All year long, I've looked forward to several benchmark events: Christmas in Paris, moving into my new apartment, Mom coming to visit, my April vacation. Everything seemed so far in the future and suddenly, without any warning, here I am at the end of my time in France! How did that possibly happen?
I have mixed feelings about the end of my time here. On the one hand, I'm so excited to get back home to Oregon -- to see my friends and family, to feel "normal" again, and to see what is coming next in my life. There's so much to look forward to! Oh, and did I mention Starbucks? Definitely can't wait for some good coffee a la USA.
On the other hand, I still feel like there's so much for me to do here. I feel like I have business at my school that I haven't finished -- people I haven't reached out to yet. Friends I haven't met. I have travels ideas that I don't have time or money for. There's a lot that I haven't done here, but then again, I knew from the beginning that I'd only be here for seven months. And I knew they'd go quickly.
Looking back, I see that my year has been marked into two distinct sections: BA and AD -- Before Apartment and After Dorm. My time living at the school seems so far away, and I cringe thinking of when I had to go to McDonald's to get my internet access and all those microwave dinners I ate because I didn't have a refrigerator. I sure do love my apartment, and my mother can certainly vouch why.
Looking forward, I still have a month and a half. And just so I can take advantage of all the time I have left, here is a list of some of the things I'm planning to do before I leave:
- Visit Cavaques, a coastal village in northern Spain where Dali used to live
- Go to Corsica for a week
- Visit a high school friend in Switzerland
- Take the Little Yellow Train through the foothills of the Pyrenees
- Go back to the Riviera, even though I was there four years ago
- Visit Andorra
- Try Catalan food
I know it sounds ambitious, but hey...isn't that the point? Guess I'd better get started.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
A Refresher Course in Coolness
Yesterday I started teaching again at school after my looooong and wonderful break. I have a new schedule now, even though there isn't a new semester. I see a few new classes, but mostly the same faces each week. There are good things about my new schedule: no class on Friday every other week, one shorter week, and fewer obnoxious students. There are, however, bad things about my new schedule: the new class at 8 am on Tuesdays, and the 4 hour gap between classes on both Tuesdays and Thursdays. But still, all things considered, it will be good to change things up a bit halfway through my year.
I had my first new class this morning, where I went through the motions again of introducing myself, telling where I am from, and explaining that I don't know any celebrities, no matter how much they want that to be true. "I'm Sarah," I told them, "and I'm the new English assistant." And one of the boys in the back yelled out (in French), "And a good-looking assistant, too!" "What's your phone number?" I totally blushed. Reminded me of the beginning of the year, when I had a lot of embarrassing questions asked.
After seeing the same classes for the past four months, I'll admit that it is nice to have fresh students who are excited to have an American in the classroom with them. The others have gotten used to seeing me every other week, so it's nice to have a little anticipation for the day's lesson. Feels nice to be appreciated. I'm sure every teacher loves that.
I have other new classes for the rest of the week, and I'm both looking forward to and dreading the same ol' questions: "Do you know Brad Pitt?" "Califoooooornia! Yeah! Do you know San Fransisco?" and "You like McDonald's?"
Oh well. At least I'm cool again.
I had my first new class this morning, where I went through the motions again of introducing myself, telling where I am from, and explaining that I don't know any celebrities, no matter how much they want that to be true. "I'm Sarah," I told them, "and I'm the new English assistant." And one of the boys in the back yelled out (in French), "And a good-looking assistant, too!" "What's your phone number?" I totally blushed. Reminded me of the beginning of the year, when I had a lot of embarrassing questions asked.
After seeing the same classes for the past four months, I'll admit that it is nice to have fresh students who are excited to have an American in the classroom with them. The others have gotten used to seeing me every other week, so it's nice to have a little anticipation for the day's lesson. Feels nice to be appreciated. I'm sure every teacher loves that.
I have other new classes for the rest of the week, and I'm both looking forward to and dreading the same ol' questions: "Do you know Brad Pitt?" "Califoooooornia! Yeah! Do you know San Fransisco?" and "You like McDonald's?"
Oh well. At least I'm cool again.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Fun with Mom, and Other Adventures
Well, I am back to school now, after two weeks of vacation. Have I mentioned that, in the 7 months I am here, I have 2 entire months of paid vacation time? I know, I know...you're jealous. Just as you should be. :)
My mother arrived on Friday, February 6, in Barcelona. I went to pick her up, and we came directly back to Perpignan so that she could rest and see my little town. We went out to my favorite little crêpe place in town, and Mother fell in love with the ice cream concoctions they had there! It's ice cream like you've never imagined it before. She took pictures.
It wasn't until Sunday evening that I told Mom about the Big Surprise that I had been keeping from her since November. Maybe some of you knew about it, too, although I tried not to tell TOO many people. The news was...we were going to POLAND!! Since Mom's father's side is Polish, she has always dreamed of visiting the land of her ancestors. So I planned a trip to Krakow for three days while she was here. She couldn't stop crying when I told her, and I wasn't sure if she was happy or just plain mad at me!
Two days later, we were heading down to Barcelona (our train sat in a tunnel for about a half an hour undergoing some minor mechanical work), and the next day we were in the air en route to Krakow. The city was glorious. It was snowing, of course, and colder than all get-out, but it felt like being in a snowglobe. It was the most perfect snow I've ever seen!
On the 12th, we went to the Auschwitz and Birkenau concentration camps. That alone was a memorable experience, to see all the horrors that I had read about right in front of me. We had an excellent tour guide -- a Polish woman whose uncle was executed for treason at Auschwitz I. Perhaps you know that there were three Auschwitz camps: Auschwitz I (the one we call Auschwitz), Auschwitz II-Birkenau, and Auschwitz III-Monowitz. We zere able to visit camps I and II, but the Monowitz camp was almost entirely destroyed by the fleeing Nazis, so tours generally do not go there. It was a humbling and sobering experience that will haunt both of us.
The next day, we went to the Wieliczka (veal-itch-ka) Salt Mines, where we descended into a huge cavern dug over many centuries by salt miners in the area. There were big rooms and chapels and statues made entirely out of the salt rock. It was quite an amazing place -- like it's own little city!
While in Krakow, we definitely ate well. We didn't have any typical Polish food, but booooy, did we eat good food anyway! Mother was particularly impressed that they served bread with butter everywhere we went, and that they gave her a BIG soup spoon with every meal. This was definitely her type of place -- definitely her people.
On Valentine's Day, we left Krakow and headed for Paris. We settled into our hotel, grabbed a special Valentine's dinner, and the prepared for our big adventure the next day. On Sunday, we began our day by visiting Notre Dame during mass, then we waited in line to ride to the top of the Eiffel Tower (NOT recommended for people afraid of heights!!), and then descended to go to the Louvre to see the Mona Lisa (agaaaaain) and the Napoleon III apartments (agaaaaain). It was a full, fun day, topped by dinner with my friend Vicky. Then, we got on a night train headed back to Perpignan.
In Perpignan, we relaxed in my little apartment, went out for dinner, and walked around town. It sure was fun to have "down days" after our busy week flying around Europe. :)
We went back down to Barcelona the day before Mom left to see the Sagrada Familia (Mom accidentally dubbed it the "Sangria Familia") and other Gaudi architecture. What a fun city! Wish I spoke a little more Catalan, though...
Now, I am back at school, and can continue my posts about academic life. If you'd like to see pictures from any of our trips, let me know (sgallup@pacificu.edu), and I can try to make that happen!
My mother arrived on Friday, February 6, in Barcelona. I went to pick her up, and we came directly back to Perpignan so that she could rest and see my little town. We went out to my favorite little crêpe place in town, and Mother fell in love with the ice cream concoctions they had there! It's ice cream like you've never imagined it before. She took pictures.
It wasn't until Sunday evening that I told Mom about the Big Surprise that I had been keeping from her since November. Maybe some of you knew about it, too, although I tried not to tell TOO many people. The news was...we were going to POLAND!! Since Mom's father's side is Polish, she has always dreamed of visiting the land of her ancestors. So I planned a trip to Krakow for three days while she was here. She couldn't stop crying when I told her, and I wasn't sure if she was happy or just plain mad at me!
Two days later, we were heading down to Barcelona (our train sat in a tunnel for about a half an hour undergoing some minor mechanical work), and the next day we were in the air en route to Krakow. The city was glorious. It was snowing, of course, and colder than all get-out, but it felt like being in a snowglobe. It was the most perfect snow I've ever seen!
On the 12th, we went to the Auschwitz and Birkenau concentration camps. That alone was a memorable experience, to see all the horrors that I had read about right in front of me. We had an excellent tour guide -- a Polish woman whose uncle was executed for treason at Auschwitz I. Perhaps you know that there were three Auschwitz camps: Auschwitz I (the one we call Auschwitz), Auschwitz II-Birkenau, and Auschwitz III-Monowitz. We zere able to visit camps I and II, but the Monowitz camp was almost entirely destroyed by the fleeing Nazis, so tours generally do not go there. It was a humbling and sobering experience that will haunt both of us.
The next day, we went to the Wieliczka (veal-itch-ka) Salt Mines, where we descended into a huge cavern dug over many centuries by salt miners in the area. There were big rooms and chapels and statues made entirely out of the salt rock. It was quite an amazing place -- like it's own little city!
While in Krakow, we definitely ate well. We didn't have any typical Polish food, but booooy, did we eat good food anyway! Mother was particularly impressed that they served bread with butter everywhere we went, and that they gave her a BIG soup spoon with every meal. This was definitely her type of place -- definitely her people.
On Valentine's Day, we left Krakow and headed for Paris. We settled into our hotel, grabbed a special Valentine's dinner, and the prepared for our big adventure the next day. On Sunday, we began our day by visiting Notre Dame during mass, then we waited in line to ride to the top of the Eiffel Tower (NOT recommended for people afraid of heights!!), and then descended to go to the Louvre to see the Mona Lisa (agaaaaain) and the Napoleon III apartments (agaaaaain). It was a full, fun day, topped by dinner with my friend Vicky. Then, we got on a night train headed back to Perpignan.
In Perpignan, we relaxed in my little apartment, went out for dinner, and walked around town. It sure was fun to have "down days" after our busy week flying around Europe. :)
We went back down to Barcelona the day before Mom left to see the Sagrada Familia (Mom accidentally dubbed it the "Sangria Familia") and other Gaudi architecture. What a fun city! Wish I spoke a little more Catalan, though...
Now, I am back at school, and can continue my posts about academic life. If you'd like to see pictures from any of our trips, let me know (sgallup@pacificu.edu), and I can try to make that happen!
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Sarah's Tale of Two Cites
My apologies for the delay since my last blog. I left the cord to my camera (the one with the USB plug on the other end) at my friend Vicky's house in Paris after Christmas, so I haven't been able to upload pictures. Vicky was kind enough to mail the cord back to me, but the French postal service was so kind as to lose it for me (*insert much hatred here*). I'm still in denial, thinking that my package could arrive any day now. But really, it's been almost a month since she sent it to me from Paris. I should accept that it is gone forever and move on. But there are pictures waiting to be uploaded and to be shared with the world. Thus, my hatred for La Poste, as it is known, shall endure through the ages. In the meantime, I do have some fantastic stories to share (the pictures will have to come later). So here they are...
ROME:
On January 23, I got on a plane in Girona, Spain, and left to go to Rome! Some of my friends from Oregon were planning a weekend layover in Rome on their way to Tanzania, and I decided to join them. Never having been to Rome before, I was finally given a good excuse to go! It was so good to be around familiar faces again, and to feel a little less of the "Token American." We were everything that I hate about tourists: speaking loudly in English, poorly navigating the host language, bothering locals about which bus line to take to such-and-such tourist destination, stopping every five seconds to check the map... It was great. And I loved every minute of it.
On Friday, we took advantage of the lack of rain, and walked up Palantine Hill after walking around the Coliseum, breathless, saying things like, "Ooooh...Ahhh..." "Woooow", and "Can you believe all the stuff that went on there?" Our walking tour led us to what we believed to be a back entrance into another one of Rome's many hills...instead, it led us straight into the private property of someone's backyard. Oops. Finally recognizing our mistake, we apologized and quickly backed out.
We then ventured to the ancient ruins of a Byzantine-era chapel, now buried underneath a Catholic church. Our tour guide told us that they were the oldest ruins in all of Rome...although our tip might have influenced that extra tidbit.
On Saturday, we set out for our real touristy activities, despite the heavy rain. We were all poorly dressed for our sight-seeing (they, after all, had packed for African weather!). We signed up for a tour of the Coliseum, and learned all about the gladiatorial "games" there and the many people and animals that were slaughtered within the walls where we were standing.
By the time our tour of the Coliseum was over, we were all soaked and ready to go back to the hotel. We changed into dry clothes, warmed up a bit, donned our umbrellas, and began heading for Vatican City. Since we arrived there late in the day, we had to rush through in order to see everything and get our 14 euros worth (although my student card got me in for 8 euros...tee hee hee!).
Although we followed the signs for the Sistine Chapel, we were led through a maze of other rooms first. Each room was filled from floor to ceiling with piece after piece of artwork. Even the ceilings in most cases were covered in frescos! We saw everything, from original artwork of the Renaissance to modern artwork to sculptures and mosaics. It was stunning all of it, but exhausting at the same time. My mind could hardly focus! And then we got to the Sistine Chapel...and it was nothing what I expected it to be. There was art all over! And the famous work by Michelangelo was stunning. Some of the paintings were disturbing, and some were hopeful. My friend Wayne and I stood in the middle of the room, with both of our chins up in the air, staring at all the pictures. If we could have taken pictures in the room, I'm sure it would have been a funny shot.
After the Sistine Chapel, we went through St. Peter's Basilica -- a massive church filled with relics and sculptures and Latin engravings.
On Sunday morning, we visited the catacombs a long-ish bus ride on the outskirts of Rome. Here is where members of the early Christian church would hide underground during times of persecution -- where they would bury their dead in shallow graves in the wall, and where they would also worship. It was an amazing place (and, quite literally, a maze).
I left on Sunday afternoon, but the rest of the group stayed until Monday. I had a hurricane -- I mean, work -- to get back to. Well, actually, we did have a near-hurricane while I was gone (184 km/hour in my town!). What a perfect weekend to be out of town!
PARIS:
Just three days after getting back from Rome, I packed up again and went to Paris, this time for business. We had our required Fulbright mid-year meeting, and I was scheduled to speak with the other four Fulbright ETAs about teaching in priority-level schools. The other Fulbright scholars were there, too, and shared about the progress they were making on their individual projects. I'm sure it is like this every year, but everyone's projects were so varied and interesting that it was easy to get enraptured with each presentation. There was everything, from studying a museum in the Louvre to studying hip-hop music in the French banlieues to studying the color-changing powers of carbon nanotubes to studying addiction disorders. The weekend reminded me of why I love higher education so much, and how I love being challenged by colleagues.
The best part was WHERE we gave our presentations. You may have never heard of the Ecole Normale Supérieure in Paris, but you can bet that the French have. It's the most prestigious university in the country -- akin, let's say, to the graduate schools at Harvard or Princeton or Yale. A big deal, nonetheless. And I got to give my presentation there!
The bad part about Paris was that I brought a cold back with me. I haven't been too sick, but it's been the first case of the sniffles that I've had since I've been here. And that's good, considering that I was sick the whole time I lived in Poitiers. I've been drinking lots of tea and watching movies in bed, so I feel a lot better now.
And that's good, considering what is next: Mom's visit in only three days!!
ROME:
On January 23, I got on a plane in Girona, Spain, and left to go to Rome! Some of my friends from Oregon were planning a weekend layover in Rome on their way to Tanzania, and I decided to join them. Never having been to Rome before, I was finally given a good excuse to go! It was so good to be around familiar faces again, and to feel a little less of the "Token American." We were everything that I hate about tourists: speaking loudly in English, poorly navigating the host language, bothering locals about which bus line to take to such-and-such tourist destination, stopping every five seconds to check the map... It was great. And I loved every minute of it.
On Friday, we took advantage of the lack of rain, and walked up Palantine Hill after walking around the Coliseum, breathless, saying things like, "Ooooh...Ahhh..." "Woooow", and "Can you believe all the stuff that went on there?" Our walking tour led us to what we believed to be a back entrance into another one of Rome's many hills...instead, it led us straight into the private property of someone's backyard. Oops. Finally recognizing our mistake, we apologized and quickly backed out.
We then ventured to the ancient ruins of a Byzantine-era chapel, now buried underneath a Catholic church. Our tour guide told us that they were the oldest ruins in all of Rome...although our tip might have influenced that extra tidbit.
On Saturday, we set out for our real touristy activities, despite the heavy rain. We were all poorly dressed for our sight-seeing (they, after all, had packed for African weather!). We signed up for a tour of the Coliseum, and learned all about the gladiatorial "games" there and the many people and animals that were slaughtered within the walls where we were standing.
By the time our tour of the Coliseum was over, we were all soaked and ready to go back to the hotel. We changed into dry clothes, warmed up a bit, donned our umbrellas, and began heading for Vatican City. Since we arrived there late in the day, we had to rush through in order to see everything and get our 14 euros worth (although my student card got me in for 8 euros...tee hee hee!).
Although we followed the signs for the Sistine Chapel, we were led through a maze of other rooms first. Each room was filled from floor to ceiling with piece after piece of artwork. Even the ceilings in most cases were covered in frescos! We saw everything, from original artwork of the Renaissance to modern artwork to sculptures and mosaics. It was stunning all of it, but exhausting at the same time. My mind could hardly focus! And then we got to the Sistine Chapel...and it was nothing what I expected it to be. There was art all over! And the famous work by Michelangelo was stunning. Some of the paintings were disturbing, and some were hopeful. My friend Wayne and I stood in the middle of the room, with both of our chins up in the air, staring at all the pictures. If we could have taken pictures in the room, I'm sure it would have been a funny shot.
After the Sistine Chapel, we went through St. Peter's Basilica -- a massive church filled with relics and sculptures and Latin engravings.
On Sunday morning, we visited the catacombs a long-ish bus ride on the outskirts of Rome. Here is where members of the early Christian church would hide underground during times of persecution -- where they would bury their dead in shallow graves in the wall, and where they would also worship. It was an amazing place (and, quite literally, a maze).
I left on Sunday afternoon, but the rest of the group stayed until Monday. I had a hurricane -- I mean, work -- to get back to. Well, actually, we did have a near-hurricane while I was gone (184 km/hour in my town!). What a perfect weekend to be out of town!
PARIS:
Just three days after getting back from Rome, I packed up again and went to Paris, this time for business. We had our required Fulbright mid-year meeting, and I was scheduled to speak with the other four Fulbright ETAs about teaching in priority-level schools. The other Fulbright scholars were there, too, and shared about the progress they were making on their individual projects. I'm sure it is like this every year, but everyone's projects were so varied and interesting that it was easy to get enraptured with each presentation. There was everything, from studying a museum in the Louvre to studying hip-hop music in the French banlieues to studying the color-changing powers of carbon nanotubes to studying addiction disorders. The weekend reminded me of why I love higher education so much, and how I love being challenged by colleagues.
The best part was WHERE we gave our presentations. You may have never heard of the Ecole Normale Supérieure in Paris, but you can bet that the French have. It's the most prestigious university in the country -- akin, let's say, to the graduate schools at Harvard or Princeton or Yale. A big deal, nonetheless. And I got to give my presentation there!
The bad part about Paris was that I brought a cold back with me. I haven't been too sick, but it's been the first case of the sniffles that I've had since I've been here. And that's good, considering that I was sick the whole time I lived in Poitiers. I've been drinking lots of tea and watching movies in bed, so I feel a lot better now.
And that's good, considering what is next: Mom's visit in only three days!!
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Omelette, the Crowned Prince of Denmark, and Other Tales
Yesterday in class, while trying to work with a group of unruly 15-year-old boys, I gave my students a crossword puzzle that I had created to give them something fun to do. It was an easy puzzle where all the answers were names of countries in the EU. For the clue, "it is shaped like a boot," the obvious answer is Italy. For the clue, "the concentration camp, Auschwitz-Birkenau, is located in this country," the answer was NOT Austria, as many of my students guessed. And for "Dracula's castle is located in this country," I had to tell my students that we do not spell it "Roumanie."
The best for me, though, was the student who suddenly yelled out, "Sarah, where was Omelette from?" Omelette? "Yeah, it says, 'According to Shakespeare, Omelette is the prince of this country'." Oh, Hamlet! I couldn't help myself, and I started to giggle a little bit, realizing a moment too late that this boy hadn't intentionally mispronounced Hamlet's name. I caught myself and said, "Ahem. I'll give you a hint: it's in northern Europe." Someone yelled out Denmark in French, and we translated it together.
The Omelette story has reminded me of all the funny things that Europeans (not just the French) have said to me during my time here. Although Americans are typically pegged as the blubbering idiots of the human race, I'll admit that some of the funniest (and most ridiculous) questions I've ever been asked has been while I was overseas. Here are just a few...read them while anticipating the sigh that comes as my response:
- What's the most popular type of car in the States? Citroen?
- Well, that [heart attacks] is normal, what with everyone eating hamburgers all the time...
- (when a package didn't arrive) Could the post office in the States be on strike?
- You know what Africa is, don't you?
Me: How many states are there in the U.S.?
Student A: 12!
Student B: 72!!
- So, you all drive big cars?
- Why don't you have a gun? I thought all Americans had one!
Me: What is the capital of the U.S.?
Student A: Hollywood!
Student B: New York!!
But my favorite of all time is this:
- You use the Euro in the States, don't you?
Sigh. Sigh. And sigh.
The best for me, though, was the student who suddenly yelled out, "Sarah, where was Omelette from?" Omelette? "Yeah, it says, 'According to Shakespeare, Omelette is the prince of this country'." Oh, Hamlet! I couldn't help myself, and I started to giggle a little bit, realizing a moment too late that this boy hadn't intentionally mispronounced Hamlet's name. I caught myself and said, "Ahem. I'll give you a hint: it's in northern Europe." Someone yelled out Denmark in French, and we translated it together.
The Omelette story has reminded me of all the funny things that Europeans (not just the French) have said to me during my time here. Although Americans are typically pegged as the blubbering idiots of the human race, I'll admit that some of the funniest (and most ridiculous) questions I've ever been asked has been while I was overseas. Here are just a few...read them while anticipating the sigh that comes as my response:
- What's the most popular type of car in the States? Citroen?
- Well, that [heart attacks] is normal, what with everyone eating hamburgers all the time...
- (when a package didn't arrive) Could the post office in the States be on strike?
- You know what Africa is, don't you?
Me: How many states are there in the U.S.?
Student A: 12!
Student B: 72!!
- So, you all drive big cars?
- Why don't you have a gun? I thought all Americans had one!
Me: What is the capital of the U.S.?
Student A: Hollywood!
Student B: New York!!
But my favorite of all time is this:
- You use the Euro in the States, don't you?
Sigh. Sigh. And sigh.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
You know you've been abroad too long when...
- You start referring to the French as "us" and Americans as "they"
- You have to translate dollars into Euros
- You allow extra time at the grocery store or bank because you know there will be a wait
- The bus is five minutes late, and you think, "oh, they must be on strike"
- You realize that you can indeed live without a car
- You hear complaints that it might be 15 degrees on Inauguration Day, and you think, "that's practically summer!"...until you realize it's NOT 15 degrees Celcius
- People stop asking where you are from in England
- You have more frequent member cards in Europe than in the States
- You check Le Monde before you check the New York Times
- You realize that you cannot go without eating 3- or 4-course meals
- You cry at the thought of the sad cheese aisle in American grocery markets
- You refuse to call yourself "American," but rather Etats-unisien(ne) (from the US)
- You forget that you're abroad, and are just having fun living your life!
- You have to translate dollars into Euros
- You allow extra time at the grocery store or bank because you know there will be a wait
- The bus is five minutes late, and you think, "oh, they must be on strike"
- You realize that you can indeed live without a car
- You hear complaints that it might be 15 degrees on Inauguration Day, and you think, "that's practically summer!"...until you realize it's NOT 15 degrees Celcius
- People stop asking where you are from in England
- You have more frequent member cards in Europe than in the States
- You check Le Monde before you check the New York Times
- You realize that you cannot go without eating 3- or 4-course meals
- You cry at the thought of the sad cheese aisle in American grocery markets
- You refuse to call yourself "American," but rather Etats-unisien(ne) (from the US)
- You forget that you're abroad, and are just having fun living your life!
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Christmas in Paris!
Honestly, I never thought I would be able to say that I spent Christmas in Paris, but now I can. If I couldn't go home to be with my family (because of high airplane prices and the closure of the PDX airport), then at least this was the next best thing.
The weekend before Christmas, I was in Perpignan, and stayed back to go on a hike in the Pyrenees with Graham, an English teacher from my school (who now I know is reading my blog, so "Hi, Graham!"), and DouDou, a philosophy teacher from another school in town. The weather was nice the day we went, but windy. We had to stop our first hike because the wind was too violent to continue, and we had really only begun.
We drove quite a ways to the hilltop village of Montferrar, near the Spanish border. We had a view of the Mediterranean from the village and ate lunch there. It was splendid. Then we started hiking further up the mountain, which was difficult for me because of my brand new, unbroken-in shoes that I was wearing. Ouch and ouch! But alas, I made it back down alive, with only some damage to my ankles, but that view...was fantastic!
On the 23rd, I went up to Paris to spend Christmas with my friend Vicky and her boyfriend, Mike. On Christmas Eve, we all went to the Jules Verne restaurant on the Eiffel Tower for lunch/dinner. I had booked reservations over a month in advance, and it was a good thing, as we were the last table to be seated. Amazingly, we had a table for three right by the window, with a superb view of the Arc de Triomphe and the 16e arrondissement, which included the Ecole Militaire (you'd probably recognize it if you saw it). And yes, I took lots of pictures and videos!!
Our meal was incredible, to say the least. We were all enamored by every new plate and couldn't stop saying, "wow...oh yum, wow..." I was careful to take pictures of everything we ate, too! The waiters even helped Vicky and me push in our chairs. What service!
The bill is another story. Let's just say I took a picture of that, too. Hopefully, I'll never pay so much for another meal for the rest of my life!! But, when comparing it to the price of a plane ticket back to Oregon (that I probably wouldn't have been able to make because of the snow there), it was much, much less.
For Christmas, we had a good, relaxing day. We slept in, opened presents, watched movies, and Vicky's Chilean roommate Victoria made us an excellent Christmas dinner. We had two of Victoria's friends come over, both Chilean, and it was a wonderful, multilingual Christmas dinner. Victoria and her friend Patti only spoke French and Spanish, whereas Patti's cousin Andés only spoke English and Spanish. So we went back and forth between languages, and it was so much fun.
After Paris, I went down to Poitiers to visit my host family. It was so good to see them, and felt so strange to be back in the town where I lived after four years. Some things had changed (a new theater was built, a building in the center of town had burned down), but most had not. The saddest for me was that my beloved Greek restaurant, where my friends and I dined each Thursday at noon, was gone. I was looking forward to a good chicken pita, but no.
I stayed in Poitiers for two days, and then came back to Perpignan. It had snowed in Perpignan while I was gone, and had already melted. By the time I got back home, it had started snowing in Paris. So no snow for me this year. And I'm pretty glad about that.
On the other hand, however, Perpignan is supposedly having its coldest winter weather spell this week since WWII. At least, that's what one of the teachers told me. It's perfectly beautiful outside -- the sun is shining, there isn't a cloud in sight, but the air is frigid. Realistically, it's probably freezing (can't be much colder), but everyone is panicking by this "winter weather." What a perfect time, then, for the heating to go out in my new apartment. Let's just say that last night was extreeeeeemely cold and unpleasant. Should be fixed today.
Now, I am back to school, back to the grind, with a new year ahead of me. I have a lot to look forward to: my mother's visit in less than a month!, my tentative trip to Ireland for St. Patrick's Day, and my planned trip to the Greek Isles in April. I am certainly looking forward to all this year will bring.
The weekend before Christmas, I was in Perpignan, and stayed back to go on a hike in the Pyrenees with Graham, an English teacher from my school (who now I know is reading my blog, so "Hi, Graham!"), and DouDou, a philosophy teacher from another school in town. The weather was nice the day we went, but windy. We had to stop our first hike because the wind was too violent to continue, and we had really only begun.
We drove quite a ways to the hilltop village of Montferrar, near the Spanish border. We had a view of the Mediterranean from the village and ate lunch there. It was splendid. Then we started hiking further up the mountain, which was difficult for me because of my brand new, unbroken-in shoes that I was wearing. Ouch and ouch! But alas, I made it back down alive, with only some damage to my ankles, but that view...was fantastic!
On the 23rd, I went up to Paris to spend Christmas with my friend Vicky and her boyfriend, Mike. On Christmas Eve, we all went to the Jules Verne restaurant on the Eiffel Tower for lunch/dinner. I had booked reservations over a month in advance, and it was a good thing, as we were the last table to be seated. Amazingly, we had a table for three right by the window, with a superb view of the Arc de Triomphe and the 16e arrondissement, which included the Ecole Militaire (you'd probably recognize it if you saw it). And yes, I took lots of pictures and videos!!
Our meal was incredible, to say the least. We were all enamored by every new plate and couldn't stop saying, "wow...oh yum, wow..." I was careful to take pictures of everything we ate, too! The waiters even helped Vicky and me push in our chairs. What service!
The bill is another story. Let's just say I took a picture of that, too. Hopefully, I'll never pay so much for another meal for the rest of my life!! But, when comparing it to the price of a plane ticket back to Oregon (that I probably wouldn't have been able to make because of the snow there), it was much, much less.
For Christmas, we had a good, relaxing day. We slept in, opened presents, watched movies, and Vicky's Chilean roommate Victoria made us an excellent Christmas dinner. We had two of Victoria's friends come over, both Chilean, and it was a wonderful, multilingual Christmas dinner. Victoria and her friend Patti only spoke French and Spanish, whereas Patti's cousin Andés only spoke English and Spanish. So we went back and forth between languages, and it was so much fun.
After Paris, I went down to Poitiers to visit my host family. It was so good to see them, and felt so strange to be back in the town where I lived after four years. Some things had changed (a new theater was built, a building in the center of town had burned down), but most had not. The saddest for me was that my beloved Greek restaurant, where my friends and I dined each Thursday at noon, was gone. I was looking forward to a good chicken pita, but no.
I stayed in Poitiers for two days, and then came back to Perpignan. It had snowed in Perpignan while I was gone, and had already melted. By the time I got back home, it had started snowing in Paris. So no snow for me this year. And I'm pretty glad about that.
On the other hand, however, Perpignan is supposedly having its coldest winter weather spell this week since WWII. At least, that's what one of the teachers told me. It's perfectly beautiful outside -- the sun is shining, there isn't a cloud in sight, but the air is frigid. Realistically, it's probably freezing (can't be much colder), but everyone is panicking by this "winter weather." What a perfect time, then, for the heating to go out in my new apartment. Let's just say that last night was extreeeeeemely cold and unpleasant. Should be fixed today.
Now, I am back to school, back to the grind, with a new year ahead of me. I have a lot to look forward to: my mother's visit in less than a month!, my tentative trip to Ireland for St. Patrick's Day, and my planned trip to the Greek Isles in April. I am certainly looking forward to all this year will bring.
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