A Mélange of small thoughts

This week I was part of the French census. I don’t know why I thought this was awesome… it was really just another official form I had to fill out for the French government (I’m honestly surprised it didn’t require a passport sized photo and a copy of every piece of identity I have). But just like when I got my bank account, it made me truly feel like I’m a part of this. It’s just one of those times where I stopped and thought “whoa. Right now my home is France”.

As good as the census made me feel, two slightly awful things happened to me this past week…

1.     I lost my wine opener
2.     I used the last of my stash of peanut butter (deemed a necessity for the 50 pounds of luggage I was permitted to bring from the good  ol’ USA )

… It’s been a bit of a slow week. 

Let’s talk a little bit about wine in France. Just to let you know how I’ve been spoiled… the other day at the supermarket I picked out what I thought was a 2euros bottle of Bordeaux. I was appalled at the check-out to learn that this bottle was nearly 5euros instead. I bought it nonetheless because explaining to the cashier that I didn’t want it was more complicated than I wanted to get into a) this has to be done in French  b) it’s a little embarrassing that I am refusing a wine because it is priced at 5euros instead of my usual dirt cheap choice. 

I have recently been informed that if I splurge on a bottle of 3 euro wine, the quality difference is exceptional and I will not suffer from any sort of headache the next day.

3euros is less than $5. For a Bordeaux. How oh how will I ever return to the United States?

PS. I found my wine opener. I had left it in a friend’s room.

Mélange Point # 3

I have been told by multiple friends to wait to read “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” series, or to see the movie, until I am no longer living alone in a foreign country. In fact I was specifically directed not to read this story until I was living with Joe and we had a dog (that would no doubt love and protect me). These people know how out of control my imagination can get, and how just reading about or watching crime scary scenarios can mess with my head. 

Example 1: last summer my family rented a vacation house on Surfside Beach, South Carolina. Out on the balcony one night, looking out over the ocean we are fairly certain that we saw some UFOs. The national UFO hotline was called (Have I mentioned how much I love love love my family?). Later that night, everyone had gone to bed except my brother and me. We were chatting on the balcony when all of a sudden we noticed some movement near the stairs that connected our house to the beach. Oh… just a cat. Or was it? My over-active imagination convinced itself that this cat was an alien disguised as a cat and sent to observe us. It just kept looking at us like it knew that we knew it was truly an extraterrestrial. I had to go inside. 

Example 2: The one time I watched Dexter while living in Cincinnati I was so terrified I could not sleep, and when my roommate was walking around and getting ready for bed I was convinced he was an intruder outside my closed bedroom door. 

You can see why my friends worry about me reading scary books alone. 

Well I met up with a French friend for lunch and a movie on Saturday. She suggested we see the movie Millennium. Not knowing anything about the film, I agreed. Guess who saw “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” under a new sneaky French title? This girl. No worries, I so far have not been overly terrified in everyday general life, but fortunately I rarely have to go anywhere alone in the dark and my room is the shape of a box with no places for scary murderers to hide. 

Now here’s a bit of typical Ohhh Steph…

My friend and I were saying goodbye at the end of our day’s adventures… She went in for the “bises”, the endearing and here-normal double kiss on the cheek way of saying hello and goodbye to friends. I misread these signals and gave her a big American hug. You can take the girl out of the Midwest but I guess you can’t take the American Midwest out of the girl. It was awkward. Sometimes daily interactions here remind me of being that oh so odd high school girl who didn’t know how to act around boys. Except here I don’t discriminate against any gender, it’s just with everyone. 

 In my defense I haven’t had a hug in about a month now. Its one thing America has got right… hugs are great. The bises give the impression that you are closer to the person, kissing their cheek like that, but really it’s just two quick air kisses… a hug is for real human contact. Do any of you remember when I came home from study abroad and couldn’t stop hanging all over anyone and everyone who would stand next to me? Oh wait I can still be like that? It’s a side effect of living here…After living alone for however many months, in a country that doesn’t hug, one gets a little anxious for human physical contact.

Speaking of America stuffs, I bought a flight home. The decision has been made, the ticket purchased… and there’s no going back. It was not an easy one to make. But that’s right people, you can stop worrying that I will somehow find a way to live here forever. Which I could, honestly. Besides the people I love (which is a HUGE thing don’t get me wrong), there isn’t much more that I miss about living in the USA.

Ok, maybe I miss the hugs… 

 But now that I have a flight I have been dreaming a little bit of what I will do when I return home… besides the whole awful looming job search… I will drive in my cute little red car with the sunroof down singing as loud as I want without worrying that a neighbor will overhear. I cannot wait to go to the Beer Engine in Cleveland with le boy and devour a real, delicious hamburger and a giant craft beer. When I do my laundry I won’t have to scatter every article of clothing on every possible surface of my room to dry for two days.  Cars, hamburgers, a dryer… all things I could technically live without here forever, but it is nice to be positive about coming back stateside. Plus I get to see you. And that is a wonderful thought.

Ok maybe not all of you. I just recently figured out how to look at my blog stats… which I am pretty sure are quite low and when it comes to blog fame, I don’t have it yet. But Hey! There are more of you than I thought! And some of you are reading not only from the US, but from France, Kuwait (thanks Glue), the UK, Spain, Brazil & Morocco (merci loveshines), Latvia, the Netherlands, and Switzerland. Dear world… You are neat.

See you in May my American friends, family, my little red Focus, and the Beer Engine.

I can’t wait to give you all a hug.

Bisous (even better if they're awkward)

Steph

Angry in Angers

My friends and I took a day trip this weekend to Angers, France. We’re slightly upset that it took 3 months for us to pick up and go, well anywhere… although it honestly took awhile to lose the tourist mentality we may have had with Nantes itself. It’s been our home for a bit of time now- we know what creperies and kebab shops we like, what boulangeries have the best pastries, which bars are for dancing, and how long the walk to the tram really takes (learned after many sprints for a leaving tram and a cold ½ hour wait for the next one). It’s comfortable here. We were ready for something new. 

 

A 16euro roundtrip train ticket and 36 minutes later, we arrive in Angers. Not knowing much, but knowing that there is a castle and a good museum, we wandered. The museum did not make us angry. It was quite beautiful, we played in the garden, took a lot of photos, and the people were happy to see visiting young foreigners. Many museums in France are free for students or anyone 25 and under. It’s wonderful encouragement for young people to truly take advantage of access to some of the best art collections in the world. 26 is le worst age to turn in France, as one of my friends here has come to realize. You no longer get reductions on transportation, the amount of housing welfare you receive decreases, and all your free museum visits are history. Tant Pis. We told the man at the admissions desk that we needed six under 25 tickets, and one regular priced ticket. He looked us all over (no doubt trying to figure out which one of us was too old) and told us he was just not going to check our identification. This man is the only nice person we met in Angers.

Time ticks on and cries of “J’ai faim!” ring amongst our group. We visit about 3 creperies where we are curtly told there is no room before just picking one and waiting it out. At one point our French friend got angry and had to step outside because the old ladies behind us were complaining that the group of foreigners would get seated before them. Well duh. We were here first. My being foreign does not make me less worthy of enjoying a crepe in your lovely country, which I happen to adore. By the way, I understand what you’re saying because I speak your language. 

 

The crepes were delicious. I realized I have never given you a photo of the grand Bretagne food I get to enjoy on a regular basis. You eat a savory “galette” first, and then a sweet “crepe” for dessert. Traditionally they are enjoyed with alcoholic cider. I know sometimes I can be untraditional, but I always follow this one in France :P

Galette with cheese, tomato, and egg

Homemade Caramel Crepe

Onward to the castle! It’s gorgeous. Which makes up for the meanie mean staff that work there. Again, the ticket purchases. There is a small sign explaining the price ranges “Free for students” “Free for anyone 25 and under holding a European Union passport, or living as a legal resident in France” “6,50 for adults”. Boom baby- I’m legal and here is my passport and immigration stamp to prove it! She grudgingly lets me through on the free pass. Again, the problem with my friend who is 26. But alas! She is a student in Germany! Here is her student card! The lady gets a terrible attitude and informs her that the free pass is only for French students of art history and tourism. Your little sign says none of that. And your unfriendly tone of voice is not appreciated. I don’t believe you. But thanks for the warm welcome. 

The castle in Angers houses the Tapestry of the Apocalypse, completed in 1382 and measuring 100 meters (328 ft) long, 4.5 meters (about 15 ft) high. We were convinced it would never end. My favorite panel involved a prostitute riding on a dragon kind of like a queen would ride on a horse. Is that part really in the apocalypse story? I don’t think I misinterpreted the sign and the French word for a prostitute (une prostituée).

 

Here is a piece of art I also really liked as it told the dark story of the prisoners that were kept in the castle at times. It’s a bit of a couchemar, but interesting nonetheless.

 After about six hours we were ready to peace out of Angry Angers. We had heard that Angers is quite “bourgeois”, and perhaps the people there are just not accustomed to young people or foreigners. The city itself is much prettier than Nantes- beautiful half-timbered houses, decorative buildings, and the castle is more impressive than our own Château des Ducs de Bretagne. But I’ll take Nantes anyday.

 

Speaking of angry, I’m also quite angry at American Republicans at the moment (shocking I know). The campaign ad accompanied by accordion music and criticizing Mitt Romney’s ability to speak French is just awful.  Here’s a link to an article about the video and the video itself “The French Connection”

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-16549624

I know that the video and the mention of speaking French was meant to link Mitt Romney with John Kerry, and further support the notion that Romney leans more on the liberal side and should not be the Republican candidate. But I'm going to focus on how annoyed I was that speaking a foreign language was portrayed as a negative trait.

I’m not sure how speaking a foreign language can be deemed a negative aspect for anyone considering public office. My own travel experiences have given me a better understanding of the world and its people… have helped me better understand, appreciate, and respect our cultural differences. There is so much out there to learn, so many people to talk to.  How can we criticize this candidate for showing an interest in the world outside of America? America has forgotten that we are completely composed of different people who originally spoke different languages. When it comes to language we dismiss foreign language learning as unimportant, even criticizing it in this case. How can we truly connect with other countries if we are so stubbornly unable to grasp that we’re not all there is?

I asked my teachers class here what they would like to talk about in our upcoming sessions; they want to learn more about what is going on in the primary elections and how our political system functions. The world follows our news. It’s frustrating sometimes to read these kinds of articles and know that foreigners are trying to grasp these details and form an opinion on our people. To be honest, it can be a little embarrassing at times. 

Here’s another good article shared amongst many of the assistants here. It discusses some of Obama’s reforms and his “attempt to turn the USA into a European-style welfare state”. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/15/opinion/sunday/kristof-why-is-europe-a-dirty-word.html?_r=1

Sorry to get all political on you. Travel and language learning have done so much for me that I can’t help but feel strongly about the topic. The internet, Skype, couchsurfing, and the growing popularity of study abroad programs have opened up the world for my generation. I’m remaining optimistic in how Americans will be stereotyped in the future. 

Maybe the person who came up with this campaign video had only met one French person, and that French person was from Angers.

Bises

Steph

La Reine est trop Sportif

I had one reader mention that she was disappointed there was no blog post to read this past Monday, so I apologize for slacking a bit…

Sorry Mom :)

We’re back to the grind here in Rezé/Bouaye/Nantes… and as much as I felt like a small child whining about school starting back up again, it was good to get back on a routine. Of course, going back was made easier when I glanced at the calendar and realized I have 5 weeks of work before my “working” weeklong trip to London and the following two week “Winter Break”.  The French  know how to keep their teachers sane… just when the kiddos really start to drive you crazy, surprise! Two week break! Oui! Unfortunately most of my European friends will be returning home again for this February break to visit their chéries, but I hope to figure out some sort of travel for that time as well.

I've had some fun lessons since being back. I'm discussing the idea of an American roadtrip, the mentality of the idea, quotes from Jack Kerouac etc. with my "seniors" here. Today we talked about the importance of music on a roadtrip and I had them choose and explain a song to add to our own class roadtrip playlist. I lent out my ipod to some kids who forgot theirs, and my collection of Justin Bieber songs was questioned... if they scrolled down to the "O"s to see the number of "Original Broadway Cast" albums I have they chose not to say anything. I am obviously an insanely cool American in their eyes.

This blog post is going to be a little bit about sportz. You all know how athletic I am, and how much I love sportz. You are probably not surprised that this past week I went out and got a little exercise, and also attended a World Cup match. 

Did I pick up running? Tennis? No. I went and played LAZERGAMES. Curious as to whether there were any differences between American Laser Tag and French LAZERGAME, I celebrated the return of my foyer friends by donning all black and attempting to shoot them with lasers. French laser tag isn’t much different than what I remember from 13 year old American birthday parties of my past doing the same thing. Really, no big differences, including the language. It was a bit strange hearing “DANGER! DANGER! The base is under attack!” in English while playing. In fact, I am almost sure I paused and was subsequently killed the first time I heard it. Another thing I found bemusing was the list of players’ names… each laser vest & gun truc kept track of the players’ stats and you had to remember your assigned name to see how you performed. I was Batman. Some other random (mostly) American names included: Terminator, Pikachu, Chuck Norris, Yoda, Legolas, Frankenstein, Shrek… odd yes? 

I’m sure you’re all at the edge of your seat waiting to know just how well I compete in laser war. Round One I ranked 14/16. Yikes. I was consoled when I realized our little group of foreigners took places 13, 14, 15, 16. I picked up my game and dominated Round Two ranking 8/16.

The weekend brought on the second sports venture… the COUPE DU MONDE BABY-FOOT. What, you may ask, is Baby-Foot? It is the French’s adorable way of saying “Foosball”. In England they call this Table Soccer, in Spain they call this Futbolín, in Germany it’s probably something with a ridiculous amount of consonants… but I think France takes the cake for best word here. I figured: “When else will I ever get to personally watch a world cup event?” “When else will I get the chance to watch a serious foosball game?” “I brought all this left over 4th of July stuff with me, when else can I wear that sparkly star crown and the mini American flag in France?” I am not one to let an opportunity like this pass me by. And thankfully, despite having about 4 hours of sleep the night before, my friends thought the same. 

I was disappointed to find that America was no longer in the running (but that didn’t stop me from chanting USA USA, waving my tiny American flag, when I walked past the team sporting their uniform USA windbreaker jackets). Sometimes I think it’s the French that don’t know how to handle my at-times-overwhelming enthusiasm, but I got some weird looks from the American Foosball team as well. Sorry for supporting you when you are in a foreign country ‘Merica, geez. 

So the game I did get to watch, the women’s finals, I cheered for La France. France vs. Germany. A professional foosball game, by the way, takes 2+ hours. That’s a lot of sport for me… but the occasional camera shot of the crowd and the desperate attempts to get on some obscure EuroSports TV Channel pulled me through. One thing I found interesting was that they played one round of the match on a French made table (wood), and the next on a German made table (plastic). The rules were surprising more extensive than I imagined… and were upheld by two, that’s right TWO referees. Deutschland took the gold which made our German friend quite happy.

All in all an oddly positive experience. It was fun to spend a Sunday afternoon cheering “Allez Bleu!” while waving around those inflatable extendable-arm noisemakers. To top it off I got this poster…a little baby-foot guy, telling you to stop messing around. You better believe this will be framed if someday Joe wants a sports-themed room in our home.

On a non-sports related note, France celebrated the Epiphany with a tradition I was quite happy to take part in, and one that I will bring with me to the United States when I return home. KING CAKE. Mmm.  It’s a puff pastry cake filled with apple compote or frangipane with a tiny porcelain figurine baked in. Whoever gets the slice with the figurine is the king or queen, gets to wear a paper crown all night, and chooses his or her king/queen. I got to be the Queen (at the school cafeteria, and yeah, I wore the crown through the cafeteria as well as into the teachers’ lounge). Being named the Queen wasn’t too big of a surprise considering I had about 5 pieces of King Cake at different points throughout the week. 

My Spanish friend calls me “The Queen” often because of a long standing joke from a time she accused all Americans of thinking they are the “Kings or Queens  of the World” because of our expectancy to find English speakers throughout the world. This Queen idea was only reinforced after Joseph proposed, adding quite a bit of sparkle to my Miss America/Queen wave. Which I do quite often.

Seriously. Look at this Pastry Saturday Find.

Are you wondering how I am doing with my Resolutions? We’ve been hanging out with some French people from the foyer lately, even meeting up with them this past weekend at the bars… so while I don’t have a language tandem (this is proving more difficult than I imagined), I feel I am still integrating a bit more already. I didn’t start reading anything in French yet, but I did go see another movie (Les Lyonnais, a French “gangster” crime film with a lot of violence and a plot I am still not sure I really understand). I also researched and found a French-American organization in Cleveland. Once I make the big move home it will be easier to pretend I still live in the land of extensive vacations, grèves, and Macarons the size of your face, but with the added bonus of my own chérie located geographically closer. 

Bises and Love from this Queen

Steph

Almost forgot, if you happen to be looking for a great read, I recommend “The Night Circus” by Erin Morgenstern. It’s a wonderfully magical book with a love story and a hint of darkness that is just perfect. 

Also, to those of you who have been lighting up my mailbox here with holiday mail and engagement congratulations... thank you. So much. 

Je vous souhaite un bon nouvel an!

Happy Happy New Year !! 

2011 was potentially one of the most action-packed wonderful years of my life. I got to go on some fun trips to visit friends to Baltimore and Charlotte. I got to live in Cincinnati for the entire summer, soaking up all the fun that is Avilla Pl, the Reds, The Haufbrauhaus, and the general joy of living in a close proximity to some best friends for the first time since college. I made the bold decision to apply for a new job and move to France for the year. Since being here I have traveled to Italy, Greece, Turkey, and Spain. And of course, my love proposed to me here in Nantes to end out the year quite sweetly. 

I tried really hard to stay up until American New Year last night… which is 6am my time. It didn’t work.

Such an action packed year… that to me, it made sense to wrap it up fairly quietly. I did just that here in Nantes, spending the night at a friend’s apartment downtown, eating a wonderful meal together and learning how to crochet until the Champagne hindered my ability to fully understand any new instructions. The beginning of my “snood” (circle scarf) demonstrates this confusion… but it’s a first project and I am embracing the odd irregularities in my current crochet style. I’m quite excited about this new hobby as I’m sure it will make fall/winter Sunday afternoons on the couch in front of some sports game with Joseph all the more enjoyable. And it will be nice to be able to hopefully make my own cozy creations for those cold cold Cleveland winters.

New Years Day involved a special treat- peanut butter cookies for breakfast (peanut butter isn't popular at all here, is located in the foreign foods aisle and costs like a million euros), coffee from a real coffee pot (heaven after 3 months of boiling your own water for instant coffee), and more crocheting. A lovely day. It's the little things.

New Years is a favorite holiday of mine, second only to the 4^th of July. I really love the feel of New Years… it’s a sparkly holiday, with a lot of champagne, good friends, and a whole lot of hope for the upcoming year. I think it’s one of the most hopeful holidays we’ve got. After a 10 second countdown we all embrace the good and the bad of the previous year and look forward to the unknown the new one will bring. We kiss the one we love, we clink glasses and toast to those around us, and in general merriment we start something new. 

My New Year’s resolution multiple years while I was in college was to learn how to wink. This I never accomplished. It’s an unfortunate genetic disability. I’ve got some more serious goals for 2012…

•   Better integrate into French culture. Yes, I live in France. Yes, I work in a French High School. But when it comes down to whom I spend the most time with here, it’s not the French. I’ve got this wonderful little group of assistant friends from 3 other countries other than my own… but I am going to try to consciously push myself even further from my comfort zone and do something that will help me meet more French people. I know I have gone to such cultural events here as Miss Nantes and the Bar Bar Music Festival, but I can do more :P Step one is getting a language tandem partner. I can sign up with an organization that will connect me with a French person who is looking to improve his/her English language skills. We’ll meet up once a week or so just to talk for awhile in English, and for awhile in French. I’m writing it on the blog so now you can hold me accountable!

• Following the improve my language skills theme... start reading in French. I always take the free newspaper when I see it, but I need to pick up some novels while I have the access to them.

•  Travel…seeing as this is probably the last time I will be in Europe for awhile, and definitely the last time I will live here (unless Joseph has a mid-life crisis someday and is overcome by a desire to learn French, which I will not discourage). I’ve started a word document “Travel Wants” on my desktop. Some are reaches, but most are doable.

• Stop drinking pop. It’s so bad for me. I was doing really well kicking the diet coke habit before I left, but I’m back to buying off-brand Jean’s Coca Light these days.

• Continue to cook. So far since moving to France my proudest cuisine accomplishment has been the mussels from the market. But I’ve also made some good soups, chili,  an excellent warm goat cheese salad, and duck, besides what I was already familiar with. I’d really like to find a class to learn how to make those delicious French macarons.

I’m not sure my 2011 can be beat, but 2012 will bring new travels to London and potentially to Eastern Europe, the big move home to America and then to Cleveland, and the search for a new job.  I am hoping for wonderful adventures, quality time with great people, and new lessons to be learned in the upcoming year.  Allez-y!

Bisous,

Steph