USA

It was a dreamy year in France.
I spent 9 months in public school with the little frenchies teaching them how to speak English.
I explored Germany, Austria, Turkey, Greece & England.
I drank good wine.
I made my first official French galfriends.
I ate good cheese.
I read a bunch of really great books.
I perfected my French.
I became a baguette snob.


It makes me smile to think about it all.


But, oh my word.
After 10 hours in a plane yesterday, 
I saw my parents at the airport.
I hugged Bojangles.
I drank a big cup of legitimate american coffee.
I slept like a baby in the room I grew up in.
& I feel like I am right where I want to be.




Everyone, this is adieu.
Thank you for tuning in.
I hope that my writing has made you smile & perhaps even inspired you to go where your heart desires.  


I did, and I am so glad.

Oh

dear.


I just woke up and my room is in absolute disarray.  I started packing yesterday.  You'd think it would be no problem as I came here with just two suitcases 10 months ago.

but it is.

how does a human accumulate so many things?

I know.

I had to have posters & candles & tons of post cards to decorate my room and make it cozy.

I bought a parka cause I was freezing in Berlin in December.

I got gifts for some people.

I had to buy plates & all that sort of stuff.

Plus, of course I got scarves in Istanbul, and leather sandals in Greece, etc., etc.

Today is just going to be getting all my stuff together and then I am heading to my French friend Mél's for my last night, half because I have to leave my place today at noon & half because I made her mixed cds and we are going to cry probably.


I am tired but it is easy to get out of bed because my comforter is already packed away with stuff that I am giving away and I am freezing.

Also, France is making it easy to leave.
It has rained the last 4 days, there is no hot water in my building, and my faucet is leaky.

Lyon & Annecy

I decided a while back that the week after I was done teaching, I would go someplace in France kind of far away that I hadn't been before.  I originally wanted to go to the Mediterranean but I chose the alps instead.

Everybody, forget Paris. Go to the Alps.

Just kidding, don't forget Paris but seriously consider the Alps as well.

Lyon, the second biggest city in France is the most high energy & livable city that I have ever been to.

There are two rivers, three really distinct downtown areas, and more markets than you could ever dream of.

I spent all four days that I was there biking from place to place with their awesome, really cheap bike rental system.  Plus, the bikes are red and they are smooth on the street.

There is a great musée des beaux arts, a clean metro, a gorgeous basilica, beautiful people,

this fabulous monument

and good restaurants where you can eat stuff like this...

Salade Lyonnaise

 Poached egg, bacon, huge croutons & vinaigrette

and you can be like me and add a glass of beaujolais

Tarte aux pralines roses 

A speciality in Lyon.  It was good.  The super chic lady next to me recommended it.

La Mère Jean, 5 Rue Des Marronniers.

Good place.

I also took a great walking tour with a lady named Annelise.  maybe 70 years old.  speaks five languages.  She showed us around the renaissance quarters of the city.  We explored the traboules, which are alleyways to maze through buildings to avoid the streets, which they used to help foot traffic starting in the 1500s. 

 Some of these traboules have pretty courtyards like this one.

After Lyon, I took a train to Annecy to spend three days.

Woah woah woah woah.

This is France's best kept secret apparently because the only way I know about it is from a cute family that comes to my mom's tearoom all the time that has a daughter named after the town.

If someone is named after a place, their parents must of had a really good time there, so I definitely wanted to check it out.

In fact, Annecy was in the running up until a week ago for the 2018 winter olympics but lost to a city in Korea.

Anyways, what a great spot. You have a gorgeous & clean lake, mountains, canals, a romantic old quarter, & a sweet hostel with a huge garden to hang out.

There is a building shaped like a boat in the middle of one of the canals in the old city that used to be a prison for many centuries.  They even used it during world war II for prisoners.

I swam a good amount in the lake.

I took another walking tour (I' m a fan) in Annecy with a guy named Pierre.  So french it hurt in his tunic with his loose curls and pointed leather shoes. 

Someone actually called me out in the hostel on how I reference tour guides a lot.  But you know what?  I'm not ashamed.  I think it's cool to know a lot of things.  

Pierre.

& the oldest trompe l'oeil in France.

It was a good time.  Definitely.

Like I said awesome hostel, look at this garden. 

Teacher Parties

At 23,

There are moments where I still feel like a teenager.

Then there are other moments where it hits me hard that I am a full on adult.

For instance, this week, I have three end of the year teacher parties.  Where everyone makes something and we talk about summer plans, how tiring the problem kids are, 

who is retiring next year, why Sarkozy is evil,  the humidity, who is a grandmother for the first time, poetry, gardens, the supermarket, etc.

!!!!!!!!

shocking.

Anyways, for one of these said parties I made a fantastic mango salsa.

one mango, two avocados, three tomatoes, some onion, some garlic, salt, & lime juice.

mmmm.

tasty american things & au revoir

It's the last week of school! Ahhhhh.
It is sad because even though my kids make a ton of noise, never stop playing with their rulers, always forget to put their little glasses on & still make fun of my accent- they're cuties.


Since I see each class twice a week- I planned a two part end of the year extravaganza.


The first class of the week, we are playing games like tic tac toe (with flashcards of course) which they ADORE, higher/lower with numbers (my oldest kids can count to 100!), and pictionary.  If they are good, I give out little stickers with english on them.  It is incredible how good a kid is when you say stickers are involved.


The second class of the week, we are doing a little United States geographical/culinary discovery.  peanut butter & maple syrup.  yes sir.
I prepared a little ditty.  First, I show a big world map with France and the US highlighted.  I tell them how it takes 8 hours in a plane from Paris to the airport closest to my house,  "WOOOOOOAAH!".  Then we remark about what there is between our two countries, "la mer!" (the sea).
Next, I show a map of the USofA.  We talk about how many states there are and the two stragglers- (Alaska & Hawaii, no offense).
Then I show little old New Jersey that I colored in my favorite gold pen and label it "chez moi" (my home).  
After that we talk about peanut butter.  I show Missouri highlighted on the map because it was there in the 1890s that there was a doctor who needed a protein substitute for his patients who had bad teeth and could no longer chew meat.  I then show Georgia and Texas highlighted because they are the two biggest peanut producers.  I then proceed to share some fun facts about PB like how January 24th is National Peanut Butter Day, how the average American child has eaten 1500 pb&j sandwiches by the time he/she graduates high school, and how every year we eat 500 million pounds as a country, enough to cover the floor of the Grand Canyon.
Next is maple syrup.  I point out Vermont, New York, and Maine on the map in highlighter (three biggest producers).  Then, fun facts of course.  Like how a tree must be at least 30 years old before being tapped for the sap,  how it takes around 40 gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup, and how instead of crepes- we do pancakes, and it's for breakfast- not dessert.

Then, I whip out my cut up baguettes that the nice bakery guy got ready for me and smear some pb on one slice and dribble some syrup on another for each kid.

I think I have heard a few "c'est dégueulasse!" (it's yucky!) 
But, overall, they are loving it.

Random Facts #8

1. I bought my ticket and I'm coming home (after a layover in Iceland- ha!) on July 19th.
2.  I am having to send numerous boxes home filled with my things.  This is what happens when you arrive with two full suitcases and buy things along the way. 
3.  This past Tuesday night, I went to Paris for la fête de la musique with Lauren and her adorable mom & sister.  We found the funkiest jazz band near Rue Mouffetard.  It was a lot of fun.  Litter everywhere though- pretty disgraceful.  There is a garbage can, I swear, every 30 feet in Paris, so I don't quite understand.  (Shout out to my environmentally friendly dad who taught me that it is disgusting to litter).  
4.  There is a teacher at school that had me over last Saturday.  She is fantastic!  She, her husband, and I (and their one year old daughter when she wasn't napping) spent 7. SEVEN. hours together.  We had a really intellectual discussion about the American and French education systems.  I think that they want to send the one year old to the US for school.  I warned them about frats & sororities.  Oh, and we drank some good 2005 wine (their favorite year for wine because there was gorgeous weather and the grapes were really sweet).
5.  I gave my older kids a test yesterday on the verbs "to be" and "to have"- some of them finished early and I told them they could do a drawing on the back of their tests until everyone finished.  Tao, one of my really smart ones, drew me, depicted with a dress, a scarf and big earrings.  So dead on.
6.  I am off to a music festival after school today in a forest outside of Paris for the weekend.  We are camping!  My ticket (60 something euros) goes to aids research, which I respect.  More on this little adventure later.  I am ill prepared to camp so it should be funny.

!! xoxo

Beauvais in Spring

I know that my town is no Paris.  I know that there are many other more magnificent parts of France.

But you know what?  I like my little town.  It's home and it's pretty, especially in Spring.  Plus, no one speaks English and I get to legitimately live my life in French- which sometimes gets a little frustrating but is usually rad.

Things I like about where I live...
1.  There is a really legit cathedral at the end of my street that has the highest gothic vault (arched ceiling) in all of the world.

2.  There are medieval looking buildings like this...

3. There are pretty gardens...

4.  that have lamp posts that look like this...

5.  There is a little restaurant that I go to sometimes with a bunch of the friendliest older ladies ever as waitresses.  I took my mom and aunt here when they were visiting and they were gems.  Plus, they have a huge area outside to sit (not to mention a killer chocolate banana tart).

6.  The fact that people's frontyards look like this...

23 years

On June 4th, 1988 at 12:03 pm my mom gave birth to a baby that weighed 7 pounds 7 ounces.  That baby was me.    To celebrate, I met my friend Lauren along with her brother in Milan, Italy.  It was a fantastic albeit rainy weekend.

I love Italy.  The people are happy there and enjoy themselves.  Plus, it's so pretty.  I chose our hotel's area because it was supposed to be nice and it was.  Little leather shops, and pastry shops and people walking their tiny dogs and everyone eating gelato, and people saying ciao 8 times when they hang up their phone.  Plus, on the bus on the way to the hotel I heard the most authentic "ciao bella" of my life and I loved it.

Milan kind of has a bad rap as being the financial center of Italy.  I had just spent one night there before this weekend about two years ago and I too wasn't impressed.  But this time, I did some research and we found some great spots.

We spent some time at the Duomo...

which has a gorgeous exterior and also apparently a brilliant tiled floor.

After that, we strolled through the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, which is a really beautiful glass covered double arcade with a lot of cafes & shops, named after the first king of united Italy.  Opened in 1867, its designer, Giuseppe Mengoni, created an incredible place filled with mosaics and murals.  I read somewhere that this place has actually come to be known as "il salotto di milano" - Milan's living room. We stopped for some chilled white wine in here (it was 80 degrees out) and got down to some serious people watching.

That night, we headed to eat in Corso Como,  a quaint pedestrian area in the northern part of the city.  Afterwards we got gelato (passionfruit & lemon for me- mmmm).  I believe we strolled through china town afterwards- slightly odd but interesting all the same.

The next day we headed out pretty early to Lake Como, even further north.  This is where George Clooney calls home and rightfully so because it is a great place.

We stared at the water for a while before it poured and then walked all through the streets of the town.  We listened to accordions and shopped a little.  Then we stopped by the cathedral to eat lunch where we had a FANTASTIC view.  We ate pizza, obviously.

On the train home, I was listening to all the buzzing Italian going on and thinking 1. wow, i understand nothing and 2. it's like music.

We relaxed at the hotel a bit and I skyped my dad and then we went out.  We got aperitivo at a fish market (best thing Italy ever did, happy hour where buying one drink = a bunch of great food).  The place was called Da Claudio and it was quite posh.  We each had a glass of prosecco with our sushi and it was delicious.

After dinner, we headed to Brera, an artsy area which surrounds one of the main art collections in Milan, Pinacoteca Brera.  Minus all of the guys trying to sell knock off handbags (WHO BUYS THOSE !?!), it was really pretty.  Lots of gorgeous boutiques and classy apartments with flowers overflowing off of the balconies.

To put the icing on the cake, Lauren gave me my first official piece of real art as a birthday gift.  A gorgeous painting of roses all the colors of the rainbow that she bought in Croatia. (love you!)

Mmm, yes. 23.  It feels different.  In a good way.

Oh, and Milan had some great street art.  I took a tour in Berlin and every since I have been super aware of it every place I go.  I really enjoy it when it is well done.

Cafeteria / La Cantine

Hello Everyone!  First of all, this entry is a little bit different because I am also writing it in French.  I will explain.  So, in the building that I live in, there is a cafeteria (sometimes referred to as a "self" meaning a self-service restaurant) that feeds all of the people who work for the city of Beauvais.   This is a common thing in France, where employees have somewhere to eat a hot, sit-down meal over the lunch hour (incredible, huh?).   I eat there every week, not everyday but fairly often.  First of all, it is downstairs so it is obviously really convenient.  Second of all, the ladies that work there are really nice and patient with me as I figure out what I am about to eat.  Third and most importantly,  the food is awesome for the price.   So, this week I ate at the cafeteria on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday and I snapped some pictures.  I think you are all going to be impressed at what this "cafeteria" serves.   Oh, and the reason for translating this into French is for the aforementioned nice cafeteria ladies who know what I am doing and want to check it out! :o)

Bonjour à tous! D’abord, cette note est un peu différente parce que je vais l’écrire aussi en français.  Je vous expliquerai.  Donc, dans mon immeuble,  il y a une cantine (parfois on dit « un self » - qui veut dire un restaurant en libre-service) pour tous les gens qui travaillent pour la ville de Beauvais.  En France, il y a souvent un endroit comme ça où les salariés peuvent manger un repas complet et s’asseoir pendant la pause déjeuner (incroyable, non ?).  J’y mange toutes les semaines, pas tous les jours mais assez souvent.  Tout d’abord, la cantine est située tout près (au rez-de-chaussée).  Deuxièmement, les dames qui travaillent au self sont super sympathiques et patientes quand je suis en train d’essayer de comprendre ce que je vais manger.  Troisièmement et la chose la plus importante, les repas sont géniaux pour leurs prix.  Donc, j’ai mangé au self lundi, mardi, et mercredi de cette semaine et j’ai pris des photos.  Je pense que vous serez impressionné par cette « cantine ».   Oh ! et la raison pour laquelle je traduis en français est parce que les dames susmentionnées de la cantine savent ce que je fais et elles veulent regarder mon blog !

Monday

herbed filet mignon of pork, spinach, potatoes au gratin & baguette

Lundi

filet mignon de porc aux aromates, épinards au beurre, gratin dauphinois & de la baguette  

Total cost/Au total: 3 euros / 4.33 dollars

Tuesday

spanish paella, apple rhubarb tarte & fresh baguette

Mardi

Paella  à l'espagnole, tarte pomme rhubarbe & de la baguette
Total cost/Au total: 3.75 euros / 5.38 dollars

Wednesday
leg of duck in a raisin sauce, spaghetti, swiss chard au gratin with fresh parsley, pont l'évêque cheese & baguette
Mercredi
cuisse de canette aux raisins, spaghettis, côtes de blettes au gratin, du fromage pont l'évêque & de la baguette

Total cost/Au total: 3.50 euros / 5.02 dollars

J'adore!

Giverny is What's Up

Yesterday,
I went to Giverny in Normandy, where Monet called home the second half of his life.
It was by far one of the most extraordinary things I have seen thus far in France.
I love Monet's art (he is maybe my 5th favorite painter) and seeing this gorgeous complex where he was inspired was something I will never forget.

A little history in my own words...
Monet was an impressionist painter (I hope that is not new information).
Impressionism was an art movement that began in the late 19th century, which was actually not well regarded at first. It was looked at as being pretty much garbage because it didn't show a grandiose scene from history or the bible but instead studied nature and the effect of sunlight creating completely different impressions of the same subject.
Well, Monet saw the village of Giverny while on a train and he decided to move there and that he did- complete with a gorgeous pink house, vast gardens & ponds with waterlilies and green bridges. This gave him endless motifs to paint and gave birth to his enormous waterlilies masterpiece now on display, in an infinity figure as he so wished in his will because nature never ends, in Paris in the Musée de l'Orangerie.

Whew.

I got the train to Paris yesterday morning and then the train to Vernon, the main town closest to Giverny. I rented a black bike at a cafe near the station and headed out with just a little paper showing me the route.

I got lost on the way of course but just for a bit until a nice man who was on vacation from China directed me back on track. It took maybe thirty minutes by bike to get there, flat and scenic.
I waited in line for a ticket and got down into the gardens and just could not believe it.

That first view of the garden under the sun was heavenly.

Monet's house was also so, so charming. The kitchen was all blue with mosaic tiles and the dining room bright & yellow with sunlight streaming in.

& actually, before I knew we weren't allowed to take pictures inside I got this one of his original studio. I seriously didn't know it wasn't allowed but honestly, how cool is this?

The master bedroom though- oh lala... two grand windows with the most incredibly beautiful views.

I can't believe he woke up to that.

So, after the house, I made my way through the rows of flowers and smelt some peonies, my favorite flower, which were in full bloom.

The gardens eventually led down some stairs and back up to where the Japanese ponds and bridges were. This was quintessential & perfect.

I ate a sandwich I packed while walking back to the beginning and just thought how marvelous it was to be there. yum, I was thinking and not just because my sandwich tasted good but because it was such a delicious thing to be able to see this dream land that I have seen immortalized onto canvas so many times in so many different cities.
happiness.

After a while of looking at poppy fields & browsing the gorgeous boutique where I bought great smelling rose incense, I unlocked my bike and headed back but this time I took the backroads through the surrounding village. Bed & breakfasts, tiny cafes, art galleries, etc.
The town was so romantic and natural. I am definitely going back there someday.

Just going to sum this up with one thought...
how awesome are flowers? I am so glad they exist.

I've been here 8 months and...

i'm homesick today. I miss my family, friends & felines.
On top of that, Cecilia (my friend from Wisconsin who I met in Paris two years ago and who I adore) is on a plane back home right now & Lauren (my adorable Georgia peach of a friend who I met this year in Beauvais) is in Croatia. Basically, I'm lacking in the girlfriends who speak English department.
I, am neither traveling in Eastern Europe nor going home because I have work until July 1st and on top of that I have to evaluate my 10 year olds' English this week- the poor things. Last week, it was my 9 year olds and one of them answered "My name is" to start every one of his responses. Me: "What is the weather like today?" Him: "My name is windy". Me: "How old are you?" Him: "My name is 9". You get the idea.

Sort of cute, sort of sad.
Hey, you can lead a horse to the h2o but you can't make him drink it.


At least I am sporting a sweet cut off shirt from high school.

Macadam Tambouille

Yesterday, Mélanie & Alex (my lovely French friends) and I went to a circus arts festival called Macadam Tambouille in a small village called Songeons. I loved this happy, outdoorsy, funky, French, let's laugh and relax, & watch entertaining people do their thing type of day. It was refreshing.

The festival was about thirty minutes away in the car, not bad and of course we talked about the latest news about Dominique Strauss-Kahn along the way (the previous head of the IMF and front runner for the 2012 French Presidential election who allegedly sexually assaulted a maid in a Times Square hotel). Yes, heavy stuff. I just keep reminding my French friends & co-workers that although I am from the United States, it was not me who put the handcuffs on him.

Here in small town France, my face = America.

Anyways, this festival was such a good time.
Set in a village with an open park lined with perfectly manicured trees and just funky stuff all over.

We got there around 4pm and we saw a hilarious portrayal of "Blanche Neige et les 7 nains" (Snow White & the 7 dwarfs, bien sûr). Then, we ate some candy and had a beer.
After that, we watched this one man comedian clown act called "Humanus Comicus". It was pretty great.

The last number that we watched was my favorite. It was an Australian lady named "Shirlee Sunflower". Her french was awful and it was absolutely a riot because she recruited "sexy men" to help her do ridiculous and actually pretty impressive stunts who understood basically nothing she was saying. I was dying laughing. She was mispronouncing stuff and being completely inappropriate and was having them repeat stuff in English and it was absurdity. Too, too funny.

Ça va

Really quick I just want to reflect on the most incredible and useful phrase in the French language.

"Ça va"

The French say this...
1. To mean "how are you?" or maybe more like "how's it going?"
2. To answer to this "how are you"- meaning something like "yeah it's going"
3. To mean "fine"- for instance, "Is your dinner good?" "ça va"
4. To respond when someone trips, etc. to make sure they are ok meaning "are you hurt?" "are you alright?"
5. To mean "does that work for you?" or "is that convenient?"
6. To mean "that will do" or "that's fine".


Honestly, I think I could get by a whole day by just saying those two words. Mind boggling.

Confession

Today, I might have hula hooped with some 8 year olds at recess.

Last Tuesday, I might have jumped rope with some 6 year olds at recess.

Le Tréport

There are three main train lines that go through Beauvais. The first goes to Paris. The second goes to a town called Creil which I was at for a little bit in April while waiting for another train. It had a nice outside market but not a whole lot else. Then, there is a train that goes to Le Tréport, a seaside town in Normandy.

I figured I would give it a go this last weekend being that basically everyone else has left Beauvais (because I got assigned a longer work contract) and also that well, yeah, Beauvais is nice and all but sometimes I've gotta bust out if you know what I'm saying.

I got up early and got a 9am train. I read about Scarlett O'Hara's absurd life on the way.
I got to the town at around 11:30.

At first glance, I knew I was going to have a good solid peaceful day in this town.

I found a cafe and had a coffee while looking at the ocean and listening to a cute old guy play the accordion. I love accordions. They're fantastic. I threw the man a 50 cent euro piece (almost 71 cents in dollars I will have you know).
After that, I strolled along the English Channel. I found some pretty back roads, a church, and some gorgeous mosaics and murals.

Then, I ate a sandwich near the lighthouse.

Later on, I paid some money to take a boat ride around the area. It was really choppy and there was a cute dog on board with us that I thought was going to jump in the whole time- but it was a good time. I took some pictures of strangers that asked me to and then I awkwardly took this picture of myself (hey, no one offered to return the favor).

After the little excursion on the water, I found some cool shops. I was chatting with one store owner who was really nice- who for some reason was telling me how her daughter lives in Versailles and is studying to be an architect. It was a little out of no where but I went with it because maybe she was lonely and had no one else to tell it to. I then bought a necklace and a pair of earrings that are GORGEOUS for just 15 euros total. not bad.

I then explored the cliffs of the area by taking a cable car up. It was really calm and pretty at the top and I hung out there for a bit. The view of the water was so beautiful. I was thinking and I came to the conclusion that I really miss the ocean. I need to swim in it a lot this summer at home I decided. I need people who also like to swim (anyone, anyone?) - I always want to stay in longer than everyone else and it kind of stinks being alone in the ocean. You know? Plus, there is no one to call over or under with when a big wave comes. hahahaha. Is it weird that I still like to do that?
ahem.
ANYWAYSsss,
At the end of the day, before catching the train- I sat down at a cozy spot and got some moules frites (that's mussels with fries for all the american folk reading this). It was delicious. I got it with a Leffe beer (belgian, one of my favorites), and minus the guy at the next table over who talked too much and ordered an ice cream sundae for his dog- it was a nice meal.

I got on the train around 5. I was in a car with two of the cutest and most affectionate couples in the world. I couldn't decide if they were charming or annoying, but I soon fell asleep and it no longer mattered.

So, it was a good day in Le Tréport. I am sort of loving all of this alone time I have these days. Let's hope that sentiment continues as I have over around two months left of it.

Oh and just a quick shout-out, my best friend, Steen, or Squirrel as I have endearingly called her since forever, turns 23 tomorrow. I LOVE YOU SQUIRREL! HAPPY BIRTHDAY! xoxox

.ciao for now bellas/ bellos.

Random Facts #7

1. I just watched a TV show about haunted houses in France (it's Friday the 13th).
2. This year, I am going to be spending my birthday in Milan, Italy.
3. Today I watched a French guy in the street attempt to sing in English and it was the most horrible, butchered thing ever.
4. Like I mentioned, I am reading "Gone with the Wind"- I like Scarlett O'Hara, she is ridiculous.
5. This Sunday I am going to take the train and spend the day at a sea-side town called Le Tréport, which lies on the English Channel. It seems charming and it is supposed to be cool but nice out.
6. Tomorrow I am going to a earth celebration day at one of my schools- where I will see some of my kids singing Michael Jackson's "Heal the World" that I taught them. & I think that shirts and hats with cans, bottles and other things that we recycle attached to them are involved.
7. I need a cat in my life.

Today

Today, I got up at 10am. I made myself some toast with some homemade jam that a French lady made for my friend Lauren, who then gave me some. I had a cup of coffee.
I got dressed in a shirt, skirt and boots.
I painted my nails.

Then, I went outside in the garden and I read my book at the moment, "Gone With the Wind", in the sunlight for an hour or so.

After that, I ate lunch at the cafeteria in my building- for 3 euros, I ate... a leg of rabbit in an herb sauce, potatos au gratin, lentilles, and fresh baguette.

I headed to school around 1:15pm and I had three classes. They were all of my "older" kids (9-10 year olds)- so we did verbs and things like that.
After school, I tutored one of the teachers' daughters in English. Her name is Margot and she is in 6th grade. She's cool and works pretty hard.

Then, I went to the boulangerie, the post office, and the supermarket.

Now, I am sitting on my bed typing this in a tye-dyed shirt and sweatpants with a green face mask on.

And that there is my day spent in Beauvais, France.

Untitled

Today during a break at school, I signed on to the internet to check out a stellar review that was written about my mom's english tea room on NJMonthly.com.

First the google page came up and it read "GOOGLE" in big letters (normal) and then underneath that in small text was "France".
I must have stared at this for 2 minutes straight. Sometimes I completely forget that I am in France and it just hits me like a ton of bricks. What do I make of this? I am speaking French constantly and in my dreams my American friends are even speaking French, yet I forget that I am in FRANCE itself. Absurd.

am I crazy?

anyways, everyone should go to said tearoom. it is the place to see and be seen. :o)
www.teaberrys.com

Stories

Well, I have now been back home in Beauvais for a week and the daily grind at school with my little Frenchies has started up again.
The couple weeks around England and France with my mom and my aunt were great. We had fun.
I was the tour guide and if I may confess, I wasn't too shabby.
That Friday night to start the vacation was wonderful because I got off the train in London and hopped the metro to the hotel to see my mom after 7 months! Eek! We hugged for a really long time and then got in our pjs and got all caught up on stories. What could be better?
Well, London was very cool.
We saw the Queen by accident.
She is the tiny blue one in the car pulling up to Westminster Abbey.

We ate at a pub called "Ye Olde Chesire Cheese" that has been there since the 1600s and was a favorite hang out for Charles Dickens.
We had Afternoon Tea a bunch of times, like at Harrod's on a Tuesday Afternoon.

We went to Spitalfield's market, where a bunch of just starting fashion designers sell their creations.
We took a bus tour on the top deck with the sun shining.
We saw TWO plays. "The Woman in Black" which was really frightening and very well done & "Les Misérables"- where my mom was sobbing at the end. I wasn't for some reason. I'm thinking the two red bulls that I chugged before the show might have been to blame. But it really was a moving story and very entertaining.
We went to the Twinings Tea Store, the smallest storefront in all of London, and I drank a Royal Wedding blend of tea as I chatted with a cool guy who was from South America.
We went to Windsor for the day and drank shandys (beer & lemonade) in the sun at a pub next to the castle. After that, we went inside the castle and I racked the brains of the people working there and got a whole lot of interesting information on things like the Queen's dinner parties that she has there, etc., etc.

We went to the National Gallery, where I saw this Monet painting- which actually has bits of sand and shell in it from when he was capturing the scene on the beach.

I love that.
After a week in London, we headed to Kent to meet some family for Easter. This consisted of lots of English grub (like homemade currant jelly (jello in american) and beef tongue (I didn't go there.)), beautiful backyard gardens, and intense political talk- some of which I was not completely prepared for. Apparently, my family members in England are intellectuals. For example, we digested our easter dinner with a two hour quiet reading of newspapers. Luckily, I had been brushing up on English history and that sort of thing due to the trip so I impressed them with my knowledge on the distinct differences between The United Kingdom, Great Britain, Britain, The British Isles, and The British Commonwealth. ;o)
There was gorgeous wisteria at the house.

In Tenterden, the village we stayed in for the weekend, my mom and I were at the most wonderfully gorgeous bed and breakfast called "The Tower House". I thought I was dreaming. Inside, it was crisp white with romantic antique floral touches. The view from our window was a charming garden and just lush green as far as you could see. The bed had a down feather mattress cover thing so that obviously was awesome.

Then we got on a boat to spend sometime in a place called Paris.
We did a lot of the good classic stuff that there is to do. Except, we also experienced a bunch of fantastic things that I have discovered for myself over the years.
Like the steak-frites at Le Relais de L'Entrecôte

and the Marais with the vintage shops and Falafel
and the cool bridges to walk over
and the greatest quiche restaurant ever

and the most charming markets
and the place to see Monet's waterlilies in full bloom

Hey, did I mention that our Paris Hotel was adorable?

Oh, and at the Louvre I ran into the Art History Professor, Monsieur P-G, that I had while I was in Paris. What are the chances? that place is gigantic. We talked about some paintings for a while. It was very sophisticated.