5 Things

5 Things I'm Loving About My Life RIGHT NOW

1. We measure time by 'Open Mic' Nights aka "I will see you in 3 Open Mic nights"

2. Sitting at the bus stop, eating bbq chips and drinking orangina with Abby

3. Eating cheesecake soup with strawberries and pineapple

4. Lounging and watching "online tv" from a computer, hooked up to a tv making it real tv

5. Packing to go see my dad and brother in the UK!

St Patrick's Day in France



The above picture really has nothing to do with St Patrick's Day, other than the fact that there is currently a fair at Quinconces!

St Patrick's Day was so much fun, especially since we have a true "Irish Lass" (as we were refering to her) in our group of friends.

The night started out at 5 and we ended up going on quite the pub crawl. We kept it to English/Irish pubs only and we didn't pay for any drinks all night! It pays to know everyone that works in our favorite bars

Charles Dickens was serving green beers and that was our first stop. When we first got there, we snagged a corner booth and did not move (except to go get pizza). It ended up getting pretty busy inside and it was impossible to move and get more to drink, so we decided to switch to a new place

Houses of Parliament was completely packed as well. So much so that we could barely walk in the door. The bartenders had actually shaved their heads into mohawks and spray painted orange, white and green into their hair. They were offering free green shots to anyone wearing green

Next up was Black Velvet, but we couldn't actually get in there, the street was full of people and everyone was loving us (for once!) speaking in English

Finally, the night ended at Frog and Rosbif. Since we were friends with someone who used to work there, we were drinking pitchers of beer for free, we also were singing LOTS of songs from the 90s

My night ended around midnight-super early for french standards but it was a little tiring, continuously getting spilled on. I was grateful that for the most part, people actually wanted to hear us speak in English!

Celebrations!

Last week we had LOADS to celebrate. Not only was it Kate's 23rd birthday, but Abby had her first interview for an internship

Afterwards, Abby and I sat out at a cafe and had a carafe of wine, and since it was Mardi Gras, there was a little parade of French kids that walked past us, it was GORGEOUS outside



It was really funny because the waiter walked up to us and was trying to explain the menu to us. He was trying to explain it in English, and we were being polite and nodding along. And then he tried to explain what 'coquille Saint-Jacques' was and he couldn't think of it. As polite as I could, I said 'scallops' and he was immediately embarassed and said "oh, you speak french" and then he scurried away. This is what he brought back with him:

A little treat! Eggs with potatoes and some cream on top. Quite delicious! Abby and I felt bad that we didn't end up eating there and we went to get a hamburger instead!

Picnic Inside

This past weekend, we had every intention of having a picnic outdoors. After looking at the drizzly weather, it was decided that we should move it to someone's apartment

We had LOTS of bread, cheese, some chocolate, veggies, STRAWBERRIES (that were the best tasting thing I've eaten here) and some hummus! Or as they call it in France, houmous.

I think fresh flowers make everything better.

Celebrating Kate's Birthday

Sorry for the delay in posting, this past week was spent traveling to Poitiers and spending time with Kate

On Wednesday (and Saturday) we celebrated her birthday

Wednesday night, we went out to get chinese food and then I sang to her as she ate a banana split (most random birthday treat)

And then on Saturday, we joined up with some of Kate's friends to go out to her favorite places in Poitiers

First up was RELAX, and yes that is an umbrella INSIDE the bar. Also, I may or may not have stolen some chess pieces to take home as souvenirs. Kate was ready to go home after this, but we rallied and ended up dancing the night away until 5 am (which is still early compared to French standards)

Homesick

I already wrote a little bit about it, but this weekend was a little hard. Both Kate and I are missing our moms (ok, our whole families) and we spent the weekend being a little mopey.

I talked about the "process" of living in France. I know it's the same whenever you spend time in another country, it can be difficult to communicate what you want, or what you're thinking. The cultural differences are hard to deal with as well and both Kate and I are blonde, meaning we don't look French.

I'm tired of drunk guys yelling at us to "go back where we came from" and I'm growing tired of talking about American politics and my thoughts on the Iraq war.

Feeling a bit bummed last night, I was so thankful to have Abby come back. (She had been visiting Spain for the weekend)

Abs and I came up with this list. Because let's be real, we're living in France.  It was nice to go to bed with a smile on my face because of everything we thought of

REASONS WHY WE LOVE FRANCE
1. Cafe Dijeaux 2. The weather (sunny and warm) 3. 4 years learning a language put to good use (ok more like 8 years) 4. Learning french slang 5. Croque monsieurs with goat cheese 6. People give you kisses to say hello 7. Quality wine for 3 euros 8. Walking everywhere 9. The hills in Poitiers make your butt look awesome 10. Grocery shopping is an awesome arm workout 11. Coca lite tastes better than Diet Coke 12. We get to be the "mysterious strangers" 13. People tell us we have cute American accents 14. Gaining the french fashion style 15. We're basically on a constant vacation 16. In the same country as best friends 17. Mountains are 1 hour away 18. Ocean is 30 minutes away 19. Carnaval 20. Travel in Europe is cheaper 21. Boys are always dressed up 22. Scarves 23. All black uniform 24. Club Music 25. French Mardi Gras 26. Rollerblades/Bikes 27. Amazing Architecture 28. Local wines/vineyards 29. Life experiences 30. Weekend trips to Spain


There are TONS more reasons, but those 30 made me feel way better

Making Friends

Yes, I "live" with two of my best friends. But life in France can sometimes get a little lonely. It's hard putting yourself out there and meeting new people. Luckily, my friends have made great friends and I have been able to latch onto them :)

The other night, two friends invited Abby and I for dinner. One of the people that invited us was Dakota (as previously seen on the vineyard trip)

Dinner was delicious. Seriously phenomenal. I am pretty sure we drank about 10 bottles of wine (for 7 people)and we spent the night talking, laughing, and trying to learn spanish.

The company at the party was very multicultural. Abby and I were representing the states but there also people there from Spain (hence the learning Spanish), France and French Polynesia

Please forgive the quality of this picture, it was dark and taken with my phone

Dakota made some rice (it was not just rice, it was heaven on earth) and then vegetables/meat with yogurt on top.

And then there was the meat. Delicious. Dakota and his friends should seriously be professional chefs.

I love being friends with wine students

Carnaval Deux Rives- Bordeaux

Both Kate and I have been feeling a bit bummed out lately. I think for me, homesickness is setting in and we're both tired of "the process" that comes with living in France. Everything is a process. Going to the post office could become a whole day event.

I try hard not to complain because let's face it, I'm not working and I'm in France, but it gets a bit hard sometimes.

After Kate left this morning, I was feeling extra lonely but then I remembered about the parade/carnaval going on today!

I headed over to Gambetta (5 minutes from where I live) and this is what I saw:



LOTS of people out and about. Balloons being sold everywhere and lots of kids in costumes.

The popular costume for boys was Spiderman and the popular costume for girls was a Princess, but I also saw lots of cowboys, a santa, rudolph and even a couple matadors! The adults were mostly wearing sparkly wigs or hats. Noticeable absent were the Mardi Gras beads we normally see.

All of the kids were clutching bags of confetti

And confetti lined the streets

I ended up moving down the street to try to get a better view.

At first the streets looked like this:

And then the streets looked like this:



And before I knew it, the streets were packed

When any cars (including police) would drive past, the kids would spray stuff all over and throw their confetti

And then came the "parade" of LES GRANDES PERSONNES

This one was petting my hair. A bit creepy, but an awesome way to kick off the Mardi Gras celebrations. Following the "BIG PEOPLE" was a bunch of drummers and dancers but I felt awkward taking pictures of them (I was trying to fit in)


The parade was not quite a parade in the traditional sense, but after the "GRANDS PERSONNES" walked past, everyone was invited to follow and all the kids were allowed to become a part of the parade. Needless to say, I went home. But I think this has been one of my favorite things I've done in France!

Houses of Parliament Open Mic

Disclaimer: Sorry for the HORRIBLE quality. Also, I don't know the name of this "band" or these people but this was my favorite band this past week at Open Mic Night

Sunday Morning in Bordeaux

Sorry I haven't been posting lately, I've been too busy!

Well, scratch that, I have been too lazy, but that's neither here nor there. I am determined to make today productive!

Kate has been visiting in Bordeaux for the past couple of days (more on her visit later) and this morning she left. After a little bit of a delay with the trams/trains in Bordeaux, she made it to the train station and I went out for a run.

It helps that she forced me to put on my running clothes so I would have no excuse. I walked her to the tram and had an ipod loaded with good music. I've been pretty bad about running lately but I have vowed to run every day this week! 

It was a bit cold, and the sun was hiding, but I was fine in a fleece. It's so nice to see people outside! I ran down to the river and there were loads of people out rollerblading or riding bikes. There were so many little kids dressed up from church or riding scooters.

At one point, I was walking a bit and then a man ran past me and he was smoking while he was running! Only in France...

I have yet to find out if people in Bordeaux celebrate Mardi Gras, but I do know that there is a festival going on today. "Carnaval des deux rives" (Carnival of two rivers). I will be headed down there later to check out "les grands personnes" (people wearing HUGE plastic heads).  

Food Shopping in France

The other day Abby and I went to Auchan to do a little food shopping. 50 Euros (and one HEAVY longchamp bag) later, we made it home and attempted to find a place to put all of our goodies.

This trip was heavy on the produce and that got me thinking about how different grocery shopping is in France. First, all produce is labeled where it's from. There could be clementines from Spain but then also clementines from some place else. And depending on where it's from, they will be more expensive.

Just like the states, France keeps organic (or 'bio') food in a different section.

Abby and I bought eggplants, cucumber, zucchini, apples, bananas, strawberries, clementines, tomatoes, bell peppers, and loads of other produce.

In France, you pick your produce, stick it in a bag and weigh it on a machine. The machine will print out a sticker with the weight and cost of your produce and you just bring that up to the cashier.

At the cashier, they will ask if you have a "carte de maison"- like a rewards card- and then they will ring you up. In France, you must bring your own grocery bags with you. You can buy some there that range in cost from 10 centimes to a couple of Euros, but they quickly add up.

So Abby and I packed up our groceries in a big carry on bag and then headed home! Grocery shopping here requires a bit of planning because it's much harder to buy a lot of something at once if you have to walk home with all of your groceries.

Look at these tomatoes!