LE QUOTIDIEN d'ALEX

Chaperoning TWENTY-ONE 10-11 year olds to the UK…

2011-06-27T04:26:00.002-04:00

I just got back from a week in the UK with a class of twenty-one 10-11 year olds. It was quite the exhausting experience, but, nevertheless, it was enjoyable.

Since I started working at L’Ecole Jules Verne in September 2010 I have been helping with the planning and organization of this past week’s weeklong exchange with Bishops Cannings Primary School in Devizes, UK. My main responsibilities included the scheduling of the transportation (on the UK end) and the communication between both the schools via email and telephone. At the beginning I never knew that I was going to be invited to go to the UK with this class, so when Pascal (the school’s director and the CM2 class’ teacher) asked me to go with them I was very excited.

We left for Bishops Cannings Primary School on Monday, June 20 at 9:15AM from the train station in Tours and finally arrived around midnight in the UK. We took a train from Tours to Caen, a bus from Caen to Ouistreham, a ferry across the English Channel from Ouistreham to Portsmouth, and another bus from Portsmouth to Bishops Cannings Primary School! It was a very long journey…about 15-hours of traveling with very excited, screaming, and tired schoolchildren along the way.

When we arrived at Bishops Cannings all of the students were paired with their respective host families. There were two students per each host family. Lesley Thomas, one of the teachers at the school, and her son Matthew (a recent college graduate who has moved back home…) hosted me during my stay in Devizes.

On Tuesday we began our first day of work at Bishops Cannings. We started the day with a morning assembly, where the students at Bishops Cannings sang a religious song (“He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands”) and Pascal said a few words about our visit and the work we would be doing. Our main project while in England was to create a bilingual, informational video on the region. The funny thing about the assembly was that our students clapped after the religious song because they thought it was a performance for them. OOPS! After the assembly the kids split up into groups (2 English, 2 French) and began preparing texts/commentaries on the sites that we would be visiting the following day in Bath, UK. When school was over many of the kids headed to an afterschool program (athletics) and in the evening there was a bowling event for all the students.

On Wednesday we headed to Bath…on a very gray, rainy day. We arrived and it was pouring rain (and of course there were a handful of students without umbrellas or raincoats). Our first stop was a group tour of the Roman Baths; it was very interesting to see after having been to Italy and having seen ruins of baths. However, I was not able to truly appreciate everything and probably read and looked at about 20% of the stuff at the Roman Baths. I was too worried about herding schoolchildren through and making sure that we did not lose any of the 49 kids! When we finished the tour of the Roman Baths we had a picnic lunch in front of Bath Abbey (the weather cleared up!) and then we split into two groups to wander around Bath and continue filming for our video. My group saw Henrietta Park, Pultney Bridge, Bath Rugby Field, the Royal Crescent, and Victoria Park. When we returned to Devizes, the teachers and their respective hosts headed out to dinner together at the Barge Inn Restaurant.

On Thursday we spent the morning at Bishops Cannings preparing texts/commentaries for our afternoon trips to Stonehenge, three of theWiltshire White Horses, and Avebury. When we returned from our coach tour of these sites there was a farewell BBQ at Bishops Cannings for all of the students and host families.

We left very early on Friday morning to start our journey back to Tours….5AM from Bishops Cannings! The voyage back home was only slightly more peaceful than the voyage to the UK. We thought that the kids would be so tired from having to wake up around 4AM, but we were wrong. They still proceeded to load up on sugary sweets in the gift shops on the ferry and have enough energy to drive Pascal, Pierre (English teacher at Jules Verne), and myself crazy all the way until we pulled into the Tours train station at 7:36PM.

All in all, this was a wonderful way to end my time in France as a teaching assistant. I was able to experience a school field trip from the other end…allowing me to further appreciate all the teachers I have had since kindergarten. Also, my tolerance for noise has definitely increased too! I got a lot closer to many of my students and it is sad that I will not be teaching them anymore. Many of them asked me if I would be at their schools next year, and I sadly had to say no.

Well, I have 9 more days in France! GAH! -ALEX

The French Mediterranean Coast…It’s not all The French Rivera

2011-06-12T10:03:00.009-04:00

It is interesting to note that almost all the holiday breaks and days off for schools are associated with a religious event in France. For a country that often states that there is a clear separation of church and state…these days off do pose some interesting questions.

I recently returned from a four-day trip to Marseille where I visited my friend Katharine (a fellow assistant who was assigned a 7-month contract, but is still enjoying her time in the country). I had a long weekend because of L’Ascension, so I decided to make a trip out of it. I, again, used the Tours Airport and the infamous RyanAir…the convenience and cost is truly unbeatable.

While in Marseille I was able to take in a different kind of France. Marseille is the third largest city in France (after Lyon, with Paris being the largest), and it is truly a city. There is nothing fancy or Mediterranean-chic about the city; it is no Nice, Cannes, or French Rivera. The people don’t seem to try as hard when they are putting together an outfit, the streets are nowhere near clean, there are no swarms of tourists, and the white, homogenous, French population who might expect is not the normal sight. It is a real city, and that is what I appreciated the most about my visit.

I went bike riding along the Corniche with the city bikes, I had a delicious tajine made by one of Katharine’s roommates, I partied until 8AM, I visited Notre Dame de la Garde (via the tourist train), I made my first gumbo with K2, and I laid out on the beaches of the Mediterranean Sea. I had a great time catching up with K2, discussing our future plans, the problems with our generation (thanks to the NYTimes article “Its Not All About You”), and the ever changing world that seems to be steering itself away from an American-center.

Thanks for a great visit in Marseille! Now…come visit me in Tours?!

Friends, Drinks, Indian Food, and La Loire

2011-05-23T04:18:00.003-04:00

I really wish that the United States had more of a “café culture” like France. It is great to be able to grab a drink with some friends and sit and people watch at the end of a long day. In the US you can sit outside and enjoy the weather, but it is really hard to find a place with consistent and interesting pedestrian traffic.

On Thursday I had the pleasure of meeting Ryan’s mum. Ryan, his mum, Melanie, and myself went out for a drink at Les Berthom (off of Rue Nationale) before having dinner together chez Ryan. We had a delicious mushroom, spinach, and onion risotto for dinner, along with some fois gras and salami for a starter, a nice selection of cheeses for after, and some petit fours for dessert. It was wonderful to share our experiences in France with Ryan’s mum over some wine and good food; it was a lovely evening.

On Friday Emma came back for a weekend visit to Tours, so Caroline, Melanie, and I met up with her at JS’ bar off of “La Place de Monstre” for a drink and some catching up. We then headed to La Pale on Rue Colbert for a bit before grabbing a bite to eat at an Indian restaurant (also on Rue Colbert). The food was delicious! Caroline and I shared some samosas, naan, palaak paneer, and shahi korma. YUMMY! The only complaint we had was that it was not spicy enough…next time!? Dinner was followed by a trip to the banks of La Lore for some live music and a bottle of rosé at La guinguette de Tours sur Loire! La guinguette is an outdoor bar that sits on the banks of La Loire; it just opened on Friday night so it was filled with university students celebrating the completion of classes and exams, as well as other people who wanted to have a good time.

Well, that is about it for this weekend for me. Saturday and Sunday were lazy days…grocery shopping, cleaning, laundry, gym, etc. Nothing too exciting! I might head to Paris on Wednesday for the day with Caroline…we’re going to go explore one or two museums and then try and meet up with Devlin, Emma, and Melanie.

The European Traveler

2011-05-17T11:45:00.008-04:00

It has been SO LONG since I last wrote about my experiences as a teaching assistant in Tours…that I do not even know where to start this entry!

Well, A LOT has certainly happened since mid-March (when I wrote about the wine tasting and vineyard tour that I did with Devlin and Jenny after one of the many English workshops we helped lead). I visited my sister in Barcelona for a weekend, I had a fabulous weekend in Paris with my best friend’s family, I had an absolutely incredible family vacation with my mom and sister, I went to Cambridge University in the UK, and I, sadly, said goodbye to all of the friends I had made.

One of the greatest things I have been able to do, during my time abroad, is travel Europe by low-cost airline, train, cruise ship, and bus. Europe is so accessible when it comes to traveling; the ability to travel from EU country to EU country has made this teaching experience wonderful.

Since I do not work on Wednesdays, have to be at work after noon on Mondays, and have no classes after noon on Fridays, I have been able to take weekend trips to visit friends and family abroad. When I picked my teaching hours in October I had this in mind, and I am so happy that I have been able to use it to my advantage.

Barcelona with my sister was so much fun; I had never been to BCN before, so my sister Jackie showed me many of the touristy sites. We were also able to spend time together catching up, since I hadn’t seen her since August 2010. We sat on beaches, hung out with her senora (Rosa), and enjoyed beautiful weather!

Paris is always fabulous…and especially since I have such gracious hosts when I am there! My best friend’s mom came into visit her sister in Paris for a handful of days and I met up with her. We explored the touristy parts of Paris, but also enjoyed each other’s company over rosé and while people watching in some of the many Parisian parks.

Family vacations can be stressful, overwhelming, and to a certain degree not as relaxing as they should be. All families eventually get sick of each other. My mom came to visit me for 3.5 weeks and during her time in Europe we: (1) met up with Jackie in Sorrento, Italy for a four day vacation that took us along the Amalfi Coast, to Capri, and to the ruins of Pompeii, (2) cruised on the Mediterranean stopping in the ports of Villefranche, France, Palma de Mallorca, and Barcelona, Spain, (3) discovered the architecture wonders of Barcelona, Spain, and (4) went back in history exploring the chateaux of Amboise, Blois, Chambord, Chenonceau, and Cheverny in The Loire Valley. It was SO MUCH FUN…and at no point was I ever “stressed”…”overwhelmed”…or “not as relaxed as I should have been”! I didn’t want my mom to leave!

More recently, I visited The University of Cambridge and got to see Lindsay (a friend who is doing her Master’s there) and our friend Stephanie who is traveling a bit before moving to Jamaica to do some volunteer work with children and a literacy program. We had not seen each other since we graduated in May 2010…so it was great to look back over our year and see what we’ve done. The mini-Wooster Reunion took us all around the city of Cambridge…from English pubs and fish and chips to playing board games and drinking coffee!

However, the hardest and most difficult thing that has happened over these past two-months has been saying goodbye to many of the amazing friends I have made. I was the only teaching assistant in my circle of friends that had a 9-month contract…so everyone (Caroline, Devlin, Emma, Jenna, Jenny, John, Kag, Miriam, Ryan) is practically gone now! We had a farewell garden party at my house about a month ago (right before my mom arrived in mid-April), as well as one last dinner at a creperie off of Place Plume. I hope all is well with all of them…you are ALL missed!

So, that is a quick update of what has been going on these past couple of months. I hope to have more regular updates during the next 2-months before my departure in early July 2011.

Peace and love from France, ALEX

Photo Challenge

2011-04-04T03:59:00.008-04:00

The "Photo Challenge" has long been over...but I am finally getting to posting all of my photos (as well as Jenny's). Over the course of February (and through the end of our Winter Break--early March) Jenny and I had a list of 15 things that we need to take pictures of. So, here are the 15 things that we captured (first photo is Jenny's, second is mine).

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(1) Bicycle

02/08/2011: The BICYCLE that sits outside the "antique" (I don't believe all of her wares are antiques...) shop below our apartment.

02/04/2011: "BICYCLE" - Wandering around Les Halles and snapped my first photo for Jenny and my Photo Challenge.

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(2) Umbrella

02/21/2011: Long walk out to Chateau Palmer in the downpours and gusting winds. Not sure if the UMBRELLA was more of a help or a hindrance...

02/15/2011: "UMBRELLA" - Another cold and rainy day in Tours; I was waiting at Emilie Zola to catch my bus into Tours Nord.

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(3) Iconic French

02/14/2011: ICONIC: French cinephilie. Love that this is taught in France dès l'ecole primaire!

02/16/2011: "ICONIC FRENCH" - I think this sums up France in a picture...BAGUETTE!

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(4) Faux Pas

02/07/2011: French FAUX PAS: Il faut pas wear tenue de sport when walking around in public. Even when walking 4 blocks to the gym. Je dois avoir la honte! I should be ashamed of my American self.

03/06/2011: "FAUX PAS"- Welcome Back to France! Clean up after your dogs... ;)
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(5) The Letter Q

03/05/2011: Q's Q and prepping for departure =(

03/01/2011: "THE LETTER Q" - Kaitlyn and I went to see a free screening of "The Adjustment Bureau"...hosted by the radio station Q104.

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(6) Reflection

02/25/2011: Catching gold, crystals, and sunlight in the REFLECTION in the Hall of Mirrors at Versaille Palace.

02/09/2011: "REFLECTION" - Walking to Chantal's for our usual afternoon chat/hang out. Saw these teapots on Rue de la Scellerie in an antique shop.

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(7) Monochrome

03/04/2011: MONOCHROME at multiple levels here: RED lights at the Moulin ROUGE in the RED light district ;]

02/06/2011: "MONOCHROME" - Took a bike ride to Le Parc Municipal de l'Ile Simon...and finally saw "Le Pata” created by Maj-siri Österling in 2001.

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(8) Music

03/03/2011: Finally a clear day! Sunshine and foot tapping MUSIC in front of the Pantheon. Simply happy moment.

03/05/2011: "MUSIC"- At Cleveland Hopkins Airport and walked into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Store...saw this guitar.

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(9) Self-Portrait

03/06/2011: SELF PORTRAIT by shadow: finally walked out to Ile Simon and spent a good hour taking pictures of a) the sun and b) all the graffiti on the skate park and under the bridge. It was even warm enough in the sun that I tossed my jacket on the ground. Pray this means the next six weeks are only getting warmer and sunnier!

02/07/2011: "SELF-PORTRAIT" - Walking home from school down Rue Nationale and thought that this reflective surface would make for a perfect and interesting self-portrait photo.
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(10) Damaged/Broken

02/11/2011: Poor sad, DAMAGED/BROKEN little house post that I loved while trying to find my way to an inservice this afternoon.

02/11/2011: "DAMAGED/BROKEN" - I was walking to drop off my recycling and dropped one of the bottles...OOPS!
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(11) Coffee

02/20/2011: Mine and Mom's game of racing sugar to test the foam in our capuccino COFFEES in Bordeaux's Place de la Comedie.

02/28/2011: "COFFEE" - French press coffee at my Aunt Shirley's house. Kaitlyn and I made crepes for the family...hope I am not sick of them by the time I get back from the USA!
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(12) Diamond

02/19/2011: Love locks and DIAMONDS with a view of Notre Dame on Mom's first day in Pair-ee.

02/23/2011: "DIAMOND" - Walking around THE Chagrin Falls with Kaitlyn and saw this diamond on a brick wall off of Main Street.
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(13) Architecture

03/02/2011: This picture so captures this moment. Notice our faces as we get swindled for photos by the Fabio-esque gladiator in front of one of the greatest pieces of ARCHITECTURE of the ancient world. Awesome.

02/22/2011: "ARCHITECTURE" - Looking out from my mom's office building. Spent the afternoon downtown at the dentist and then had dinner at Johnny's (Cleveland Restaurant Week)...and then PICKED UP KWEVANS!
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(14) I am here

02/22/2011: I AM HERE: the final panel of modern art in Toulouse's Place de la Capitole has a mirror to reflect all the people that make the city what it is.

02/19/2011: "I AM HERE" - Flying from Paris to Newark...and yes, if you look close enough you can see where the plane is on the map! :)

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(15) Trust

02/23/2011: TRUST - Mother-child statue in Toulouse

03/03/2011: "TRUST"- Dropped Kaitlyn off at the airport...another sad day!
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Well, there they all are! Let us know what you think! :) We have still yet to see who the "winner" is, but maybe this weekend at our "English Assistant Party"!?

Vineyard Visit and Wine Tasting

2011-03-22T03:48:00.003-04:00

Last Wednesday I had an “animation” (workshop) near Bourgouil, France. Jenny, Devlin, and I accompanied Fleurette to a workshop where we would help her explain the differences between the US and UK. We talked about the holidays from both countries perspectives and taught songs to French teachers who are hoping to become certified to teach English next year.

After the “animation” we all headed to the winery of one of the teachers who had signed up for the session. She was gracious enough to offer all of us (other teachers included too) a visit of her husband’s winery, vineyard, and cave…as well as lunch for a small fee of 10 Euros.

When we arrived at the winery we went into the packaging and labeling area. We saw how their four types of wine were labeled and boxed. Afterwards, we went into the area where the wine was actually made and sat fermenting in huge stainless steel containers. There we had a mini tasting of a rosé and a red.

The morning/afternoon ended with a visit to their cave where they store their personal wine and also let some of their wines age. The oldest bottles were from 1997 I believe and completely covered with mold. In the cave there was also an open area where we had lunch (featuring a yummy dessert special to the Bourgouil area) and sat by a warm fire.

This wine visit and tasting was much better than Jenny, Miriam, and my visit to Vouvray!

Another Wonderful Sunday Afternoon

2011-03-14T05:22:00.005-04:00

This past Sunday I spent most of my day with Chantal and François. I arrived at the home around 10AM so we could begin preparing our lunch. Chantal had shown a lot of interest in learning how to make egg rolls and spring rolls, so we spent part of our day making them.

The day before we went to Paris Store (Asian Supermarket) to get some of the necessary ingredients. We started with the egg rolls. We made pork egg rolls filled with ginger, garlic, bokchoy, and carrots. They were quite good! The spring rolls were filled with vermicelli, cilantro, carrots, cucumbers, lettuce, and bean sprouts. In my opinion, they were not as good as the egg rolls, but still yummy.

For lunch we ate our homemade creations. We started with the spring rolls and then had the egg rolls. We ate the egg rolls differently than in the States. We wrapped each egg roll with a mint leaf and some lettuce; it was like a slightly different take on the chicken lettuce wrap concept and very good. Afterwards, I had some homemade yogurt. Chantal and François make their own yogurt about every other day! They showed me how it was done and it is surprisingly very simple (if you have the machine). All you need is powdered milk, regular milk, and a yogurt from your previous batch…you mix all of that together and then put it into a warming machine for 8-hours. After yogurt, we had homemade compote of apples, prunes, and rum; it was like applesauce on steroids! All in all, lunch was very delicious!

We concluded lunch with some tea before heading out. François took Chantal and I around Tours and showed us the old Roman wall and told us about the founding of Tours. It was very interesting and cool to see how the Roman wall weaves through Tours. François explained the characteristics of a Roman wall (thin layers of red bricks sandwiching uniformly-shaped grayish stones…all mortared together with a red-ish brick-like mortar). When we returned back to their home, François showed me a map of Tours and where the wall is in relation to everything else. He also explained how the two former Roman towns of Tours combined to create modern-day Tours.

I left Chantal and François’ around 4:30PM and headed to The Pale. I met up with some Anglophones to watch some of the Scotland v. England rugby match. I stayed for about a half and hour before Emma and I head to the movies to see “127 Hours”. The movie was well done and definitely made me feel as if I was there. All I could say after leaving the movie was, “I do not think I could EVER cut off my own arm!”

Well, that is all for now. I am off to Barcelona this weekend to visit mi Hermana!

-ALEX

A Wonderful Sunday Afternoon

2011-02-07T05:27:00.007-05:00

Staying up till almost 2AM from the night before meant not waking up until 11AM on Sunday morning. Yet, though my day was slow starting, I was able to enjoy the first sunny day (in a while) in Tours.

After eating lunch I went off on a bike ride to Le Parc Municipal de l’Ile Simon. The park is on an island in the middle of La Loire and from there, there are gorgeous views of Pont Wilson (main bridge in Tours), the cathedral, and both riverbanks. I decided to kill sometime before meeting up with Jenny, Miriam, and Emma. We were going to see “The King’s Speech” or for the French, “Le Discours d’un roi” at Le Cinema.

On the island, I managed to take my “monochrome” picture for Jenny and my photo challenge. There is a piece of public art installed on the island called “Le Pata”; it was created by Maj-siri Österling in 2001. The piece is a series of painted wooden beams that form a teepee like structure. The painted beams are primarily red, though there are some black and yellow ones interspersed as well.

I met up with Jenny, Miriam, and Emma outside of Jenny and Miriam’s place. We walked to Le Studio, which is about a 5-minute walk from where they live, to catch a 2:30PM showing of “The King’s Speech”. I am trying to see as many of the Academy Award nominated films as possible before the awards show on February 27. I am going to go and see Black Swan this Wednesday (I hope). “The King’s Speech” was excellent. I thought Colin Firth did an amazing job a King George VI, as did Geoffrey Rush (Lionel his speech coach). I hope the film wins some awards…though I have not seen too many of the shows nominated YET!

After the movie we headed to a teahouse and got coffee and sweets. I chose NOT to get anything sweet, though the tart aux fruits that Miriam got and the Mocha cakes that Emma and Jenny got did look amazing! I instead got a small coffee. We talked for a bit and then headed out to an antique market on Rue de la Scellerie.

The first Sunday of every month there is an antique market on the Rue de la Scellerie in Tours. The road is right off of where Miriam and Jenny live and in the cathedral neighborhood. The four of us explored for a bit…and found some pretty cool things. I definitely am going to go antique shopping before I head home in February. I want to get something “French”. Miriam picked up a great book on touring from Paris to Nice. Jenny and Emma got some old postcards dating back to the 1920s and 1930s. I, again, resisted! But, I will head back to the area, which is flooded with cool stores!

Well, that is all for now. This week I am having dinners with Jenna (as usual), may head to Ryan’s to finish off the dumplings from Chinese New Year on Wednesday, seeing Chantal on Wednesday too, trying to go see “Black Swan”, having a Monopoly night at my house….but with the Touraine edition (I hope….pretty please can I borrow it Chantal!?), and doing a Mexican night at Emma’s on Saturday. And, of course, among all of this, teaching! Today, I am going to start evaluations for one of my CM2 classes…

-Alex

Gung Hay Fat Choy! The Year of the Rabbit 4709

2011-02-04T06:41:00.021-05:00

The Year of the Rabbit (4709) officially began yesterday, and to ring in the Chinese New Year, I spent the evening with friends. My friend Ryan and I made dinner for a group of 12 friends at his place. A few days ago, we (along with Jenny) ventured to the Chinese supermarket (PARIS STORE) in Tours Nord to get the ingredients for our celebration. We were able to pick up many of the ingredients to make homemade pork dumplings (饺子 , jiaozi), soup, and tapioca. Below are all of the recipes from our feast. The measurements are approximations because everything was done on the whim (no actual recipe was followed).

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**Chinese Longevity Soup

- 4 cups Chicken/miso broth

- 1 Tab. fresh ginger (minced)

- 1 Tab. fresh garlic (minced)

- 1 bag of rice noodles

- 2 cups of bean sprouts

- 2 cups of Chinese cabbage (finely chopped)

- 2 cups of carrots (julienned)

- 1 package of tofu

- 2 cups bok choy leaves (chopped)

- Chives (diced)

Bring broth to a boil. Add minced ginger and garlic. Cook for 3 minutes. Add noodles and cook until soft. While noodles are cooking, fill soup bowls with equal parts of bean sprouts, Chinese cabbage, carrots, tofu, and bok choy leaves. Add cooked noodles. Then bring broth to a rapid boil and add broth to bowls. The hot broth should cook the vegetables just enough that they remain slightly crunchy, but not raw. Garnish with chives.

Serves about 4-5 people

**Pork Dumplings (饺子)

Dumplings:

- 1 package of wonton skins

- 1 lb. of ground pork

- 2 Tab. fresh ginger (minced)

- 2 Tab. fresh garlic (minced)

- 2 cups Chinese cabbage (finely chopped)

- 2 cups of carrots (finely chopped)

- Chives (diced)

- 2 Tab. of Oil

- 2 Tab. of Soy Sauce

- 1 egg (beaten)

Dipping Sauce:

- ½ cup of soy sauce

- ¼ cup rice vinegar

- ¼ cup oil

- 1 Tab. garlic (minced)

- 1 Tab. ginger (minced)

- 1 Tab. crushed red pepper flakes

- ¼ cup chives (diced)

Defrost wonton skins 24-hours before making dumplings. In a large boil, mix ground pork, ginger, garlic, Chinese cabbage, carrots, chives, oil, and soy sauce with hands until well combined. Next clear enough counter space to make the dumplings. Add about a teaspoon size of the meat mixture to the center of the wonton skin. On two adjacent sides of the square add the beaten egg mixture so that the wonton will close. Fold the wonton over so that it forms a triangle. Seal the wonton skin well. Fold the wonton into what ever form you would like. Continue this process until all the wonton skins have been used. In the meantime, bring a pot of water to a boil for cooking the dumplings. Use a bamboo steamer to cook the dumplings; it should take about 8-10 minutes. For the dipping sauce mix all of the ingredients well with a whisk. Serve dumplings over dipping sauce and garnish with chives.

Makes about 50 dumplings.

**Coconut and Jasmine Infused Tapioca with Mango

- 1 package of small white tapioca pearls

- 1 can of coconut milk

- 3-4 Tab. of Jasmine flowers (for infusing)

- ½ cup of granulated sugar

- 1-2 ripe mangos

- Boiling water

Bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Add jasmine flowers so that the water is essentially turned into a Jasmine tea. When the jasmine begins to infuse the water take out the flowers and add the coconut milk. Stir mixture and add uncooked tapioca. Stir and add sugar. Continue to stir for 20 minutes, adding small amounts of boiling water so that the mixture does not thicken too much. When the tapioca is cooked remove it from heat and add diced mango. Stir in and cool the tapioca. May be served cold or warm.

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So, that is what we ate for dinner! It was very yummy and I think that everyone had an enjoyable time. Also, in addition to dinner, I was able to give everyone a “hong bao” (red envelope)…but not with money! I made everyone a card and put it inside instead.

Wishing you much happiness, good fortune, and wealth in the coming year and always! -Alex

Sleepover and American Breakfast

2011-02-01T06:12:00.005-05:00

This past weekend a handful of my friends and I got together chez moi to have a sleepover and make a proper breakfast. We decided that my place would be the best because it is the largest of all of our places and has enough places for people to sleep.

Jenny, Miriam, Jenna, Ryan, and I spent Saturday night until Sunday early afternoon together at 280 Rue Victor Hugo. Everyone came over after dinnertime on Saturday night for a night filled of games and fun. We played a couple of games of monopoly. The best one was the second one when people started to get married…thus combining their property and money. It was Miriam and I who started the trend…we were immediately followed by Ryan and Jenny…and then Jenna and Adeline (Jenna’s teacher friend). Miriam and I hoped that we would be able to survive by combining our stuff because we had the least amount of money and were losing…unfortunately, our marriage did not change things and we remained the poorest and weakest. However, at the end we found out that one of the reasons we were doing so poorly was because three of the other four players decided to steal 1,000 Monopoly dollars each! But, it is JUST A GAME! We also played some Banana Grams….which everyone loves and is hooked on, as well as charades and catch phrase. We all fell asleep after an episode of Glee. So exciting…huh!?

The following morning, we were all up around 10AM. We made three courses for our “American Breakfast”…though the first two were not quite “American”. We started off with some cream cheese, capers, and smoked salmon on flax seed covered crackers. Then we had a quiche Lorraine…onions, ham, and cheese…as usual, it was delicious. We took a food break for a bit and played some Banana Grams and then we moved onto the main event! Jenna and I made pancakes, sausage (chicken…yuck!), and bacon. We had bananas and syrup to put on the pancakes…SO GOOD! All in all it was a HUGE hit…we are definitely planning on doing it again.

Other news, I am starting a “Photo Challenge” with my friend Jenny. For those of you that do not know or do not have access to my Facebook, I have been taking a picture a day to document my experience as an assistant in France. My album is titled “287 Days in France”…yes, I will have been here for 287 days when July 5, 2011 arrives. Anyways, Jenny and I are both doing this picture a day thing so we decided to spice it up a little bit and make it more interesting. Over the course of February we have a list of 15 things that we need to take pictures of. At the end of the month, we are going to compare our pictures…picture to picture based on the thing photographed. The person who has the “better” photo will get a point; we are going to see who will “win” this challenge at the end of the month. We purposely left 13 days without a thing to photography….we want to still be able to capture photos of our choosing. So, here are the 15 things that we must attempt to capture in our photos of the day:

(1) Bicycle

(2) Umbrella

(3) Iconic French

(4) Faux Pas

(5) The Letter Q

(6) Reflection

(7) Monochrome

(8) Music

(9) Self-Portrait

(10) Damaged/Broken

(11) Coffee

(12) Diamond

(13) Architecture

(14) I am here

(15) Trust

As you can see, they are not all physical objects and there is some imagination and thinking that will be needed/used to get good photos. Nevertheless, we are both so excited to get started! I am sure that I will post an entry at some point with all 15 photos.

Well, that is all for now. It is time for bed.

-Alex

Long Overdue Updates

2011-01-25T11:56:00.009-05:00

Well, it has certainly been a very long time since I wrote a content filled blog entry. My computer is finally fixed…and after almost one month without a personal computer, it is so great to have it back! A lot has been going on since Kaitlyn left in the beginning of January, and I am going to attempt to summarize what I (and others) have been up to this past month.

- - Kaitlyn and I rang in the New Year in a very low-key way. We reflected upon 2010 by looking at The Economist and Time Magazine, and we played a game my mom sent me called Banana Grams (essentially a different way to play scrabble). We were in bed before midnight…11:52pm to be exact!

- - On Sunday, January 2 Kaitlyn and I ventured out to Le Musée des Beaux Arts in Tours. It is free the first Sunday of every month, so we took advantage of this. It was a smaller art museum with an interesting collection of pieces/paintings/etc. All in all, it was a great way to get out and spend some time together before her departure. Though it was quite cold!

- - The Wednesday before Kaitlyn left, we went to Azay-le-Rideau. It was her second chateau visit, and very different than the Chateau de Langeais. Azay-le-Rideau essentially sits in a pond and is decorated in a 16^th century Italian Renaissance architecture…Langeais sits in the middle of a village and is a medieval castle.

- - I have also had my fair share of “Kings Cakes” too…or “Galettes du Rois” in France. They are so delicious! The first one that I ate was with Kaitlyn, Jenna, and Jenna’s friend from Chicago. We all had crepes together one night, and I decided to buy one…good choice/job Alex! The second one was given to me by Miriam and Jenny….thanks! And the third by my landlords after a party they had. They are filled with an almond-like paste and surrounded by layers of flaky and buttery phyllo-pastry. They are fortunately only made until the start of Lent…

- - The Friday before Kaitlyn left, we invited a bunch of people over to my place for a fondue night. It was a lot of fun…as usual! We had a cheese fondue with bread, sausage/salami, apples, broccoli, carrots, potatoes, and grapes…and an amazing chocolate fondue (spiced with cinnamon and curry powder) with apples, bananas, marshmallows, and grapes. Thanks all for a fun time of fondue, friends, and WINE!

- - The night before Kaitlyn left, we went to the cutest creperie in Tours. It is called “Mamie Bigoud” and is decorated like a house….meaning that you might be sitting in the bathroom, closet, kitchen, dining room, living room, etc. Each room is decorated accordingly. Kaitlyn and I were sitting in the bathroom. Anybody who comes and visits me will get a dinner on me at this restaurant…incentive? I hope so!

- - Other exciting things that I have been doing include dinners with friends! I was at Jenna’s after Kaitlyn left and we had a “Blanquette de veau”…yes I ate veal! It is a veal dish served in a creamy sauce and is traditionally served over rice. I had Miriam and Jenny over one night (they did laundry…) and we made pizzas together. Oh the joys of having an oven. A bunch of us went to Ryan’s for dinner one night too. We ate lamb shoulder in a tomato and pea sauce and for dessert we had flambéed nougat. INCREDIBLE! Emma, Jenna, and I have also had a couple of dinner dates…the first was at Emma’s and we made Jambalaya and had crepes for dessert and the second was at my place and she made us a yummy chicken and tarragon dish with sundried tomatoes. Lastly, I made some Ma Ba Tofu at Chantal’s one night, which was as usual very tasty.

- - January 15-16…protests and demonstrations in Tours! The XVI Congrès du Front National (right-leaning party) held their conference in the city. The star of the conference was Mme. Le Pen (for the French and politically minded that means more…). Nevertheless, there were fires in the streets, people protesting, tons of police, the army, water cannons, and streets closed off.

-
- And, my place is finally “done”! On January 15, my landlords had a “Galette Party” to celebrate the completion of their work. They have been working on this place for 18-months! It is incredible the work that has been done…WOW! Now they are doing little things here and there.

Well, those are my updates for now…there is always new stuff happening and going on, but I think that should give you all an idea of what I have been doing lately. School is also going well, just wish I was in the classroom more. I have started pen pal letters with one of my classes at Ecole Victor Hugo. They are going to write letters to Kaitlyn’s old class (student teaching) and are very excited about it. I am helping another class prepare for a trip they will be taking to England at the end of the year…maybe I will get to go too! And, I am reading “Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you see?” to my little ones.

It’s great to be reconnected with you all…via the internet and my blog! I have 25 days till I return to the states for a “working vacation”…

With love, Alex

Computer Problems....

2011-01-11T05:34:00.002-05:00

For all you avid readers of "Le Quotidien d'Alex"....I just wanted to let you know that there will be few updates over the course of the next weeks...My computer is having problems and is being repaired at a store in Tours. Thus, I use the computers at my schools....meaning I have limited computer and internet usage. Yes, it sucks, but "C'est la vie..."

“The Tourist” starring Kaitlyn Evans and Alexander Jue*

2011-01-01T09:44:00.004-05:00

We have definitely done our fair share of traveling over the past few weeks...from a week in Rome to a few days in Paris.

We spent Christmas in Tours...making it home just in time after our late arrival into the Paris Beauvais airport and getting stuck behind two salt trucks (for two-hours) on our bus ride from the airport into the center of Paris. Needless to say, we made it into Paris on 12/23....and home to Tours by Christmas Eve.

When we arrived in Tours on Christmas Eve morning we headed to my house to drop of our luggage and then immediately to Carrefour to get groceries for the week and for our Christmas Eve dinner. We were worried that we were not going to make it home in time (at least before the grocery stories closed) and would be stuck eating yogurt for dinner... Thank God we made it!

For our Christmas Eve dinner Kaitlyn and I had three “courses”...For our first course we had buttered slices of toasted baguette with goat cheese and raspberry jam, our second course was a spinach salad topped with grapes, pears, goat cheese, caramelized pecans, and a homemade dressing, and for our main course we made salmon with an herb butter and sides of couscous and broccoli. It was all delicious! For dessert we “made” cookies...I purchased pre-made butter cookies and Kaitlyn and I decorated them with frosting (powdered sugar, milk, water, and lemon juice/strawberry jam) and colored sprinkles. I purchased a mini oven....but did that cookie baking would be for another day. Kaitlyn and I needed to figure out a way to make cookies....so this was our solution.

On Christmas Day we woke up around 10:30-11AM and made crepes for breakfast. We then opened presents (thanks to my mom and Kaitlyn there were things to open)! I got some really fun things...nothing extravagant, but little things that are just great to have now (highlights include: alcohol infused whipped cream, a book of hangman puzzles with scratch off letters, a funny book on ethnic stereotypes, mini bonsai trees, Time Magazine’s Review of 2010...). After opening up presents Kaitlyn and I went on a walk around Tours; we explored the botanical gardens, walked along La Loire, and enjoyed the beautiful day. We came home and hung out together....and eventually made a quiche for dinner.

The day after Christmas we went to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows...it was very good and I look forward to seeing the second half of the movie.

On Tuesday we left for Paris; we spent a few days exploring the sites. It was wonderful...though Kaitlyn was a little sick. We went to: the top of the Arc de triomphe to see the Champs Elysees all lit up for Christmas, the Grand Palais to see the BVLGARI exhibition (very impressive), Pere Lachaise (saw Jim Morrison’s, Moliere’s, and Oscar Wade’s graves), the second floor of the Eiffel Tower (after waiting for more than 2 hours), the Musee Marmottan Monet to see a exhibition on Monet (not the highly publicized one that is going on in Paris...with waits up to an hour and a half), and the Maison Europeene de la Photographie (an incredible photography museum in the Marais neighborhood). And, we of course saw: Notre Dame, the Louvre, the Gardens of Luxembourg and the Tuilleries, and TONS OF PEOPLE! Note to self....NEVER go to Paris right before New Year’s...it is CRAZY!

Nevertheless, we had a wonderful time...but are very happy to be home in Tours! We will be bringing in the New Year together...very low key. I will make something yummy for dinner, Kaitlyn will sleep and get better! Who knows if we will even make it to midnight....but again, do we really have to?

Happy 2011 to everyone!
-Alex and Kaitlyn

*Title “inspired” by the actual movie “The Tourist” that we saw while in Paris. we thought the movie would be a great way to tie our trips in France and to Italy together! :)

Kaitlyn’s arrival and vacation in Italy

2010-12-24T11:52:00.011-05:00

As of December 5, Kaitlyn has been in France! After finishing up her student teaching in Wooster, Kaitlyn decided to come and visit me for five weeks. This is her first time to Europe (and in my book, her first real time out of the country…Niagara Falls is in a different league). Anyways, we have been enjoying our time together, getting ready for Christmas, spending time walking around Tours, trying to visit chateaux (we have successfully visited Langeais), and much more….but, the highlight of our time together has been our week long trip to Italy.

Kaitlyn and I left for Italy on December 17 (after successfully completing all my necessary paperwork/formalities with immigration at OFII). Our trip included stops in Rome, Florence, and Pisa. On 12/17, we traveled from Tours to Paris Beauvais (a regional airport outside of Paris) and eventually to Rome….where we spent our first few days. This was my second trip to Rome so I had the chance to revisit some things, as well as see a lot of new and different sites/museums/etc.

DAY ONE: ROME

We arrived in Rome very early Friday morning (around 12:30AM). We were worried that we were going to get in and not get to our hotel in time…since some European hotels close the front desk after midnight. Nevertheless, we made it to our hotel (Hotel Tempi). The hotel was really cute, offered free breakfast (good job Kaitlyn), and not far from the train station in Rome.

Our exploring did not start right way though. We rested and woke up around 9AM to start our first day of sightseeing in “The Eternal City”. After showering we headed down for breakfast (which was quite interesting…a selection of rolls, deli meats/cheese, cereal, and coffee drinks). Regardless, it was food and saved us a lot of money in the long run!

Kaitlyn and I purchased a “ROMA PASS” while in Rome. The passes cost us 25 Euros each and got us free admission into our first two museums/sites in Rome, reduced admission into every museum/site thereafter, and free transportation on Rome’s subway system. It was very worth it!

We started our first day of exploration in Rome by heading to the center of Rome via (1) Santa Maria Maggiore a beautiful church not far from the colosseum, (2) the Colonna Triana a column documenting one of many Roman battles, (3) the Monumeto a Vittorio Emnuelle II a gorgeous white building standing about a quarter of a mile from the Colosseum, and (4) Do-Do a restaurant were Kaitlyn ate some delicious pasta and I ate yummy lasagna. After lunch, we headed to the Colosseum…here I finally realized how peaceful and non-touristy the wintertime is in Italy! Last time I came to Rome with my sister, we were swarmed with vendors trying to sell us something, people dressed as gladiators trying to get pictures with us so they could have our money, and lines that would last for at least an hour…but NOT NOW! It was wonderful! Day one concluded with a visit to the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, the Museo Nazionale Romano, and the Spanish Steps.

DAY TWO: ROME

On our second day in Rome, Kaitlyn and I visited the Vatican (including: Saint Peter’s Basilica, the Sistine Chapel, and the Vatican Museums). It was an absolutely beautiful day in Rome! There were amazing blue skies and the weather could nto have been more perfect. We had looked at the weather forecast for Italy before we left and it said RAIN, RAIN, and RAIN….so we were excited to not see a cloud in the sky. Our day ended with some delicious gelato (Kaitlyn’s first real taste of Italian ice cream) and coffee at the Piazza del Popolo.

DAY THREE: ROME

I think that our third day in Rome was my favorite. We went to the Castel Sant’Angelo an old castle/fort that guarded the city; it was amazing! We climbed to the top of the castle and had gorgeous views of St. Peter’s Basilica, as well as the rest of Rome. The last time I was in Rome, my sister and I did not have the chance to go into the castle…so this visit was very exciting to me. Another highlight of my day was going to a restaurant called 00100…it was mentioned in the NY Times travel section (“36 hours in Rome”). Kaitlyn and I got pizza and a fried rice ball….all of which were so good! We ended the day with a visit to another museum (Museo Nazionale Romano).

DAY FOUR: ROME-FLORENCE

We picked the perfect day to travel from Rome to Florence. If I learned anything from my last trip to Italy it was that things are closed on Mondays… So, with this being said, Kaitlyn and I decided that Monday would be the perfect day to make the train ride from “The Eternal City” to “The Renaissance Capital”. We left Rome midday and took a long-train (4-hours…we lost 2-hours in Florence, but saved us 50 Euros). When we arrived in Florence, we checked into our hotel and immediately began to explore the city…which was covered in SNOW. First we headed out to find a brush for Kaitlyn…she “lost” hers in Rome (it was later found in her suitcase…), and then we had dinner at what was my favorite restaurant in Italy during this visit. Kaitlyn and I ate at La Grotta Guelfa. I chose a fixed menu that included: a glass of wine, water, an Italian espresso, a crustini sampler (white beans, tomatoes, pate, mushrooms), cheese ravioli with a tomato sauce and peas, chicken scaloppini with mushrooms, and a piece of cake with this delicious chocolate layer! Kaitlyn went for something a little lighter…she had a glass of wine and pasta with carbonara sauce. After dinner we just walked around Florence and saw the city lit up for Christmas.

DAY FIVE: FLORENCE

When we woke up on Tuesday for our first official day of exploring in Florence the sky was hazy and the ground was still slippery from the snow/ice combination. Nevertheless, we headed to the Piazzale Michelangelo where we had gorgeous views of Florence…though slightly hazy. We also visited the San Miniato al Monte a gorgeous green and white church that sits in the hills overlooking Florence. Again, we were so lucky to be in Florence when there was a tourist-low…we could only imagine how packed these two sites would have been during the late summer months! We descended from the hills of Florence slowly…making a snowman along the way…and headed to a restaurant recommend by The Cleveland Plain Dealer. Oliandolo is about two blocks from the Duomo (Florence’s main church) and changes it’s menu daily. I had a tart-like/quiche-like dish that had a layer of pasta in it…very tasty and interesting. Kaitlyn had a salad with tuna, AMAZING cheese, green beans, and some other stuff… It was then gelato time before we ascended into Giotto’s bell tower, went to the Uffizi galleries, and thought about having dinner at Za-Za (a restaurant that two of my friends—Heather and Jenny—said was a must go to place).

DAY SIX: FLORENCE

On our third day in Florence we headed to see Michelangelo’s David, the Santa Maria Novella and Santa Croce churches, and the Plazzo Vecchio a fortress-like townhall turned into a museum.

DAY SEVEN: FLORENCE-PISA-PARIS-(TOURS)

We left Florence on 12/23 with the intention of being home in Tours late that night (1AM on 12/24)… Kaitlyn and I left Florence around 11AM to head to Pisa where we would be flying out of to get to Paris. While in Pisa we made a stop at the Leaning Tower of Pisa…because that is what you do in Pisa! It was pretty cool to see, but not as tall as I had imagined it would be. It was, however, a gorgeous day (probably 55-60 degrees). We spent about 3-4 hours in Pisa before heading to the airport where both Kaitlyn and I sat biting our nails constantly calculating if we would have enough time from our landing in Paris Beauvais (9PM) to get into the center of Paris to get to Gare Austerlitz for our train (10:52PM) to Tours.

In the end, we did not make our train to Tours…we spent the night in Paris. We found a hotel around 1AM and slept till 5AM. We spent about 25 Euros/hour for our hotel room/bed. We finally got back to Tours at about 10AM on Christmas Eve…with enough time to get groceries for our Christmas Eve/Day dinner!

Well, another trip to Italy has come and gone…and what an incredible time and trip it was!

Off to Paris for a few days,
-Alex and Kaitlyn

My New French Friend

2010-12-02T06:20:00.004-05:00

Last night I met Chantal, a 58-year old retired teacher. She sent an email to all of the elementary school English assistants looking for someone to spend a couple of hours with a week. I respond yes…and yesterday we had our first “meeting” (if I should call it that).

I am really excited about this opportunity. Chantal did the same thing last year with another assistant named Diana (who is now in Brazil) and they spent time together cooking, walking around Tours, going to the movies, shopping for groceries, etc. Chantal speaks English and is doing this purely for her pleasure. She hopes that her English will improve, she will make a new friend, and she can help me perfect my French.

I arrived at Chantal’s beautiful home (filled with furniture and art from Asia and Africa) around 5:30PM. I was late….I misread the email (which had actually said 5:00PM). I get confused because the French use military time so whenever I see 17h00 I never think 5:00PM right away. Anyways, I made it and we had a cup of tea together and she went over the emails I sent her and corrected all the grammar/word usage for me! It was great! When we were talking she would stop me mid-sentence to correct my verb conjugations, prepositions, and masculine/feminine problems with nouns. I met her husband (Francois) and granddaughter as well….who I think I will be seeing regularly when I go to her home.

We are going to meet once a week (at least)….most likely every Wednesday around 5PM. I am looking forward to my next visit to her home….when Kaitlyn will accompany me! She will learn some French and Chantal will be forced to speak English! ;)

Thanksgiving…in France

2010-11-26T10:07:00.001-05:00

I am thankful for so many things this year. I am thankful for my supportive family and friends (who were as excited as I was that I was going to France for an academic year to teach English). I am thankful that I have a job during a time when the unemployment rate is almost 10 percent in the United States and even higher for people my age. I am thankful for the friends that I have made in France, the ones that helped make this year’s Thanksgiving just as special as the other ones that I have celebrated. But, I am especially thankful to know there are so many people who love and care about me back in the United States. Though I am thousands of miles away from home I have received letters, packages, facebook posts, blog comments, and emails filled with love and support….It is amazing to know that so many people are following me on my journey as an English assistant in Tours, France.

Well, as you all can most likely guess, this year’s Thanksgiving was not “normal”. Once you set foot outside of North America, the idea of Thanksgiving is so foreign that you find yourself trying to “do your best” to make just another Thursday something extra special.

Thursday, November 25, 2010—I did not have the day off, I did not have my family around me, and I did not have a house filled with the smells of turkey, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, and other Thanksgiving goodies cooking in the oven. It was like any other Thursday in France…I went to work, I came home and ate lunch, and I returned to work… In my classes I talked about Thanksgiving and in some I had the opportunity to make turkeys (out of the students’ hands). Three of my four classes went really well, though my fourth one was terrible! I had to end the class early because the students were so bad (talking, not sitting still, laughing, dancing, moving their chairs and desks….)…and they are 9-10 years old, so not even the little ones! I think they were so distracted by the fact that today was the first snow in Tours…

When classes were over, I went to the grocery store and bought a bottle of the 2010 Beaujolais Nouveau (it’s tradition back home to have a glass on Thanksgiving) and some bread. I then came home and started preparing my contribution to the Thanksgiving meal that was going to be later on in the day (around 7:30PM). I was in charge of the mashed potatoes…not too difficult and quite different than preparing a bunch of dishes over the course of a whole morning/afternoon! I peeled a 2.5-kilogram bag of potatoes and after boiling them added 8 cloves of garlic (YUM), milk, sour cream, butter, chives, salt, and pepper. They were delicious! I then got ready to head to Ryan’s where we all would be eating and celebrating Thanksgiving.

Jenna, Molly, and I arrived at Ryan’s a little after 7:30PM; the house was filled with smells of Thanksgiving! It was so exciting! And though Ryan was not able to find a whole turkey, we managed to have two turkey-loin-like-things (it was white meat turkey and tied up in the shape of a short, thick pork loin). They were absolutely delicious and tender! And, in addition to the turkey (cooked with bay leaves, potatoes, chestnuts, and mushrooms) we had: sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, spinach casserole, salad, macaroni-and-cheese, corn, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and bread! It was perfect! Our potluck-style Thanksgiving worked out really well. There were 12 people total…a mix of Thanksgiving-virgins (French and Brits) and hardcore Thanksgiving-going-Americans.

All in all it was a great way to celebrate Thanksgiving…though I wish I could have been in the States with my family! Needless to say, it was not “just another day” in France.

-Alex

Cultural happenings in Tours, France

2010-11-22T05:25:00.001-05:00

Over the past few weeks I have had the opportunity to see three French films, attend the “Festival of Language” (Festival des langues), and do my fair share of bike riding and crepe making in Tours. Am I becoming French? No. Am I appreciating the fact that I am in France? Yes!

A while back I wrote about a movie theatre in Tours called La Studio (I saw “The Social Network” there). La Studio shows both mainstream and indie-like movies in their original languages. In early November, I saw a movie called “La Princesse de Montpensier”; it recounted the fictional story of the Princess of Montpensier in 11^th century France. In my opinion, the film was not great, though the actual filming technique was very well done, as were the costumes. In the middle of November, I saw a much better (and funnier) film called “Potiche” (which roughly translates into trophy wife). This film was unlike many other French films I have seen. The movie seemed to have a more intriguing plot and there were multiple times when I laughed! It was almost like an American film… Anyways, the film takes place in France in the 1970s and follows the story of a family who owns an umbrella factory. One day the husband becomes sick and it is the responsibility of the rest of the family to run the factory. And, most recently, I saw “Elle s’appelait Sarah” (She was called Sarah). This film is about an American journalist who lives in France. She is working on a story about the French and their role in WWII regarding the Jews. The journalist attempts to discover the story behind a girl named Sarah who was kept at Vél d’Hiv before her transport to a concentration camp. It was excellent and very well done. It may have shown in the states (half of the film is in English and it stars Kristin Scott-Thomas).

This past weekend I attend the Festival of Languages in Tours. The festival is held annually in Tours and showcases different countries from around the world with cultural displays, language classes, and music/dance performances. This year’s festival was November 20-21. At the festival I had the opportunity to take four language classes…I attempted to learn some Arabic, Italian, Vietnamese, and Chinese. Each class was about 50 minutes long and was organized by the respective cultural organization in Tours. Next time you see me….you can ask me to say something in one of these languages….

More regularly, I have been riding my bike to and from meetings, classes, and events. I am so fortunate that my landlords let me borrow their extra bike! It is so wonderful for getting to the bus stop…I can sleep 15-20 minutes more because I do not have to walk! And, it’s also great when I oversleep or need to be somewhere in 5 minutes!

Crepes! YUM! So, ever since I had crepe night at my house….I LOVE MAKING THEM! They are so easy and delicious to make. I have figured out the proportions to make two crepes with: 1 egg, ½ cup of flour, ¼ cup of milk, ¼ cup of water, dash of salt, and 1 tablespoon of melted butter. This means that whenever I want a sweet snack, I can mix all of the above ingredients together and have two crepes (to fill with whatever I want) in less than 10 minutes! My favorite type to make is with apples and cinnamon sugar. I put one sliced apple in a bowl and add about a tablespoon of butter, tablespoon of sugar, and ¼ tsp. of cinnamon. Then I microwave it for about 1 minute and stir the mixture; I do this until the apples are soft and the sugar and cinnamon has created a caramel-like substance.

This is all for now…I have to get ready for my busy week ahead of me. In addition to my classes (which will be getting Thanksgiving lessons), I have to film an English sport called netball with the other primary assistants on Tuesday afternoon, I am hosting fondue night at my place on Tuesday or Wednesday night, I have a session on Wednesday morning where I will be teaching English to adults with some of the other assistants, and I have Thanksgiving on Thursday! And then…before I know it…Kaitlyn arrives on December 5!

Julia and Alex

2010-11-19T06:23:00.003-05:00

I was inspired by the movie “Julia and Julie”, but also encouraged by my friend Katharine to document not only the places I saw, people I met, and events I attended, but also the food I ate.

Weekly, I have a 25-Euro budget on groceries—this is roughly $35 to spend on all the ingredients and food I need to feed myself for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. For some, this might not be a challenge at all, but for me (coming from a family that appreciates food and frequently dines-out) this is, in fact, a true challenge.

My first trip to the grocery store (Carrefour) was quite pricey; I purchased the basics, the necessities, and the “everydays”. I knew that I would not be able to cook without (1) herbs/spices, so I purchased salt, pepper, basil, thyme, oregano, dried garlic, dried onion, and cinnamon, (2) oil and vinegar, (3) potatoes and onions, (4) sugar, and (5) Dijon mustard. With these items, I believed that I had the “bones” for preparing a wide range of meals.

This week’s menu featured four “star” dishes: (1) duck confit with navy beans, (2) pork chops with cinnamon apples, (3) potato and leek soup, and (4) spinach, mushroom, and goat cheese crepes. But, it also featured some salads, other soups, sandwiches, omelets, and pasta.

Sunday night I made my first “stock”…if I can truly call it that! Earlier in the day I had purchased fresh leeks and celery from a local market. I was going to use them in the duck confit and the potato and leek soup, but I did not want to waste the tops of either of these vegetables. So I thought to myself, what can I make with celery leaves and the hard green part of leeks? I had onions, I had carrots, I had fresh garlic, and I had plenty of dried herbs to make a “stock”. I filled a pot with water and all the above ingredients; I hoped that after an hour or so of simmering on the stove I would have a decent “stock”. Well, it wasn’t bad, but it didn’t have that chicken flavor (since I did not have bones to add)…so, naturally, I add two bouillon cubes. This stock became the base for chicken noodle soup and would later be used in the duck confit and the potato and leek soup. My next stock will have duck bones in it, so I, hopefully, will not have to add any bouillon cubes!

On Monday, I had chicken noodle soup for lunch and made dinner with Jenna (another assistant who is becoming my dinner buddy (since we both live by ourselves and close to each other, we thought this would be a fun idea). Jenna came over for dinner and we made a salad with grilled chicken, tomatoes, chickpeas, onions, celery, and homemade croutons. This was all tossed in a homemade dressing—which was a little too mustardy. Next time we will not add as much Dijon…it’s not like the Dijon in the states! For dessert, Jenna made amazing hot chocolate! It was as simple as heating milk over the stove and adding powdered hot chocolate mix and a bar of milk chocolate.

Tuesday’s lunch was leftover salad and a ham, cheese, and onion omelet. I have truly started to appreciate leftovers…not that I did not love them back home, but I am growing more accustomed to eating the same thing 2-3 meals in a row! For dinner I made pasta and topped it with grilled chicken and broccoli. With dinner I made some homemade garlic bread…without an oven! It was very good! I heated up a pan with olive oil and melted some butter and dried garlic in a bowl in the microwave. I then slathered some day old bread with the garlicky mixture and toasted it in a hot pan! I will be making this garlic bread again. And, this just goes to show you do not really need an oven to cook…though I wish I had one to make tarts.

Wednesday’s meals consisted of chicken noodle soup for lunch and duck confit over navy beans with garlic mashed potatoes and green beans for dinner. The duck confit over navy beans was very good, with the exception that it was on the salty side (but I usually do not add salt to my dishes…and duck is on the saltier side). I am going to work on a way to fix this. The problem, I think, was that I purchased canned navy beans….so they had been sitting (for God knows how long) in a salty brine. I opted for the canned beans because they cost me 0,56 Euros, while the hard beans cost 3,50 Euros. I said to myself, “Alex you will make this work”. I ended up not soaking the beans overnight since they were already soft and went right to the second step of the recipe. I started by adding the canned beans, carrots, onions, celery and some stock to a pot. I brought it to a boil, reduced it and let it simmer for about 45 minutes. I then added two legs of duck, allowing their fat to melt into the navy bean mixture. Cooking the duck took about 10-12 minutes. However, the interesting part of preparing the meal was peeling the potatoes without a ”normal” peeler….I used a knife-like peeler and thought I was going to cut my fingers off the entire time! In the end, I successfully peeled 6-7 potatoes and had all ten fingers. The green beans were easy to make and at the end I added some fresh parsley, garlic, and butter.

On Wednesday night I also made the potato and leek soup. Since I was in “the groove” of peeling potatoes…I thought why not peel a handful more for the soup. The soup was easy to make and involved sautéing onions and leeks in butter, then adding chicken broth, and then the potatoes. The soup then simmers until the potatoes are velvety-soft and easy to mash. I mashed the potatoes into the broth with a slotted metal spoon….no food processor to blend it all up, but still delicious!

Thursday’s lunch was potato and leek soup…and dinner was crepes! I invited Jenna, Jenny, and Miriam over to my place to make crepes (and do laundry…I am the only one that has a washing machine…so naturally they wanted to use it!). I invested in a crepe pan at Carrefour…at a cost of 9,20 Euros; I thought that I would use it enough…so it was a worthy investment! We made spinach, ham, onion, mushroom, and goat cheese crepes. They were very good, but my crepe batter needed to be tweaked after the first one. But, now, I have the recipe down and it is SO EASY! I can make crepes for snacks in a jiffy! For the crepes’ filling, we sautéed garlic, mushrooms, onions, and ham in a pan and then added this mixture to the actually crepes with raw spinach and goat cheese. We then put the crepes back on the stove to melt the cheese and wilt the spinach. Nevertheless, the best was dessert! We made dessert crepes and had so many options to choose from! I brought out all of the potential toppings/fillings and set them on the table and we all went at it. I had peanut butter, nutella, raspberry jam, honey, sugar, lemon juice, and bananas on the table. Jenna made a (1) raspberry-nutella and (2) peanut butter crepe…Jenny made a (1) sugar-lemon and (2) raspberry-nutella crepe…Miriam made a (1) sugar-lemon and (2) nutella crepe…and I made a (1) peanut butter-honey-banana crepe and (2) nutella crepe. THEY WERE ALL DELICIOUS and enjoyed with a pot of tea.

Friday I had potato and leek soup for lunch and a cinnamon apple crepe (INCRDIBLE!)…for dinner I had leftover duck confit. Friday was not that exciting of a day. On Saturday, I went out for lunch…so I cheated! I went to a place called Mezzo di Pasta and got some pasta with an Indian-like curry sauce. For dinner I had more leftovers…duck confit.

Sunday I made thyme covered pork chops over cinnamon apples with green beans and mashed potatoes. This is another “keep dish”…but, again, I don’t know if any of these dishes were not! I coated a pork chop with dried thyme, pepper, and salt…I then cooked it in a pan until tender. I removed the pork chop and then added apples, lemon juice, sugar, and cinnamon to the pan…this mixture cooked for about 2-3 minutes (until the apples were tender and a caramel-like sauce was made).

Well, those were all my meals for the past week. It was really fun to document them and I know that it will not be my last. This week’s meals include: (1) chicken curry with red peppers, onions, potatoes, and green beans over basmati rice, (2) avgolemono soup (a velvety-chicken based-lemony soup), (3) lemon scaloppini of pork, (4) chicken marsala over pasta, and (5) Swedish pancakes (Jenna will be making).

Enjoy reading (as always…I hope)! And, if you want more details on a dish…don’t hesitate to ask!

Cheers from France…Chef Alexander!

Gorgeous Fall day at the Chateau de Chenonceau

2010-11-08T09:40:00.001-05:00

This past Sunday, I went to the Chateau de Chenonceau with Emma, Jenny, and Jenna. It was slightly overcast, but we had checked the weather and it said “no rain”…

Emma drove to Chenonceau, so we did not have to worry about figuring out train and bus schedules. This was nice because last week our visit to Chambord was postponed because of a cancelled train! It is quite wonderful that we have all befriended a Brit…with a car!

Chenonceau is situated directly over Le Cher (the other main river in the region, besides La Loire). It was constructed in the 16^th century, was once home to Catherine de Médicis (1519-1589), and is known as “The Chateau of Women” because of its all female occupants.

We got to Chenonceau at about 11AM and spent about 1.5 hours touring the chateau and its gardens (which were not as impressive as Villandry’s). However, the inside of the chateau was gorgeous; it is a four-story high chateau, so there was plenty to see from the copper coved kitchen to the grand hallways to the warm fires. And, luckily, we were able to tour almost the entire chateau (there were only 2-3 rooms that were closed off). Yet, inevitably, after we toured the chateau it started to rain, so we headed into town and grabbed lunch.

All in all Chenonceau was absolutely breathtaking…but whether it is my favorite or not…I am not too sure!

PARIS, CDUR, and FRIENDS!

2010-11-01T14:36:00.003-04:00

I just got back from four days in Paris, where the weather was perfect and the company could not have been better! I have been on break for about a week; it is the Toussaints Break in France (Toussaints or All Saints Day is November 1). What a tough life it has been for me…after about two weeks of work, I have ten days of vacation and I have already been paid for the month of October!

So, since our arrival in France, Katharine and I had been talking about a mini-Wooster-reunion in Paris. We knew that it would happen…even if it just meant the two of us would be there by ourselves. With there being six Wooster graduates in France this year (all in different parts of France, doing the same teaching program as us), we thought it would be wonderful to meet up with our former college French professor (who is currently on her sabbatical in Paris working on the memoir of an American author who lives in France) and share our teaching experiences amongst each other. In the end, after the invitation was extended to everyone, three of us made it to Paris…and we truly had an amazing time!

Coming from three different areas of France—Katharine in Marseille (south, 4 hours), Lucy in Cambrai (north, 2 hours), and myself in Tours (central, 1.5 hours)—we decided to coordinate our travel so that we would be able to meet up on Tuesday, October 26. I left Tours around noon on Tuesday; I had an expected arrival in Paris for around 3PM…key word being “expected”. However, I did not arrive in Paris until 8PM. There was work being done on the railroad tracks between Orleans and Paris, so my train had to stop in Orleans. I was in Orleans for about 3-4 hours before I could leave for Paris. So, with my newly acquired “free time”, I toured the oldest hotel in the city and looked around the city’s gothic cathedral. I was finally on my way at about 6:30PM…

We all planned on meeting at Notre Dame de Paris at 8PM, but, with my delays, we met up at around 9PM instead. When we finally met up, we had a big group hug and were on our way. Katharine, Lucy, and I had dinner around 9:30PM at a small, quiet restaurant in the Quartier Latin; we all ordered salads and shared our teaching and French experiences amongst each other. Katharine is working with high school students (she only works on Mondays and Tuesday…) and Lucy is with middle school students…so we were able to cover all levels of the French education system in our conversation, as well as our experiences with the strikes! Katharine had said she had days where she had only a handful of students in classes and Lucy said that one day a group of middle school students refused to leave the courtyard (they had sent out a Facebook message to strike). All in all, it was wonderful to catch up with the two of them; it was the first time we had all seen each other since our graduation in May 2010!

On Wednesday we met at Le Centre Georges Pompidou (modern art museum); Lucy and I had never been before so we decided that it would be a great place to visit. We spent about three-hours in the museum before we grab lunch at a falafel restaurant (known because Lenny Kravitiz once stated it had “the best falafel in the world”). After lunch in the Marais, we headed to the 14^th to meet up with our former college French professor (Carolyn Durham)!

We arrived chez Carolyn around 4PM (see our excitement in photo below). As we headed up the stairs, the anticipation and excitement was building. We could not wait to see Carolyn; we had come to Paris for this very thing! :) When we got to her apartment she showed us around (it was French, so it was a minute and a half tour tops!) and then we sat down to talk about our experiences. It was absolutely wonderful to share our teaching experiences with the person who had recommended us to apply to this program, let alone guided us in all of our French endeavors at Wooster! After a little bit of conversation, we headed out for a walk around her neighborhood; she showed us interesting architecture (especially for Katharine—art major), her former apartments (as well as those of famous people), university housing (Cité Universitaire), and, eventually, Parc Montsouris (where we walked around for a bit, taking in the sights of the second largest park in Paris). We could have spent all day outside…the weather was perfect!

But, after about an hour or so, we headed back to her apartment for an apéritif (cocktail/snack before dinner) and continued our conversation about our teaching experiences, as well as French/American politics! We then headed out for a wonderful dinner at one of Carolyn’s favorite Italian restaurants. It was delicious; I had some tortellini with meat sauce, Carolyn also ate pasta, and Lucy and Katharine had pizzas! Yummy! Then dinner finally ended and we had to (inevitably and sadly) head back. We walked Carolyn back to her apartment and began to say goodbye…but then realized we had forgot to document our evening with a photo! Nevertheless, we found a gracious family (in first photo) to take our picture…below you can see both versions! All in all, it was a fabulous day! Katharine, Lucy, and I cannot wait for our next rendez-vous! Marseille? Cambrai? Tours?

On Thursday we met at La Place de la Concorde (place were Marie Antoinette and a 1,000 more people were executed). We did a lot of walking on Wednesday, so we decided that today would be more leisurely…it was, however, not! Our plan was to meet up with a Wooster student who was doing his junior year abroad in Paris (Chris) around 2PM on the lawn of the Eiffel Tower. But, before we met up, we did a mini-photo shoot, found the mini-version of the Statue of Liberty, and bought food for our Eiffel Tower picnic lunch! The three of us did not spend the evening together…we returned to our respective places for dinner. When I got back to Nancy’s (yes, I stayed with Tess’ aunt again…so thankful!), I played Guess Who? with Lexie and Allegra…and then “store” with Lexie.

On Friday we went shopping and met up with Chris and Daniel (another Wooster study abroad-er) in Chinatown! We had lunch at a Chinese restaurant (La Lune...I think). It was very yummy; I had Chinese broccoli and a trio of Chinese meats (duck, roast pork)! While we were there, we also jokingly pretended that we were doing a semester in China program. It was great to head to Chinatown because none of us had been there before (with the exception of Chris and Daniel who said they go there weekly!). After lunch Lucy had to head back to Cambray, so we took her to get her stuff and sent her off to the station. Katharine and I then made evening plans with the former Wooster French language assistant Wooster who lives in Paris (Ceclia). We grabbed dinner at an Italian restaurant, reminisced about Wooster, and enjoyed crepes in front of Notre Dame de Paris before we were all off in our separate directions.

In the end, Saturday finally came around…and I had to pack my bags, leave Paris, and headed back to Tours. All in all, Paris was AMAZING, but very exhausting (lots of walking), so I was glad to head back home… and just in time for Halloween festivities!

Enjoy the photos! Enjoy the blog! I think I am off to the Chateau de Chambord tomorrow!

Chateau de Villandry and Vouvray Wine Tasting

2010-10-30T05:48:00.002-04:00

Now that I am more situated in Tours, I am beginning to take advantage of my weekends. On Saturday, October 16 I went on a visit to the Chateau de Villandry and on Saturday, October 23 I went to Vouvray for a wine tasting. Both of these mini excursions were quite memorable…but in very different ways!

Jenna, Jenny, and I decided to visit the Chateau de Villandry before it was going to get too cold. Villandry is known for its beautiful gardens, so we had to go before they would be taken out. We went on a beautiful fall day; the weather was perfect, there was a cool, brisk breeze, and just enough sun to keep us warm. We decided to take the bus (Fil Vert) to Villandry…the other options were bikes (I am the only one with one), walking (haha), or by car. The bus ride was about 25-30 minutes and took us directly to the chateau. We arrived to Villandry around 10AM so it was well before the rush of tourists…this gave us plenty of time to explore the chateau and gardens leisurely and peacefully.

Here are a handful of photos of our beautiful day at Chateau de Villandry:

Jenny, Miriam, and I planned a Saturday trip to Vouvray. The area that we are all in is known for its chateaux, but also its wine (almost in the heart of wine country). With this being said, we wanted to head to Vouvray (10 minute bus ride) to do a wine tasting and visit the Chateau de Montoucour-Vouvray.

On the contrary to my visit to Villandry, the weather for my visit to Vouvray was terrible! It was cold and rainy, and I found myself running almost 1.5km in the pouring rain to find a place to stay dry. Jenny, Miriam, and I had not really looked at the weather forecast before our departure…so we forgot the appropriate attire (i.e. umbrellas, raincoats, etc.). We also did not do enough research…because the Chateau de Montoucour-Vouvray is a private chateau (meaning no tours). We were, however, able to do a wine tasting and visit a wine museum. Both were “OKAY”…

All in all, lessons learned: (1) look at the weather forecast and (2) make sure you do your research well. We will be returning to Vouvray again…because there are a lot of other places to do wine tastings and tours of wineries!

Here is the sole photo that truly captures the day…Miriam and Jenny are soaking wet from running in the pouring rain and in the distance we can see the Chateau de Montcoutour-Vouvray. Though it is followed by a more cheerful one...food does make EVERYTHING better!

Well, that is all for now! I'm heading back from Paris in a few hours...HAPPY HALLOWEEN! -Alex

NY Times: "In France, Labor Strikes Head for Showdown", Alan Cowell

2010-10-19T07:43:00.003-04:00

So, this is what is going on in France...this is why I am not working AGAIN today!

PARIS — Scores of flights were canceled, drivers lined up for fuel and young people took to the streets of Paris on Tuesday protests over President Nicolas Sarkozy’s efforts to change France’s pension system mounted in advance of a final parliamentary vote on the measures this week.

Labor unions again called for widespread work stoppages and protest marches on Tuesday — the sixth day of national strikes or demonstrations since early September.

Young people threw up barricades of garbage bins to snarl traffic in the Place de la République in central Paris on Tuesday and scuffles between high school students and riot police were reported from there and from the suburb of Nanterre.

Garbage workers, teachers, armored truck drivers supplying automated teller machines and an array of others planned to join the stoppage Tuesday. Protest organizations said more than 260 demonstrations were planned during the day, ratcheting up the battle of nerves between the authorities and unions demanding that the government retreat from reforms as previous administrations did in 1995 and 2006.

The disruption that has been building since the first protest on Sept. 7, compounded by strikes at oil refineries now in their eighth day and blockades of fuel depots have left motorists scrambling to fill up their cars as hundreds of the country’s 12,000 service stations ran out of fuel.

But Mr. Sarkozy has shown no sign of abandoning his plan to raise the minimum retirement age to 62 from 60.

“The reform is essential and France is committed to it and will go ahead with it just as our German partners did,” he told reporters late Monday in the Normandy resort of Deauville, Reuters reported.

He was speaking after talks with Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, which resolved in 2007 to raise its retirement age from 62 to 63 by 2029, in line with a broader European trend. Overall, the continent is aging and, as people live longer with smaller families, fewer young people are available to pay for the continent’s social safety nets.

News reports on Tuesday said a high school in Le Mans, southwest of Paris, was destroyed by arson in the early hours, but it was not clear if the blaze was linked to the protests. Transport authorities in Paris said commuter rail services would be cut by as much as a half. The national railroad authority also announced cancellations of around half its high-speed and normal services on Tuesday, but said the Eurostar Paris-London link would not be affected. The authority said support for the strike seemed to be running at around 30 per cent compared to 40 per cent for the previous stoppage one week ago.

At the Gare du Nord railroad station in Paris, travelers waited on benches then raced for trains running on a reduced schedule. “It’s absolutely absurd,” said Emmanuel de Boos, 56, an author from the western city of Nantes. “We absolutely need to reform the retirement system as it exists today.”

“I think these strikes are more about other things,” he said, likening them to a referendum on Mr. Sarkozy. “He has a lifestyle that doesn’t look like that of everyone. This is a reaction against the elite.”

Yannick Kalu, 25, a student from a northern suburb of Paris, called Mr. Sarkozy’s reforms a “bad idea. For those who began working early in life it’s going to be rough.” But he, too, said the strikes were about the broader issue of Mr. Sarkozy’s rule. “I really do hope it’s going to stop,” he said, but “we can’t hold it against people to worry about their retirements.”

In the central Chatelet neighborhood of Paris, Marie Rodriguez, 35, a middle school teacher of history and geography, said the breadth of the protests “ proves that not only one group is against the reform but that everybody is concerned. I support the strike.”

At Orly airport near Paris, where half of the scheduled flights were grounded, travelers peered at departure boards recording a slew of cancellations and delays.

Martin Raggio, 31, and Alejandro Molettieri, 29, who both work at a beer distillery in Buenos Aires, Argentina, had come to Orly after their train to Barcelona was canceled. “I guess we will wait here, we will sleep here in Orly maybe, until we can leave,” Mr. Roggio said glumly. "We knew about the strike but we were hoping we would be okay.”

At other French airports, around a third of flights were to be affected by the strikes as the test of wills between labor unions and the government intensified.

Presenting himself as a champion of necessary change, Mr. Sarkozy had proposed the retirement measures to help wrest France from the economic doldrums gripping many parts of Europe and to reverse years of declining fortunes before elections in 2012. With a final Senate vote on the measures expected this week and lower house approval already in hand, he believes he can bank on success.

Initially, the vote was set for Wednesday but French news reports said that it could now be held on Thursday or even as late as Sunday, extending the confrontation as the Senate plows its way through some 400 amendments introduced by the opposition. Those tactics will delay, but probably not alter, the outcome.

Mr. Sarkozy “has a clear majority in the two houses, so he has no difficulty in passing the reform,” said Pierre Haski, co-founder of the news Web site Rue89. “But that does not give him legitimacy with the public.”

At worst, Mr. Haski said in a telephone interview, the upshot could be that Mr. Sarkozy emerges from the crisis as a lame-duck president for the next two years. “It is a question of legality versus legitimacy,” he said.

Mr. Sarkozy, who was aiming to be able to present himself for the next two years as a courageous reformer in the national interest, may instead end up with the image of an elitist imposing unwanted reforms on the poor. A widely quoted survey in Le Parisien on Monday said 71 percent of respondents either supported or were sympathetic to the strikers. The telephone poll of 1,002 people was conducted Oct. 15 and 16.

“The government can win it despite threats of violence in the street, despite shortages, or simply by a vote of Parliament,” said Jérôme Sainte-Marie, who heads the polling institute C.S.A. “But these 71 percent translate into the cost of victory: It will be very high.”

He added, “We are looking at a direct confrontation between public opinion and the president of the republic.”

My First Week of Teaching: October 11-15, 2010

2010-10-17T11:21:00.000-04:00

Having never taught in a classroom before, nor having any formal training/classes in what to “do” (except for the two “formations” that I had in France), this past week was exciting, exhausting, and challenging. I still am not in any sort of routine, and I have no idea if “this” is what I might want to do as a career when I return back to the states.

Monday afternoon at 1:30PM is my first class of the week. I head to Ecole Victor Hugo (my closest school) and teach for 45 minutes in a CE2/CM1 classroom (8-9 years old). In this class some of the older kids have already had some English before, but for the first lesson, I focused on doing an introduction to the United States. I showed the class a map of the United States and Ohio, pointing out large US cities along the way, as well as showing them where I was from. We spoke about the differences between the United States and France; I showed the class a handful of photos from the states (postbox, skyscrapers, homes, McDonalds, malls, etc.) to get the ball rolling. I explained to them that on Friday we would begin learning English; this lesson was completely in French.

Tuesday was supposed to be a busy day for me. I am scheduled to be in two different schools (Ecole Jules Verne and Ecole St. Exupery) in a total of five different classes working from 9:30AM-4:30PM. However, classes were cancelled because of a “greve” (strike). Many French people are currently striking Nicolas Sarkozy’s proposed pension reform and increase in the nation’s retirement age from 60 to 62. This meant that teachers in both of my schools were striking, so there were no classes for me to help with. In addition, only 2 out of every 5 buses were supposedly running, so transportation systems were crippled (meaning I most likely would have had trouble getting to the schools if I did have classes). Needless to say, I slept in and had a relaxing day.

Wednesday there was no school for me too, but not because of the strikes. On Wednesdays, primary schools are closed. The idea is that with there being a very strict separation of church and state in France, a free Wednesday gives students the opportunity to attend religious classes at a church, synagogue, mosque, etc. In middle schools and high schools they have the afternoons off and go to school in the morning. Many students use this free day to do sports and other leisure activities/hobbies. I slept in and went out from crepes with some other assistants, followed by a viewing of “The Social Network” at a great cinema that shows a variety of movies in their original language.

Thursday was my busy day this week. I was in two schools (Ecole Jules Verne and Ecole St. Exupery) in a total of four classrooms. It was a good day, with the exception that French students decided to strike the proposed retirement reform. The students were in high schools, so I was not missing any kids in my classes. However, the students decided to strike along my bus route, so my bus was not running in the afternoon. This meant that I need to bike to my afternoon school (not a problem, but the bike ride involves a 45-degree incline). I got to my afternoon school without too many problems and went over my introduction the United States there. In my first school (Jules Verne) I worked with a group of eight CE2 students (8 years old) and a CP class (6 years old). The group of CE2 students had a lesson that mirrored the one I gave on Monday. The CP class and I talked about the American flag and the colors of the flag. Each class was 45 minutes. In the afternoon I changed schools and went to Ecole St. Exupery (where the only problem was getting there).

***The MOST ADORABLE picture from a student!!!***

Friday morning at 10:30AM I return to the class I am in on Monday afternoons. I got to the school just in time to start their first English lesson. Again, there were more protests by high school students on the main street, so I had to bike… We started our first English lesson; I introduced “Hello, my name is…” and “What’s your name?”. I also gave the students American names. Our next class we will talk about how to spell the names…thus, I will be introducing the alphabet to them.

Getting ready for another week…lesson plans, etc. Hopefully the scheduled strikes tomorrow (Monday) and Tuesday will not affect me too much!

-Alex

280 Rue Victor Hugo

2010-10-16T12:46:00.003-04:00

As promised (a while back)...here are some photos of my place in Tours, France.

This one was taken by Miriam..she said "look excited about your house!"

The main hallway in the house. The door to the direct left is my bedroom, the direct right is the kitchen, the far left is the bathroom, and the far right will eventually be some sort of living room...

My desk in my room. Note all the photos of all my family and friends...and of course the screensaver!

My bed, bookshelf, and nightstand

My closet and the door to the hallway.

The bathroom is so wonderful!

The kitchen that is underconstruction....it is supposed to be completed in early-November.

My view out my backdoor--a beautiful garden with roses and grape vines!

So, that is the "chez moi"! -Alex

Musée du GEMMAIL – Art de verre et de lumière

2010-10-15T13:42:00.001-04:00

I just got back from the MUSEE DU GEMMAIL, where I was able to see the art of Gemmail. The technique of Gemmail uses pieces of glass to depict an image; however, Gemmail is quite different from stained glass. There is no lead setting and it is the juxtaposition of layers of glass that is important. This juxtaposition allows for a variety of interesting effects and colors to be created in the piece’s final form (which is illuminated by a light.) The technique of Gemmail was born in the 1950s in Tours by a man named Roger Malherbe Navarre.

It is impossible to put into words what I saw at this museum, let alone into a single photograph. With each piece of art so intricately created, with its many layers and the precise position of every piece of glass, I was instantly astonished and intrigued by what I saw. Many times you can walk into a museum or an art gallery and say ,“Oh, this technique reminds me of [artist]”, but with Gemmail, this was truly the first time I had every seen anything like it! I was amazed!

And, today, was sadly, the Musee du Gemmail’s last day of operation! At 5:30PM, the museum will be closed permanently (because of funding, I assume). With the museum being so small and off the beaten path… the traffic in and out of the museum must be minimal. Thus, I was extremely fortunate to be able to visit today.

Below, are a handful of photos of some of the pieces that I thought were truly incredible. Each of these pieces is composed of roughly an inch of glass layers and is backlit by light. Unfortunately, these photos do not truly capture what I saw…but they should give you all a good idea! Enjoy!

YES...this is made with glass!

You can see some of the layering of glass that creates the Gimmail technique.

All of the pieces created are replicas of pieces of art work (some famous, but many from "newer" artists.

Again, you can see the layering of glass. This was my favorite piece at the museum!

The coloring is amazing...all created by layering and with backlighting.

Tomorrow I am thinking about heading to another chateau (Villandry). I will keep you all posted on that trip (weather permitting).

-Alex

Chateau d'Amboise

2010-10-09T14:45:00.000-04:00

I went on my first chateau visit today! It was a beautiful day in France...about 75*, full sun, and no clouds. All in all, a great day to visit Amboise (about 30 minutes by car from Tours). I went on a mini-roadtrip with another assistant (Emma) and her two friends; we drove to Amboise (instead of taking the train) because Emma has a car!

Amboise is not the largest chateau in the Loire Valley, but it was a good one to start with. It is home to Leonardo da Vinci's remains and home, so that was pretty cool to see. Check out the chateau at: http://www.chateau-amboise.com/.

Here are some of my pictures from my visit today:

Well, that's all for now...I am going to go talk to KAITLYN! :)

What a GREAT day...but very exhausting!

2010-10-07T15:09:00.001-04:00

Today I did observations at one of the three schools that I am assigned to...Ecole Juels Verne. I sat in on classes from levels CP (1st grade) to CM2 (5th grade)--some of the classes were English, others were math, or other subjects.

The school and the teachers are great! This is the school that I will be spending most of my time, so this is a great feeling to have. In addition, the students seemed very enthusiastic about my presence at their school. They were very inquisitive and wanted to share with me all their English vocabulary and phrases. I cannot wait to go back next week...though I have to wait until Thursday because there is a STRIKE on Tuesday (the other day I am scheduled at this school)! Oh the French and their strikes...I have already seen four in my time here (about 16 days).

On another note, I am moved in to 280 Rue Victor Hugo. It is going well so far...the family I am renting from is wonderful and it is a pleasure to have dinner with them and talk about our days. They have a daughter named Emilie who is about 12 or 13. And, it is great that as I am getting situated, I do not have to worry about meals...tonight we had a tomato and chicken tart, carrots, salad, and dessert. Yesterday, we had roast chicken, carrots, salad, cheese, and fruit. Needless to say, I am not starving!

I will post some pictures of my room and place very soon...probably in my next post! As for now, I am so tired from today's observations...I AM GOING TO BED!

-Alex

Immigration documents sent...CHECK, School Assignments...CHECK, Absentee Ballot request form sent...CHECK

2010-10-04T09:09:00.004-04:00

Three more things checked off!

[X] Send documents to French Immigration Office (OFII)

[X] Find out school assignments

[X] Send Absentee Ballot Request Form

Today, we had a meeting where we all signed our contracts (so that we could get paid) and found out more information regarding our work schedules/assignments. I have been assigned to three primary schools in Tours Nord (Northern Tours); I will divide my time among these schools, being an assistant in some classrooms and a teacher in others. I will also be helping teach English teachers how to teach English in their classrooms a handful of times throughout the year.

I have been assigned to: (B) Tours nord, école Victor Hugo - 1h30, (C) Tours nord, école Saint Exupéry 3h and (D) Tours nord, école Jules Verne 3h45. [SEE MAP BELOW - (A) is 280 Rue Victor Hugo]

I will be doing observations in one of these schools tomorrow, and I will work out a schedule with the above mentioned hours so that I am in every school at least twice a week. I will teach in a classroom either Monday/Thursday or Tuesday/Friday. French schoolchildren (after the age of 8) are required to have two 45-minute classes of English a week.

That's all the "exciting" news for now!

-Alex

Housing...CHECK! Bank Account...CHECK!

2010-09-29T11:51:00.003-04:00

I can check two more boxes, as of an hour ago!

[X] Find Housing

[X] Open a French Bank Account

Below is my address in France! feel free to send me TONS of things family, friends, and strangers who read this blog...I move in on October 6, 2010 (so if it leaves the states this week, it will be chez moi in time)!

M. Alexander JUE
chez M. Gerard BOIVIN
280 Rue Victor Hugo
37000 Tours
FRANCE

And, of course a picture of the place! My bedroom is where the open window is...don't be creepin on me! :)

Well, that is all for now. My day should get slightly more exciting because tonight I will be meeting about 10 other English assistants who are teaching in Tours! And, tomorrow, I find out my school!

Love you all, Alex

The ball is FINALLY rolling in France!

2010-09-28T12:07:00.002-04:00

I feel a lot much better about so many things--as of today! This is great, it seems that "France" has started to get its act together!

(1) I have met three other assistants as of today. I met one yesterday afternoon (Sara); Sara is 26 years old and from New Zealand. She was practicing law back home (prior to venturing to France) and is going to be an assistant in a high school. We explored Tours together, had lunch at a Pub-type restaurant (where we both ordered pizzas)...all in all it was nice to meet someone! Today, I met two other assistants (both from the States). Miriam just graduated from Georgia State and majored in International Business and French. She studied in Tours for three weeks, and is so glad to be back. Anyways, we went to the train station to get our 12-25 train cards (for reduced fares) and had lunch at a gyro place...it was DELICIOUS! I also met Matt who is 29 years old and was a French/Spanish teacher in PA prior to his arrival in Tours. He had some visa issues in getting here; it took him 5 times before he was approved! Today, I walked around with Miriam and Matt; we explored a variety of areas and took care of some formalities. Tomorrow night there is an informal assistant reunion...so, I will meet even more anglophone assistants!

(2) The weather started to warm up today! It was sunny and 70 degrees! No more of this 55, cold and rainy stuff!

(3) I received an email from our contact people in Tours. We are having a meeting on Thursday, September 30 to find out our schools and to get acquainted with a few other assistants...it's about time! And, on Friday, we have our formal orientation in Orleans (about 1.5 hours from here). There I'll meet all the assistants in the region of Orleans-Tours!

(4) I am most likely going to have housing as of tomorrow! YES! OUI! I found a place (the one I spoke of earlier) that I think is going to work out well. That piece of the puzzle should be completed....then I can do so many other things because I will have an address.

(5) My dinner tonight is not going to be the usual pesto sauce and pasta I have had for 4 nights straight! I am in the process of making a bruschetta salad and tomato/goat cheese stuffed chicken with a side of pasta...and I bought a tart citron (lemon tart)! I am so excited for dinner tonight! And it was all less than $12...and it will last me for a few nights!

Well, that's all for now from Tours, France!

-Alex

A few pictures from Tours

2010-09-26T14:58:00.000-04:00

I went on a walk today and, naturally, snapped a few photos. Here they are...

(1) Pont Napolean over Loire River (connects Northern Tours with Central Tours)

(2) Streetview looking from Northern Tours onto Pont Napolean and Central Tours

(3) Walking over Pont Napolean (Cathedrale de Tours)

(4) Jacqueline's House...I am staying on the second floor with yellow windows.

The First 24-hours in Tours, France

2010-09-25T14:09:00.003-04:00

It’s been a little over 24-hours since my arrival in Tours (yesterday afternoon); however, the short amount of time did not prevent me from experiencing Tours.

When I arrived I lugged my two 50 lb. suitcases, carry-on bag, and book bag off the train through the train station, down what seemed to be one of the roughest and rockiest sidewalks, and finally to a lovely woman’s house. The walk took me about 35 minutes with all my extra “stuff,” though it could have taken 15 minutes at most without “stuff.”

I am staying with a woman named Jacqueline. I met her online (not as creepy as it seems) through a housing website called leboncoin.fr. She had posted an apartment that was quite nice and relatively affordable—needless to say, I was interested. I sent her an email explaining my situation (being an American, a teaching assistant in Tours, etc.), and she respond saying that the apartment was already rented, but she would be more than happy to assist me. Between all of our emails, she gave me some banking and housing advice and, ultimately, offered to house me for a few days in her place as I got situated. So, that’s how I am here, in her house!

When I got to Jacqueline’s house she showed me around (not too large of a place) and explained to me that this used to be her husband and her house until the were divorced years ago. She said that she bought his half of the house from him and turned the house into eight mini apartments/studios. She has her own space and rents of the rest! Jacqueline is a librarian at a high school nearby, so she likes supplementing her income with the additional monthly income. Anyways, we had a wonderful conversation about our experiences abroad (hers involved greyhound buses, sleeping in train stations, losing her luggage, and not know English, while in the United States), as well as our families. She also shared a variety of information with me (i.e. maps, books, guides, transportation timetables, etc.)—she had prepared a basket of things that would be useful for finding housing and getting situated in Tours. Jacqueline has since left for the weekend to assit her aging parents.

Yes, I have the house to myself. The first night, I got acclimated with Tours (in general) by going to the grocery story (Monoprix) to buy some food for the weekend…I did not want to eat all her food, though it appeared she purchased food for me. I got some pasta, pesto sauce, carrots, grapefruits, orange juice, and the best purchase a recyclable grocery bag. In France, they do not give out grocery bags, so I splurged and spent 0,95 . I had pasta for dinner…and will eat it until it is gone!

This morning I woke up around 11AM (oopsies!), so my housing search and Tours exploration started later than anticipated. The night before I had sent out a ton of emails regarding housing in hopes of finding a place to live…I wanted to set up appointments to visit, etc. I left the house around noon-ish, headed for a variety of places that assist students with housing; however, all were closed! I went to the tourism center, purchased a detailed map of Tours (4,50 ); I figured it was a wise investment seeing that I will be here for 9-months! Meanwhile, I had received a phone call from a woman who is a good friend of one of my Wooster friend’s host mother in Tours (follow?). Anyways, she has an apartment that is of great interest to me. They are currently renovating the entire space…bathroom and bedroom are done…kitchen is still being worked on. They said that it should be ready in 10days. I am really excited about this place, though it is the only place I have physically seen (I have seen tons of places online). It just seems right! The price is very reasonable and the space is gorgeous…it is less of an apartment and more of a house! I’ll keep you all posted on this…because I think this one might be it! Plus, the “landlords” are teachers and offered to help me with resources, etc.

So, Tours…it is beautiful, though FREEZING now! It was about 55* today…a lot cooler than I am used to. Basically, it seems cooler because the temperature dropped from 70* to 55* in the course of one day.

Tours is huge! Jacqueline said that the population (inclusive of suburbs) is probably about 300,000 people….and according to wikipedia, there are about 180,000 people in Tours-proper. There are a handful of main streets, one of which I have walked down a few times. Rue Nationale is a main street with lots of shopping and leads right to the city center (see picture). I do not think that I will find myself twiddling my thumbs here.

That’s all for now….time to go eat some pasta.

-Alex

Off to Tours today!

2010-09-24T07:31:00.000-04:00

Today is the day. After four wonderfully relaxing days in Paris, I am about to embark on the adventure of a lifetime. With that being said, I should be arriving in Tours around 4:40PM. When I arrive, I will be meeting a French woman, Jacqueline, who has so graciously agreed to help/host me for a few days.

I'll let you all know when I am situated. -Alex

People Watching: La Place de Passy

2010-09-23T05:59:00.000-04:00

I just returned from an afternoon with just one errand to complete—to get a new SIM card for my cell phone. The errand took me a whole 15 minutes…but I was gone for almost 3 hours. I walked around some shopping areas (did not buy a thing), made it over to see the Eiffel Tower (because in Paris, that’s what you do), and finally had a midday meal at a café in the 16^th arrondissement’s Place de Passy.

I ordered a quiche filled with goat cheese (chevre), tomatoes, and basil; it was delicious! I also had a small side salad, with the usually French dressing (some combination of mustard, pepper, and oil), and a coke. But, the highlight was people watching…

(1) There was a group of three French kids (I would say about 15-16 years old). They were acting like they were the best things on the block! Smoking away…laughing…giving each other bisous galore…and so much more. Anyways, I watched them during the entire time I was eating; it made the eating experience a lot better, though the full sun and beautiful weather made it wonderful as well! (2) There was this little French girl counting and trading her silly bands...yes, they are a "trend"/'fashion statement" in France!

Well, that’s my story for today.

-Alex

I'm HERE!

2010-09-21T09:32:00.000-04:00

J'arrive en France!

After relatively painless travel from the states...I have made it to Paris. I am extremely jet lagged right now; I just woke up from a three-hour nap (because I only slept for 2-hours on the plane). I am going to go walk around for a bit and try and get a little more adjusted to the time...it's 3:30PM here and I do need to get used to being up! The weather here is gorgeous about 75 degrees and sunny...so I am going to go explore and, hopefully, not get lost. Tomorrow, I am going to try and get my cellphone set up...what a busy day that will be!

Off for a midday stroll (maybe to the Eiffel Tower?)

-Alex

Today's the day....

2010-09-20T11:47:00.000-04:00

Butterflies in the stomach...YES

Will I miss home...YES

Excited...YES

Nervous...YES

Less than ONE WEEK!

2010-09-16T19:12:00.001-04:00

Bonjour tout le monde!

Well, I leave on Monday for Paris! I'll be arriving Tuesday, September 21 at about 7:30AM via US Airways...and from there, we'll see what happens.

I need to be in Tours no later than October 1, 2010 for the orientation program, but I am arriving early to spend a few days in Paris with my best friend's aunt, to figure out my housing situation, and to handle all the formalities of French bureaucracy (social security, socialized healthcare, banking, etc...). My biggest concern is not having housing figured out...I have been searching the internet and have been in contact with a handful of people in Tours. However, everyone assures me that it is not a problem because it is very easy to do upon arrival. We'll see...

As for my contact information...like a phone number or address in France, I am not quite sure yet. I will keep you all posted.

Wish me the best of luck!
-Alex

I'm going to France!

2010-08-30T15:16:00.001-04:00

Bonjour à tous!

Well, by now, many of you already know that I am off to France for the 2010-11 academic year. I accepted a teaching position back in May 2010 through a program sponsored by the French Ministry of Education and Cultural Services at the French Embassy. (http://www.wooster.edu/News-and-Events/News-Releases/2010/April/French-Teaching-Assistants)

I will be spending the next nine months (starting October 1, 2010) in the French city of Tours. Tours is a mid-sized city of a little over 180,000 people located in central France about 1.5 hours southwest of Paris (by train). This past week, I received my arrêté de nomination (work agreement/contract) and have been assigned to a school 2 miles outside of the city center; I will be teaching 6-11 year old children. I am so excited to begin working in the French school system, though, at the same time, very nervous! I have a lot of materials to still gather (i.e. teaching aids/materials), as well as a lot of pre-departure things to still do (i.e. getting my worker's visa in Chicago, buying a plane ticket to France).

That's all for now...I am going to get back to preparing for my departure in less than three weeks! I just wanted to get a short entry composed, so I could send out this blog link to all my family and friends!

-Alex