets together last February, and it was strange and exciting to see her pull out of the driveway, knowing she would be sleeping in my house and eating with my parents later that night. I'm very happy for her and she is incredibly excited for her trip (as are my parents).

The reason I came to France

Last night we had an exceptional dinner for the birthday of her companion's daughter, Eugenie. We started with cold shrimp, followed by fabulous oysters served simply with a lemon. Next we had torteaux (a kind of large crab?) which I picked up at the market earlier that day. Gisèle had warned me they would be alive, but I, nor the cashier, nor the people next to me on the metro, were quite prepared for just how alive they were. They almost completely destroyed the plastic bags they were in! We ate the warm meat with a homemade mayonnaise that I prepared - my very first! Next, we had mussels in a simple white wine, shallot, cream sauce. Finished with a  cheese platter and praline mousses that Eugenie, a fabulous cook, made.

My first "mayonnaise maison"

Tomorrow I'm off to Cassagnabère for a week on the farm. On the agenda: continuing the normal harvest of carrots, squash, potatoes, etc, and also making the jus de pomme, or apple juice, that they bottle and sell at the Saturday market. I'm very excited.

Our torteaux, pre-cuissance. 

Tomorrow France faces New Zealand in the rugby World Cup final. All my students warned me that I MUST watch the match that starts at 10am, so Allez la France!

A bientôt!

Neat concert I happened upon last night in my neighborhood, St Cyprien

Linz

High School Blues

I arrived last Wednesday (only a week ago today, wow!), started classes on Monday and am already looking forward to the first vacation. Good thing is starts this Friday. Ten days for Toussaint, yes you can hate me. I will be going farming with the couple who I stayed with last spring!

The standard complaining of huffed "J'en peux plus!" (I just can't do it anymore! or "Ohh la la c'est dur la vie!" (Ugh, life's so hard!) already commenced. While I only started this week, I have to remind myself that my colleagues have a full six weeks of teaching under their belts. :) It's going to be a long year. 

But really, it was wonderful to see my old colleagues, all of who I kept in touch with over the summer. I spent a very French Sunday before "ma rentrée" with Maryse and her husband: we went cycling in the countryside, had a picnic lunch, then stopped at a café for an ice cream on the way home. There have also been some major changes to the department - two teachers retired, and three changed schools. Among the new additions we have two new young teachers who, par for the course, are uber thin, incredibly well-dressed with chic European haircuts. Last night over a bon voyage dinner for the retirees I found out that one moonlights as a DJ and the other recently married her French beau in Vegas while there for a convention. I think we're going to get along great. 

What else? French teenagers are still French teenagers and the 16 year old girls still make me retroactively cringe when I see them traipsing through the halls in heeled ankle boots, blazers, miniskirts as I imagine what I looked like at that age in Nike sneakers and some Abercrombie tee-shirt. Cultural differences. 

À bientôt! 

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On commence...

Mesdames, monsieurs, merci d'être venus! I'm back, in France that is, and back to blogging away my adventures of food, traveling, and co-habitating with the French.

Speaking of habitation, I'm living at the same address as last year with the same woman, Gisele, who funnily enough, is coming the States to visit New York in about a week and will be staying with my parents for ten days. I have a new roommate Ofelia from Mexico City, and my old roomie Gabby is just across the street in an apartment she shares with her boyfriend. C'est pas beau la vie?

My projects this year include more of a focus towards a career in the realm of urban agriculture and the local and organic food movement if when I return home next year, this means, (hopefully) more WWOOFing, cooking (read: photos of food), and apprenticeships with bakers, cheese makers, and the likes. Very exciting stuff.

I have the same job as an English teaching assistant at the SAME high school as last year, Lycée Bellevue. Last year I had applied to renew my contract, but as it is more uncommon than not to be accepted for a second year, and even more rare to be placed in the same school, I did not have high hopes. Apparently, a British guy decided in September he didn't want to job so my colleagues rallied to try to have me replace him. It worked needless to say and I'm back and very happy to be.

I'm so thrilled to be back in my charming European life, and only slightly miss the creature comforts of life in America like a car to take to the grocery store when it's pouring rain like it is today, amped-up Axe and Old Spice commercials that guarantee teenage boys smell like they showered at least in the past week, and refrigerated milk. However, always the optimist, I have so far shopped exclusively at my beloved outdoor markets (where the brothers who sold me produce last year recognized me and welcomed me back, toute suite!), cruised my new bike all over town, reunited with old friends, and had unparalleled wine and cheese (everyday).

That's all for now. Expect more very soon!

À bientôt.