Let's get rich and buy our parents homes in the south of France.

Bonjour tout le monde!

A few new exciting things have happened lately. For one I had my medical visit last week for immigration (more than 2 months after my arrival, so on the off-chance that I did have some terrible, havoc-wreaking disease that we Americans are known to carry I surely would've spread it by now!) and my visa is OFFICIALLY validated meaning I'm here legally and therefore I can travel outside of France without being deported! They really do chest x-rays to check Americans for tuberculosis and they really do let you keep it. And I really did hang it up on my bedroom wall. It was too blank! Now my skype calls are exponentially more interesting.

Last week was a little weird for me as it was my first time ever not being with my parents on the holidays. But I think the thing that was the weirdest about it was the fact that it was just like any other ordinary day in France. It probably would've been a lot harder had I been somewhere where they actually do celebrate Thanksgiving and unable to be with my family. It didn't really feel like I missed it, more like I just skipped over it. Bizarre. But, some of the assistants and I had our very own Thanksgiving dinner Saturday since we all had to work Thursday. It was très delicious and felt just like home! Merci millefois à Meg for hosting us! A few of us also got creative with our homesickness remedies and watched last year's Macy's Thanksgiving Parade. Not quite the same, but a close second!

Christmas lights have officially been strung all over Tours and it is looking very festive! The Christmas markets started this weekend and they even play Christmas music on the main shopping street, which is charming when you're wandering around but probably really annoying if you work anywhere in the vicinity. I promise I'll take pictures of Tours/my apartment soon!

And the most exciting thing to happen recently (and the inspiration for the title of my post) is a petit trip to Bordeaux this weekend with Lucy, Carys, and Adrienne! I've never been to Bordeaux before so I am thrilled to check it out and get back to the south of France for the first time since study abroad! I do wish I could go back to Montpellier though. That's definitely on the list of things to do before I leave in the spring! But, going back to the south is not the only reason to be excited about this weekend. Bordeaux is the wine capital of... wait for it... not just France, but the WHOLE, ENTIRE WORLD. I think we'll fit in just fine. Because we all know the one thing I need most in my life right now is more wine. Let's be real. Bordeaux is a major city and will be my first big trip since I got to Tours other than a couple of daytrips to Paris. There's lots to see/do there so it should be lots of fun!

School is going well, when I'm there, that is. I've avoided telling most of my friends back home that I only work 12 hours a week and actually do make a half-decent salary for fear that they would think I'm some sort of socialist or something, but that's actually not too far from the norm for the French work week. A lot of the "real" teachers at my school work the same number of hours I do and since I've been here I've learned that 22 hours per week is considered full-time and 35 is the limit. Did I mention 2-hour lunch breaks are practically enforced by law here? Like, businesses shut down and everything. Every. Day. And there's wine in my staff lunch room? And people drink it and then go teach? And everything shuts down on Sundays, and often Mondays as well, and sometimes even Wednesdays? And schools are  all closed Wednesday afternoons? And there's wine in my staff lunch room? And there's a train strike just about every other day? And there's wine in my staff lunch room?

You don't know the meaning of laid-back until you know the French.

But, the reason I bring it up is because I've been working even less than my normal work week the past two weeks. It's a fairly common occurrence for the teachers I work with to tell me they have something else planned on certain days and they don't need me to come in for their class, which was sweet until it started happening practically every week. And not to mention that for the past 3 weeks 7 hours of work have been cancelled due to teachers' illness. I guess they've never heard of subs here? This can be a fun surprise, except when you wake up at 6:00 and walk outside to catch the bus and you realize they still haven't turned off the Christmas lights from last night because it's still that dark and then get to school find out that your only two morning classes are cancelled and no one told you, which is exactly what happened today. Did I mention that my afternoon classes were cancelled as well? I didn't even have to come in at all. An hour and a half on the bus that I will never get back, my friends. Organization is not one of France's strengths. Next time I'm just going to randomly assign myself to a classroom and insist on teaching. I need something to doooo!!! But alas, it's Tuesday and I'm done with work for the week because I don't work Wednesdays or Fridays and this Thursday we have another all-day training day. At least I'll have somewhere to be! I've also been instructed to - verbatim - "plan something on America" for my lesson next week. Ugh. Specificity isn't one of their strengths either.

At the risk of sounding self-important talking about a haircut (but isn't that really what blogs are for, anyway? A blog is nothing if not a boost for your ego.) I've decided that I've FINALLY mustered up enough courage to do it tomorrow because after all, I'm long overdue. Hopefully they'll take pity on me and use simple vocab. Updates to follow!

That's all the ranting I can handle for now, but in other news, only 25 days until my parents arrive!

Here's to hoping you all have a more interesting work week than me!

Channelling Julia Child

Today I decided to get adventurous and do some real cooking for the first time since I got here because, let's be real, I'm sick of eating spaghetti! And after all, I am in France and what better place to learn to cook than France, really?

So, this morning I went to "Les Halles," an indoor market here in Tours with bakeries, produce stands, butchers, wine vendors and cheese counters galore. I even stumbled upon another outdoor market that I didn't know existed when I took a different way into town! That's the beauty of this town. Every time I go somewhere new I find something interesting. Upon my arrival at Les Halles I mustered up the confidence to ask for what I needed because in French markets you usually can't pick out what you want yourself, you have to tell the vendor what you want and how much... kind of intimidating when there's things you don't even know the name of in English! Not to mention everything's in metric here. Also I think I'm actually developing a phobia of the butcher due to the creepy things they have there including but not limited to rabbits fresh from the kill with fur and all, skinned pigs' heads, chickens with their feet and heads still intact, and COW TONGUE. Yes, that's right, actual tongue of cow. And they put it right by the register so you can't avoid it. It's kinda cruel. But thanks to my helpful French cookbook which only called for plain beef and none of these scary meats, I conquered my fears and got exactly what I needed!

"Cooking for Beginners" - quite possibly still too advanced for moi!

I was perhaps a little overly ambitious and decided my first attempt would be boeuf bourguignon due in part to my obsession with the movie "Julie & Julia." So I made my way around the market and collected my mushrooms, carrots, onions, and of course, beef all the while telling the vendors how many grams I needed. Oy. I'm still think in pounds/ounces, fahrenheit, and non-military time. My American-ness doesn't seem to be wearing off anytime soon.

The recipe called for red wine but not just any red wine, wine from the Bourgogne region, which I found quite entertaining. I guess wine from the good ol' Centre region just wouldn't suffice? But it does go with their culture that they would be so particular because we all know that if there's anything at all that the French take seriously it's their food and their wine and when the two are combined (which is almost always) - watch out! 

I trekked back to chez moi and prepared the dessert - fondant au chocolat - for all-day refrigeration. Fondant au chocolat (or at least the recipe in my book) consists of nothing more than mass quantities of milk chocolate, heavy cream, and crushed "sable" cookies, which are basically like French sugar cookies, but better. All you have to do is boil the cream and mix in the chocolate and whip it into submission and then pour it onto a bed of crushed cookies and it's supposed to look just like the picture.

Finished product:

Hmm, OK, so it doesn't look exactly like the picture, but it still tastes really good! I promise. It's hard to screw up chocolate.

While the dessert was chilling in the fridge I got going on the boeuf bourguignon because that, too, is quite a long process. About four hours from the time I started chopping veggies until it was finally done cooking.

A little intimidating, non?

Cooking in red wine, olive oil, and spices for two and half hours. Literally. But worth every minute. Everything was really flavorful because you cook it at a low heat and the meat and vegetables absorb the taste of the wine. Marination is the keyword. To. die. for.

 Tell me I could be more French right now. Really.

 Finished product. I failed to photograph where the mushrooms came in, but they were cooked (more like drowned) in a mixture of butter and the same sauce the meat was cooked in. Hands down the freshest mushrooms I've ever had in my life. Thanks, French market!

The specialty cheese of the region - Sainte Maure de Touraine. It's a type of goat cheese and it looks disgusting but tastes really, really good!

I don't think they'll be calling me to write my own cookbook anytime soon, but the experience was overall a success and I now have enough food for the rest of the week, so let's hope I don't get sick of it!

In other news, the final step to my visa validation is finally happening Tuesday! Being from America and not the E.U. I can apparently carry all sorts of bizarre diseases such as tuberculosis, so we Americans/Canadians have to get checked out in Orléans. On the plus side, I heard they let you keep the chest x-ray. Wall decoration? But in all serious this actually is exciting because once my visa is validated I can leave France and not worry about being deported upon my return to the country, which is key for Christmas break.

À la prochaine, mes amis!

Sunday Skypeday

School is back in full-swing until Christmas break. And by full swing, I of course mean my 12-hour work week. La vie est dure, n'est-ce pas? Though it will be odd to work on Thanksgiving day. =( But we Americans are celebrating in a couple of weeks even though we can't do it on the actual day.

Took the GRE last week, and am now applying to grad schools for next year! Très last minute, so typical Anne fashion as always! I'm having a great time here and I'm really glad I'm doing this program, but I think a year might just be enough. I've met lots and lots of great people and I'm having a really good experience, but I think it's just too far and life is too short. But I've still got a while to make up my mind, so we'll see!

Went back to Amboise last weekend with Suzie and Lucy, two assistant friends, last weekend to see the chateau and Leonardo da Vinci's house. He was actually buried there, which I was completely unaware of until we found his tomb in the cathedral! Pictures on Facebook. 

This weekend consisted of really, really good Morroccan food, a second trip to the botannical gardens/zoo here in Tours, and going out with les autres assistantes. While sortir-ing last night we found a bar that had the Georgia-Auburn game live. I never thought I'd see the day! I was even able to share my excitement with a fellow SEC-er! How bout them Dawgs. Not gonna lie, seeing this did provoke a little bit of homesickness, though I have managed to stave it off for the most part up until now. Hard to believe I've been here for nearly two months now! I'm currently counting down the days until my parents get here for Christmas - 40!

Also, this just in - the local supermarket is now open on Sunday mornings! If you've ever spent time in France, you probably know that life literally shuts down on Sundays, so it has been my designated Skype/nap day pretty much since I got here. EVERY business including but not limited to tabacs (odd little general-store like things that sell everything from cigarettes, newspapers, bus passes, and pay-as-you-go phone recharge cards - if your phone runs out of credit on a Sunday you're S.O.L.), many restaurants & bars, and even pharmacies are closed ALL day. Don't get sick on a Sunday in France! One of the few things that might be open in the morning if you're lucky is the local bakery because let's be real, in France bread is clearly more important than health. And with the exception of a couple of supermarkets/épiceries that may or may not be on the sketchier side, you can't even go grocery shopping. But alas, the local Monoprix (think French Target) has decided to open their doors to the public (until 12h 50) every Sunday! So it looks like I won't starve anymore if I forget to do the grocery shopping on Saturday! This is huge.

Also have decided that it's almost time for French haircut numéro deux (the first one being on study abroad) and I know exactly what I want for once in my life! The problem is I lack the vocabulary to ask for layers or long bangs, so, my plan is to point to this photo of Marion Cotillard and say, "comme ça." We'll see how this goes! It worked out well once before, at least.

Bonne soirée et bonne nuit, tout le monde!

Immigrant Song

Hello world,

Vacation ends tomorrow (sorta, I go back for 2 hours and then have a 3-day weekend as per usual. Did I mention I only work 12 hours a week?) and I never thought I'd say this, but I think I'll be kinda glad to go back. I need something to do! What's that saying about idle minds? If my mind weren't so idle right now I might be able to remember. But despite our limited funds (assistants in my region haven't been paid still. Oy vey), I have to say I did pretty well with this break! In addition to the places I mentioned last week I went to:

• Langeais - they still raise and lower that drawbridge every day by the way.

• Villandry - lots and lots of gardens

• Paris again to meet up with Seth, a friend from UGA study abroad who's also an assistant and Debbie, our study abroad director who was in Paris working on making it a semester-long program, buy books at the best bookstore known to mankind - Gibert Joseph, wander parks, and of course, it's never too cold for Berthillon ice cream. Though I failed to take pictures of anything but landmarks. Oops!

More pins to put in my France map when I get back to the states! I'm enjoying our proximity to Paris, it's only 16 euros for the slower train that takes about 2.5 hours, or for a little more it's only an hour away with the TGV - really easy and cheap to take daytrips there so you don't have to pay for a hostel! It's hard for me to even fathom that I can get to Paris in half the time it took me to get to my parent's house in Kennesaw from Athens. I'm going back to Paris next week to take the GRE... dun dun dun. It's only dawning on me since this vacation that as much as I love it here, I don't think I'll be able to live here for the rest of my life. The bottom line is that over 4,000 miles is really just too far from home, and unless someone invents that teleportation device reeeeally fast, I think I may be coming back to the states for good next summer. But alas, we all know how indecisive I am. We'll see.

For now though, I have my parents' Christmastime visit to look forward to! They're going to stay for a couple of weeks and see a little bit of a day in the life of a Tourangelle teaching assistant, explore Paris, and hopefully Germany/some of the U.K. weather permitting. There's a little town in Germany called Holzhausen, so of course I want my picture next to the sign. Lifelong dream. Should be a fun trip because they've never been to Europe, and I really haven't seen anything apart from France and London for a short weekend trip. This will also be my first time "hosting" Christmas chez moi. I don't know when I grew up, but apparently it's happened! Could be interesting due to the fact that my kitchenette consists of two hot plates, a microwave, and soon a mini-oven. I never have been much of a cook, so we'll see how that goes! But in all seriousness, all I really care about is being with my family on Christmas. We've never been apart for the holidays and I couldn't imagine it without them. I even considered coming back to Atlanta for a couple of weeks, but alas, I'm not a millionaire and flights across the Atlantic are not cheap, especially at the holidays. Better that they come here! Though I certainly wouldn't have minded seeing my dogs. I keep fantasizing about the day I come home and Grady tackles me. It's gonna be great. Hoping they still remember me after my 8-9-month absence though!

But in the meantime I'm having a fantastic time! There are roughly 30ish other English assistants in my town I believe, not to mention the Italian, Spanish, and German ones, so I'm in quite good company! Meeting people from all over (though I probably haven't been making as many French friends as I should).

And I'm still in the immigration process. I'm an immigrant! Well, at least I'm on file with the office of immigration. Never thought that'd happen! We're supposed to have a medical visit to "validate" our visas if you're not from the E.U., so that should be coming up soon, but in typical French style, they haven't told me anything yet. Hopefully they don't assign me for the day I'm supposed to take the GRE. It could happen. The lady in charge of assistants in our region told us you get two shots to go to your medical visit and then... well I don't know what. Deportation? Kidding of course, I'm sure it won't come to that.

Reading a book called A Year in the Merde ("shit" for you anglo-saxons) about an Englishman who comes to live and work in France for a year. Highly recommended, especially for anyone who has spent time here.

Also just realized I haven't really taken any pictures of Tours, which is quite ironic and kind of a shame. I'll get on that for my next post. =) I'm thinking "a day in the life" theme.

À bientôt, mes amis!