Time to get down to business.

Jamaican Chicken Noodle Soup!

When January began I had these grandiose, lofty visions of weekly blog posts where I could leisurely and "petit à petit," describe my adventures in my last few months here. Unfortunately, with full weeks and weekends and less than stellar Internet access it hasn't been the case. Now it's almost February, but as January is coming to an end, I can say that I'm quite content with all that I've accomplished and experienced this month. I only have about three months left, and because I know how fast time flies when you're abroad, a friend and I have decided to make a list of things that we want to do before leaving. Some are simple, like trying a cool restaurant we've seen around town, some are more demanding like exploring Basque Country and going South of the border to Spain. In the last few weeks we've gotten a good bit done, and here's some of what I've been up to:

Part of the outside of the church.

1) Taking a day-trip to Lourdes. I didn't really know much about this town outside of the reference to it in the French film "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly," and I was surprised to discover that living in Pau I'm only about 30 minutes away by train. Lourdes is a pilgrimage destination for Catholics all over the world and as such, is also a very touristy, but religiously touristy little town. It's right next to the Pyrenees and quite cold right now. Anyway, here's the short story of why it's a holy town in case like me you had no idea. Back in 1858 a girl named Bernadette saw the Virgin Mary appear 18 times over the course of a few months, in this grotto in Lourdes. On March 25 (my birthday!) Mary said to her: "I am the Immaculate Conception."

Holy water jug

So now people from literally all over the world come to Lourdes to visit the beautiful church erected around the grotto, see where the appearance took place, drink, wash and collect Holy Water in jugs and bottles of various shapes and sizes, from the many spouts erected around the grotto. My friend Sarah and I went a few weeks ago and there were some people, but with the cold there weren't too many. I can only imagine the huge crowds during the spring and summertime. Even though it's a tiny town, I was astonished to see so many hotels all over the place, though most of them were vacant now during the low-season. Overall, Lourdes was a very unique, interesting experience. I consider myself to be a Christian, but at the same time I felt really distanced from everything around me. Maybe it's because of my Protestant upbringing, but I really felt like an outsider looking in during my day in Lourdes. Last thoughts: for me it was kind of sad to see a holy experience cheapened to something that store owners could profit from. I suppose though if pilgrims are getting an enriching experience from their time in Lourdes, that's what counts.

Pau's in the green. Check out the Gator referee!

2) Going to a rugby match! Football (or as I always say with my students to distinguish from soccer, American football)? Forget about it. Over here, especially in the southwest corner of France it's all about the rugbymen. Here in Pau the team is known as the Section Paloise, and a few weeks ago my friends and I saw a match they played against Aix-en-Provence (which we won, woot!). I know, I'm American and as a Gator grad I should say that I prefer football, but honestly watching a rugby game is much more riveting than a football game, in my opinion. The juxtaposition of grace and brute strength left my friends and I in awe during the match.

One of the concert posters. Cool, non?

3) Seeing the OPPB (Orchestre de Pau Pays de Béarn). My roomie and I went to a free student concert last Friday where Pau's orchestra played Tchaikovsky's Pathétique Symphony. It was absolutely beautiful and what was really great was that before the orchestra played the symphony straight through, the conductor talked to the audience about the piece and different themes and melodies to listen for, having the orchestra play examples of what we could expect during the symphony. It was great to see a conductor take the time to make such beautiful music more accessible to the public.

The pastry days continue. A Paris Brest with tea.

4) Chatting with my new conversation partner. After chaperoning on a school field trip to see Dracula with some of my students, I ended up meeting another teacher at the school who knew someone looking for an English conversation partner. After a general meeting Caroline and I have been meeting a few times a week over coffee to spend half our time chatting in English and the other half chatting in French. She's really friendly and I'm grateful to have the opportunity to meet someone new and speak more French. I speak a good bit of French here, but with all of my work done in English I haven't been speaking as much as I would like.

Sewing supplies

5) Going to the Musée Bernadotte. So to add to Pau's list of elite inhabitants is an old general in the French army, Bernadotte. The museum here named after him is actually in his old, traditional Béarnais (referring to the old name of this region) -style house. Things to know about him is that he and Napoleon used to be pretty good pals before the French Revolution and through his travels and meeting the right people this French native ended up getting to be king of Norway and Sweden (Sweet, huh?) A friend and I went to this museum last week and right now they also have an exhibit from a Norwegian artist, created to raise awareness of the many women murdered in Ciudad Juarez in Mexico. This exhibit is basically a bright pink wall with the names of the victims sewed on small pieces of cloth. What's cool is that where this exhibit travels, visitors take a a hand in creating the exhibit, sewing the names of victims on these pieces of cloth (or sewing the word "unknown" in your native language, for the victims who are unidentified). After much longer than I would like to admit due to our less than stellar sewing skills, my friend and I managed to scrape out a very barebones "UNKNOWN" on one of the cloth pieces to add to the exhibit. 

Not the best pic, but the finished product.

Honestly, two weeks here is a lot of time, so it's hard to remember everything. Otherwise it's just been business as usual. Regular pastry days with friends, even in inclement weather. I got a flat on my bike one day and went to visit Andor at the bike workshop, and when I'm in the area I try to pass by and see him even when "tout va bien." It's sales time here (only happens twice a year!) so I picked up a nice, much-needed wallet and cute, not as much needed dress. I tried a Cameroonian restaurant with a friend last Saturday night which was so delicious. With the cooked chicken, rice and plantains it reminded me of the Jamaican food which when at home I use to complain about having all of the time, but now I miss so much!

Petits-fours à la confiture

I'm still trying to whip up some new dishes in the kitchen as well. Going back to my roots, a while back I made some Jamaican chicken noodle soup and on Sunday morning made some cornmeal porridge. Not as good as Mom's, but not bad all the same. At the beginning of this year I marked some of the simpler, more cost effective recipes I wanted to try from the recipe book that my host mom gave me back in Grenoble. I've been pretty good at doing a recipe or two a week. They've all been turning out great except for Sunday's little disaster. I tried to make a soup, and long story short I ended up with mushy, milky pumpkin I couldn't eat (but that my roommate loved). Let's just say that I discovered that regardless of what people here have been telling me, "potiron" and "citrouille" are NOT the same thing. No pictures of the failure, because I don't want to make you barf all over your computer. Instead, check out some of my successes. Until next time!

Sablés. Like shortbread cookies but yummier.

Pilaf à la créole

So this is the New Year.

And yes, I don't really feel much different from before the clock struck midnight. However, when I look back to this time last year, I would say that I'm a bit different. Ever since I returned from studying in Grenoble, I feel that who I am, my personality, my beliefs, my everything has been in a constant state of flux. At the end of last year I found myself ready to settle down and embrace who I am-- ready to rediscover the best parts of myself that I've lost or buried in the last year and a half and embrace the ways in which I've grown and the best ways in which I've changed. For the most part my posts have been more general and not as personal, but this time I felt like sharing a bit more. This year I'm looking forward to taking better care of myself by taking steps to improve myself spiritually, mentally, physically and emotionally. I can be notorious for focusing more on other people and how I need the company of others to lead a full life. This year, I'm going to focus more on me, my interests and achieving my goals.

Before writing the title of this blog I didn't think I was going to start this entry in that direction (thanks a lot Death Cab), but there it is! To move on, this last week has been a nice one. Work wasn't too heavy and I had a few less classes than usual with teachers getting back into the swing of things. It's been nice getting to see friends again after two weeks of vacation. As the beginning of the year gives people the itch to try new things and branch out, my friend and I went to a local gym to try a yoga class. It wasn't what we were expecting, but the instructor and the participants were friendly, so we're thinking of going back to try a class that is more our style. The class we went too was much more focused on breathing, relaxing and the meditation aspect of yoga, which was a little much for me, though it was cool to try a different style. Continuing on the trend of new, I biked out by the university to check out the community center that I mentioned a few posts back where I can possibly volunteer. As soon as I mentioned that I was American the secretary got excited and mentioned that I could maybe help younger kids with their homework (probably English) after school. It would be kind of an extension of my job, but it would be fun to work with a younger group with students on a more personal level. I don't have anything concrete yet so we'll see!

Poster I found in town for the slam concert

On Friday night my friend and I went to a local bar to check out a slam competition. For those who don't know, slam is a type of spoken word, poetry art form that has become really popular here in France with artists like Grand Corps Malade. Outside of GCM, I didn't really know much slam, so it was really enlightening to go to this local competition and seem a variety of "slammeurs." There were men, women and even a much older gentleman who performed a great poem on writing and the importance of expression. Some approached it from more of a rap angle, others sang their poetry, others just recited it as they would another poem. One artist stormed around the bar, reciting his piece at the top of his lungs, grabbing the attention of all of the patrons (including those not there for the performance). There were a few who improvised and weren't the most warmly received and there were those who were "slamming" for the first time and performed with their poem to help them. Some performed at rapid fire speed, blurring words and phrases together, wheareas others performed which such deliberateness that I could understand almost every word. My friend and I only stayed for the first round, but it was such a cool experience to witness this competition, practice French and have an interesting, new cultural experience.

That's pretty much all the fun stuff for now. Some friends and I had a good time enjoying raclette last night (one of the best European dishes ever). After, we had a "galette des rois" (king cake) for Epiphany, complete with a little Smurf toy hidden inside. I hope your first week of 2012 has been a wonderful one. A la prochaine!

La fin de 2011

A downtown plaza in Bruges

Happy New Year! Bonne année! Here in Pau we couldn't have been blessed with a more gorgeous day to ring in the new year. Here's hoping that this glorious day is just a taste of the beauty and goodness to come in the next year.

Right after my last post I took a night train from Pau to Paris to catch a train to Brussels and start a Belgium adventure with my friend Ali. My train left around 10:30pm on December 19th and arrived in Paris around 7AM the next day. It was my first time on an overnight train and it was definitely an experience. I had a "couchette," so I was lucky enough to sleep in a tiny room with four other people (an older gentleman, a college-aged young man, a mom and her young adult/teenage daughter) and all of our luggage. Yes, it was as awkward as it sounded and we weren't even the maximum number of six in the compartment. Sorry, there's no picture of the berth. Because my roommates turned the lights off immediately after the last people entered the cabin, I didn't have the opportunity. Because we weren't cruising to Paris on the sleek and fast TGV, sleeping was also a challenge as the train winded around corners and bumped along the tracks.

First meal in Belgium. Mussels and fries!

So after waking up a little early to make sure I was lucid when we arrived in Paris, I quietly crept out of my compartment with my bag to meet my friend Andria in another car and prepare for our mad dash to the next train station. We took the same train to Paris and both had to switch train stations once we got there to continue our journeys (mine to Belgium, hers to the Netherlands). We hopped off the train, took the metro and in much less time than I anticipated we had made it from Austerlitz station to the North station in plenty of time for our trains.

Does this look like Obama to you?

After a quick hour and a half train ride I finally got to Brussels, waited around a bit for Ali to get there and then we ventured by train to Bruges. By far, both of us preferred Bruges to Brussels. It's a cute town and in spite of the overcast, drizzly weather and the decent number of tourists it still had a certain charm. We stayed at a wonderful hostel with friendly staff and a welcoming, cozy atmosphere. With the help of its inexpensive bar Ali and I were able to try a good number of Belgian beers during our stay. While in Bruges we took a free walking tour of the city, went to a chocolate museum and saw a chocolate "Obama," took a tour of a brewery, visited the Church of Our Lady and saw Michelangelo's Madonna and Child, hung out at the Christmas market, saw some other picturesque areas of the city and most importantly, ate plenty of delicious waffles, chocolate and fries.
                                                                   

On our walking tour of Bruges!

Ali and I had planned on spending two days in Bruges and two days in Brussels, but after seeing signs posted all over our hostel in Bruges saying that there was a going to be a train strike on the day we were planning to leave for Brussels, we realized we would have to change our plans. We grew to really love Bruges and were happy to spend an extra day and when it came down to it, we were sad to say goodbye. We took a train back to the big city of Brussels, went to our swanky (yet not as cozy and comfy hostel) and then went to explore the city in the rain and cold. We didn't do too much because we only had one day, but we ended up visiting the comic book museum there and going to a cool marionette theatre called "Café Toone" where we saw a puppet play in French on a comedic twist of the Nativity and the massacre of the Innocents. It was hilarious and such a fun experience to see a play in this style, because to me, seeing marionettes perform in a tiny theatre like this is the epitome of Europe. These two things and a cool light show for Christmas at the Grand Place were definitely Brussels' gems.

The stage at Café Toone

After a day in Brussels we headed back to Paris on Christmas Eve. With some of Ali's family and Andria who joined us in the city, we had a nice little Christmas in the City of Lights. We went to Christmas Eve mass at Notre Dame, which was definitely an experience. It was the international mass (but still done in French), so the cathedral was full of tourists and there was a huge line outside to enter. It was a bit strange for me to see people walking around, taking pictures and being touristy in the middle of mass, but regardless I enjoyed the opportunity to attend mass at Notre Dame. The music was absolutely beautiful as well. After mass we were treated to a parade of Jewish Parisians celebrating Hannukah and raising awareness for the holiday by driving around in cars with huge, lit-up menorahs gracing the tops of their vehicles. It definitely added to the magic of the evening.

Notre Dame on Christmas Eve

Christmas market by la Tour Eiffel

Christmas day was pretty low-key. Andria and I explored a Christmas market right by the Eiffel Tower and I got hit by a snowball from people "snoeshowing" on an "icy slope," haha. In the evening all of us had a delicious Christmas dinner of lentil stew that Ali's brother made. For dessert we had chocolate, cookies and a "bûche de Noël," a typical French Christmas dessert which is basically a fancy cake with frosting shaped like a log. Yum! As enjoyable as Christmas in Paris was, it really made me realize how much the holidays are centered around family. My friends and I had to constantly remind ourselves that it was Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, because when you're riding the metro across the city or eating a croissant at your hostel for breakfast, it just doesn't sink in, even if there's Christmas music playing or Christmas lights twinkling in the city. I'm so happy to have had this experience, but definitely missed being with my family for Christmas.

See the elf Amélie on the window?

Andria and I only spent one more day in Paris, and with Ali it was again a pretty relaxed day. We visited the Sacré Cœur and hung out in Montmartre by our hostel. We ended up going to the "Café des 2 Moulins," which is the café featured in the popular French film Amélie. It was cool to have a coffee, soak up the ambiance and chat with a cute, friendly waiter. :-) Later in the day we met up with an old French friend I met while studying in Grenoble. It was so great to see her and catch up a bit.

So that, in a very large nutshell, was my vacation. It was great to discover some of Belgium and spend Christmas in a cool city with friends. I was hoping to spend New Year's in an equally cool city, but laziness and bad weather combined forces so that my friend and I just ended up staying here in Pau. Even so, it was a nice New Year's Eve, having dinner and hanging out with friends. Now, I'm preparing (or I should say trying to prepare) to go back to the grind on Tuesday. It was a great vacation and I'm sad to see it go, but a part of me is excited to start working with the students again, see the other assistants who went home/traveled during the vacation and start off my last four months here right. To you and yours, I wish the best and hope that 2012 is the year for you.

But before signing off, I've been cooking a bit and here are some pictures of what's been going on in the kitchen:

Carbonara pasta. Really popular over here!

After coming back from Paris Andria and I had dinner and made this lovely quiche with spinach, broccoli, zucchini, mushrooms, onions, emmental and goat cheeses.

The last piece of a quiche Andria and I made.

 And with the left over dough I made these yummy little baby tartelettes!

A baby Nutella and banana pie.

A baby apple pie.

                                            Again, Happy New Year!