réalité dans la neige

So what we’re feeling, I guess, is something that is real. But we can say that it isn’t real. We can say that it’s surreal. That’s the whole point, the whole irony. Something is real because we say it is. Something is surreal because we say it is. Something is beautiful, exquisite, damaged, or crooked because we say it is. And we say that it is like this because we’ve been told that it is like this. And we’ve been told that it is like this simply because someone, somewhere decided one day that some brains are crooked and some are beautiful. Some minds are riding a straight path, and some a serpentine.

But this weekend, snow is covering this whole city. No one ever told me that snow was gentle, I just know it is. It’s just so peaceful. Feels peaceful, too. I’m not afraid of you snow! You come from something illuminous*. And you’re illuminous* because I say you’re illuminous.*

*and illuminous is a word because I say it is a word.

- This post is dedicated to my friend Sarah Morris -

l'automne

Surprise! There are seasons here in Besancon! The colors of the leaves here are gorgeous. I've gone leaf collecting and I have begun pressing leaves for decorations on my wall. Having lived in Texas for 11 years, I was truely deprived of the changing colors...but perhaps that makes me all the more appreciative.

Halloween came and went. I didn't dress up and of course regretted it the next day. Of all the holidays, I always seem to be least festive about Halloween, which is sad because it is actually very fun. However, I did make a deal of it in my classes... I drew pictures for my students (a jack-0-lantern, a witch, a haunted house, a skeleton, a ghost, bats) and had them color and label their pictures! My kids are great, but let's be honest. I've been given no training whatsoever in teaching English, so I don't necessarily like the fact that I am coming up with lesson plans out of nowhere. Sure, us assistants have been given some guidance, and we have access to a plethora of materials. But when I began, I just didn't know where to start! Now that I've have my kids for a total of two weeks (with a week and a half in between!) I have a bit of a better grasp on what direction I want to take. At first, I was a bit weary about spending my days with little ones...you know, all that energy spewed out at me in a different language. Also, I was a bit sad about having to teaching such simple things like colors and numbers instead of being able to hold discussions about news, politics, and American culture, as I would be able to if I was teaching in the high schools. All in all, though, I've come to really enjoy it. The kids are adorable, and for the most part they adore English class. I've come to an understanding that as a primary school language assistant, I am to teach the kids English, yes, but more than anything I am here to inspire them to learn the language. They are not advanced enough even for things such as complex grammar. If they can have fun and I can show them that learning English is fun and important, then I have succeeded at least a little bit. So, yea, they'll learn, but really my goal is to get them anxious to keep learning!

In other news, I've done some traveling.
The schools have a week and a half off for "La Toussaint" (All Saint's Day) and I had quite the break. The first weekend I went to Lyon with Emilie and Catherine. We stayed at her brother's apartment and met her brother's friend, Philippe, who cooked amazing meals for us both Saturday and Sunday afternoon. He made us a chinese dish that looked like omlettes, but waws like nothing I've ever tasted. A savory pie with ham, cheese, potatoes. "American" spring rolls. Fresh coffee. And all his sauces were home-made!

Recipe for Tapioca and Coconut Milk Dessert:
1. Boil a large pot of water and put in 3-4 teaspoons of tapioca grains. Cook them until transparent (the best is to test by tasting, they should be the consistancy of the way Italians cook pasta). Strain and set aside in a bowl.
2. In another pot, head 500 ml of coconut milk with dry raisins and/or cherries and 2 teaspoons of sugar or honey. Reduce heat for five minutes and add the milk to the tapioca beads.
3. Mix and serve in bowls or cocktail glasses (for a classier presentation).
4. Serve at room temperature - do not refigerate after making, just let cool to room temp.

Other gastromic deliciacies I got to taste out were:
- macaroon cakes. Macaroons are a speciality in Lyon. Catherine and Stephan and I ate some macaroon gateaux for an afternoon snack. - speciality cheese that has living microscopic spiders on the rind. Yes, I ate an entire slice ... and hey! it wasn't half bad. It was a bit strong, but it was tastey. Emilie has been telling us about this cheese for quite some time, as she has worked on the farm where it is produced since she was 12 years old! When she was first describing it to us in French, we thought we misunderstood. Surely, there weren't actually living spiders all over the cheese! But there are, and if you look closely you can see them moving! Emilie explains that they die the minute they hit your tongue so it's no big deal. HA. I wasn't too terribly surprised, considering many cheeses here also has visible mold growing all over it and people eat that ... I mean, at least the spiders aren't old icky smelly fuzzy, uhh, mold, right? Catherine didn't particularly like the spider cheese (I really have to figure out it's real name), and so Emilie, Stephan, and Philippe (the Frenchies) began joking with us Anglophones that the tapico beads in the dessert (described above) were fish eggs. We sort of believed them at first...I mean after spider cheese, what do you expect? But not to worry, we didn't eat fish eggs and spiders in one afternoon...

Of course, we did other things in Lyon besides eat. We saw old Roman remains of an outdoor theatre, the Basilica on top of the hill, the 'old town,' Parc de la Tête, stopped by the Lumiere museum....which I will definitely go to during my next visit. And there was, of course, night life. Emilie and I went out at night to a free classic rock n' roll concert (where these women bought us Budweisers for 6euro a bottle!!! nice gesture!), and they played a cover for Muse, which inspired me to dance! Another night we went to a bar called the "Cooking Jack" (for Jack Daniels, of course) where we met a motorcycle gang. Oh, and I learned some useful self-defense karate moves from Philippe. watch out! To your left is me, Catherine and the chef, Philippe.

......the adventures don't end there....
My friend Vincent, who I know from when I studied in Grenoble, asked me if I wanted to spend some time with his family over vacation....in Toulouse! Of course, I couldn't turn down the offer. It was my first opportunity to stay with a French family. I ended up meeting his whole family and they were all so welcoming. I really felt at home. We took our bikes via the Canal du Midi to centre ville on our first full day. We ate a picnic lunch next to the Garonne river and saw some of the great churches and architecture of Toulouse. Let me just say, if Christians in Houston think that everything is bigger in Texas, they oughta open their eyes and take a trip to the 'ville rose!' These cathedrals are massive....just under daunting status. Notice here, at this gothic style church, "les Jacobins," the shadows hit the building at just the right spot for us to have gotten some glow into the stained glass windows. Our timing was perfect! And the inside was beautifully and naturally lit. My favorite church was Cathédrale Saint-Etienne; we also saw Basilique Saint-Sernin. All were "enorme"!

I ate well again in Toulouse, Vincent's mom cooked meals for us every day and I got a recipe for some of her homemade plum jam (divine!). She roasted chestnuts for us, "châtaignes." She has her own garden and much of what we ate was home-grown and fresh off the lawn! YUM! Vincent introduced me to "BD's," or "bandes-dessinées" (comics), which are very popular in France. And also we listened to some French true music, Georges Brassens and Jacques Brel (click to listen!). 'Twas quite the cultural week! Here is Vincent and I infatuated by some BDs.

On my way back from Toulouse, I passed three hours in Avignon, where the pope used to live. This is the perfect city to do in three hours! The pope used to live there at one point! ...behind this friendly entrance (dun dun dun)....

I've been back in Besancon for over a week now and have been taking the time to relax, read, and write! My friend Jordan, whom I worked with last summer, came to visit last weekend and we got to see Reservoir Dogs (Tarantino, 1992) at the Cinema Victor Hugo for a mere 5 euro! Gruesome yet good...Tarantino style. AND I bought a new black winter coat at the outdoor market, which I am particularly proud of because I bargained it down from 30euro to 25euro. chic!

I feel so lucky to know who I know here. Everyone has been unbelievably generous, literally to the point where I feel spoiled. But I'm appreciating every moment of it and am grateful to have already had such amazing things come my way. Let's just say, I'm indulging in French food, culture, and life in general...and I'm not afraid to indulge deep!