Lost and Found

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It’s happened again. I’ve fallen behind. Ridiculously behind. I visited my wonderful friend, Kristina, in Serbia, my beloved old roomie, Alex, in Germany, volunteered on a farm with a fabulous family in Ireland, and traveled half way around the world back to Minnesota [Surprise! I’m home for those of you who didn’t know!], and yet, I wrote about none of it. Sorry. I’ve been home for over a week, have remained unemployed, rarely left the house, and still haven’t updated the world wide web… Whoops. Remember when I used to have exciting excuses for not writing? Like being on a midnight train to Austria? Or prancing around Eastern Europe with my friend Victoria? These days, I’ve been avoiding writing for much less thrilling and much more depressing reasons – most notably, depression. Reverse culture shock, an overwhelming excess of free time, and the realization that I currently have no excuse to flee American society have brought me down. I’m jazzed about being back with my family and friends, but readjusting is taking some time. Please bare with me and my over dramatic writing. I’m making things out to be much worse than they really are. I’ll settle back in soon enough, I’m sure.

I’ve thought about writing everyday since I’ve been home, but I’ve had a hard time wrapping my head around it. It almost feels like if I write this post, it will officially be over. No more flights. No new countries. Friends scattered. Pictures uploaded. French bank account closed. Calls being directed towards an American phone. My blog is the last bit of the year that remains. I realize how silly it sounds, but that’s where I’m at right now. Instead of letting these things continue to drag me down, though, I decided it was time to write one last post to get my shit together, stop being a whiney pants, process my thoughts, and reflect on the year. I need to stop complaining about it being over, and start smiling because it happened. I also couldn’t just leave my faithful followers (all 16 of you) hanging like that! So here are some lists of things lost, found, learned, etc. to sum things up a bit, because who doesn’t love some youthful half-baked wisdom in list form?

Things realized/learned:

• Paris is the best. Really. I know it’s lame and cliché, but: Paris, je t’aime. Even after visiting Austria, Italy, Poland, The Czech Republic, Hungary, Serbia, Germany and Ireland, each with numerous amazing cities, Paris still remains at the top of my list. No matter how many times I’ve been there, I always find something new to see or do. It has a beauty, a vibrance, and an ambiance that has yet to be matched in my eyes.
• I’m an introvert at heart. Most of you are probably thinking, “Um… duh?” while others might be surprised. It probably depends on how long you’ve known me. My desire to be liked can bring out my sociable side making me seem outgoing and extroverted at first glance, but I’ve realized this year that I’m much more comfortable in small groups. I love interacting with people, but I’m also content spending time alone. Some long talks with Victoria helped me come around to accepting this about myself.
• Everything is bigger in America. I’ve always known this, but everything has been magnified after being away for so long. Cars. Roads. Houses. Food. Washing machines. Water glasses [pointed out by Kate]. People. The size doesn’t really bother me as much as the waste. If you want to indulge every once in awhile, great, but be aware of your consumption. I don’t want to get all preachy and tell everyone off for killing the world, but I’m pretty sick of our consumer-centric society right now.
• Meat is not for me. I broke my four and a half year streak of vegetarianism a handful of times during my travels, but I’ve decided that being meat-free wasn’t just a weird phase I went through in college. It’s something that I want to continue to live by, and I hope to encourage others to join me! It can be a little tricky in certain situations, but I feel both physically and ethically better without mammals in my body.
• Too much free time is just as bad as not having enough. I constantly used to wish for a day off when I was at Olaf, swamped with eight classes a semester, papers, exams, rehearsals, social obligations, etc., etc., but after seven months of 12 (often 7 or 8) hour work weeks and ridiculously long (and frequent) vacations, I long for the opposite. It seems to be a “grass is greener” situation. I want to be busy! Well, I want to be balanced. I work well with a lot on my plate, but not an overflowing buffet of stress. Something to work on.
• Kids are cool. Spending time with Monique’s granddaughter (5 year old Hélena), and the two little ones on the farm in Ireland (4 year old Archer and 1.5 year old Tallulah) made me realize how much I love children. The way they think and act without all of the weird social hang ups that adults have is fantastic. Not that it’s going to happen anywhere in my near future, but hanging out with these kids made me realize that maaaybe one day I’ll want to adopt my own. Maybe.
• How to ask for help. I’ve always been a very proud person, trying to do find my own way or do things without the help of others, but I realized how much easier things can be if you simply ask for directions or a helping hand. People will sometimes surprise you and offer up help even when you don’t ask for it, and it is wonderful! Like the man who saw Victoria and me looking confused in Budapest and quickly ran up to help us find our way. Or the man in Ireland who pulled over and informed me that I was trying to hitch a ride on the wrong road.
• Genuinely good people do exist. I’ve met some. American assistants, couchsurfing hosts, French friends, Irish hitchhiker hosts, just to name a few. I have some faith in humanity.

Things lost:

• Some of my obnoxious inhibitions. Like my fear of talking on the phone. I realize most people got over this when they were six, but it took me a bit longer. After making numerous calls in French this year, talking on the phone in English now seems like such a breeze. I’m even learning to enjoy it. Weird. Explaining how I want my haircut? Did it in French, no problemo. Communication skills are up!
• My yearning for approval. As much as I hate to admit it, for a large part of my life I always sought the approval of those around me, often compromising my thoughts or opinions to remain neutral and liked by everyone. I still try to be diplomatic, but I’m tired of trying to please everyone. It’s exhausting to try and make everyone like you all the time, and quite frankly, there are some people’s opinions that I could care less about. I’m happy with who I am, and my thoughts are just as good as anyone else’s. As Dr. Seuss once said,“Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter, and those who matter don’t mind.”
• 35 pounds. How this happened, I have absolutely no idea. Ask anyone who was with me, and they will tell you that I was constantly eating my entire body weight in local cuisine and cookies. I guess walking everywhere (including to the grocery store) and not having access to an insane buffet spread everyday will have an effect on your waistline.
• Hair. Some voluntarily via trendy euro haircut, some reluctantly via male pattern baldness. With bad hair genes running rampant on both sides of my family, I’ve been fearing hair loss since I hit puberty so this is by no means a shocking upset. I’ve always cherished my hair as one of my more attractive features, so it’s been rather disheartening to see how thin my bangs have become, but I’m dealing with it and enjoying my hair while it’s still around. Anyone know of any good natural hair loss prevention techniques?
• 15+ kilos of clothing. I realized at the end of the year that I owned way too many things that I just never wore, so I donated the equivalent of an entire suitcase of clothing. My luggage was of course still super heavy, but it felt good to clear out some of the excess. I managed with one 9 kilo backpack from May 5th to June 8th, so what the heck have I been doing with all of this other stuff my whole life? Traveling light is the way to go. I’m continuing the excess purge by donating yet another giant bag of unworn clothes that I found in my bedroom this week.
• A desire to teach. Teaching isn’t really my jam. At least not with French high school kids. I had some good times with my kids, but the fun tended to be a little over shadowed by the anxiety and stress of planning lessons. I haven’t entirely dismissed education as a job option, but it’s not at the top of my career aspirations list.

Things found:

• A voice through writing. I’m not always the best for engaging conversation topics or the most articulate in front of a crowded room, but I think I’m pretty decent with a pen and paper (or a screen and keyboard if you will). Writing gives me time to reflect and plan out my word choice just so to properly express myself. It can be a little meticulous and frustrating at times, but I’m so happy I took the time to write down my thoughts throughout the year. I hope my writing has helped my readers to gain a better understanding of me and the way I think. People seem to dig it, and I dig doing it, so maybe the writing will continue!
• Confidence. See [Lost:] “Some of my inhibitions” and “My yearning for approval” above.
• Friends. This was obviously inevitable, but I didn’t realize how meaningful some of my relationships abroad would end up being to me. The first time I met all of the other assistants at our teacher orientation, I was a total B and thought I would never get along with anyone. I couldn’t have been more wrong. I met some absolutely fabulous people in Saint-Brieuc, and looking back I can’t imagine my year without them.
• Food. I’ve learned some delicious recipes and cooking tips over the past 8 months, and I want to share them with all of you! So come get in the kitchen with me and we’ll make something together! Maybe I’ll even start a food blog. Or become a pastry chef. Thoughts?
• A beard. See: flickr account.
• Frequent flyer miles. Just kidding. If only Ryanair and SNCF had miles programs. And existed in the states. I would be all up on that.
• An immense respect for teachers. I’ve always regarded teaching as a noble profession, but after planning lessons and standing in front of a group of hormonal, self-absorbed, uninterested teenagers, I see teachers in an entirely different light. Good luck to all of my friends who are pursuing k-12 education, and thank you to everyone who put up with my (and mostly my fellow classmates’) teenage antics.
• Myself. See: all of the above. I’m constantly learning more about myself and realizing how much I am always changing, but being away helped me gain a sense of self-awareness that I never had before.

Things I miss about France/Europe:

• Sounds. Sights. Smells. Tastes. Being surrounded by Francophones. Charlie’s meow. Church bells marking the hour. The odd tritone used for emergency vehicle alarms. Market days. Galettes. Café terraces with 1€ espressos. Intricate architecture. Monuments all over the place. Striking landscapes. The sea. Bakeries. The cheese aisle at U Express. Our sunny yellow kitchen. Rainy/sunny/rainy/sunny/rainy days and the rainbows and sunsets they produce. Cheap wine that doesn’t taste like vinegar. Salted butter.
• Fresh baguettes. There is an amazing bakery on every street in France. There is approximately one amazing bakery per State. One of my life goals is to perfect the baking of une baguette de tradition. Once you’ve eaten french bread, there’s no going back.
• Public transport. The facility of navigating European cities puts metro transit to shame. Cars aren’t obligatory like they are stateside, partially because everything is much closer, but mostly because bus, train and metro systems are so much more efficient over seas! Also, I am a terrible driver highly dislike driving, so I’m all about public transport.  It makes so much more sense both economically and ecologically to share rides, but America can’t seem to get behind that. I’ll never understand why not.
• Global mentality and open minds.  In comparison with the French, Americans are incredibly self-centered and close-minded. I’m making a sweeping generalization here, obviously, but on the whole it seems to be true. We rarely focus on world news, and half of us couldn’t tell the difference between Iraq and Iran. Conservative Republicans don’t exist en masse and people are always fighting for change. I have some faith left in the progressive minds of my generation, especially in places like Minnesota, but other parts of the country worry me a bit. As long as Mitt Romney stays out of the white house, I think I’ll be okay.

Things I will be fine without:

• Restrictive hours. While I understand and respect the French ideal of giving store owners time to rest, everything closing at 7:30pm and ceasing to exist at all on Sundays did get rather annoying at times. Like 8:30pm on a Friday night and you realize you’ve run out of booze milk and can’t make macaroni and cheese. 24/7 supermarkets are a little insane, but they can be quite nice to have around every once in a while.
• Elderly roommates. Don’t get me wrong, I love René from the bottom of my heart and I am eternally grateful for everything he has done for me, but sometimes living with an obsessive compulsive 70 year old Frenchman was a little frustrating. He is an amazing person, but twenty-somethings and seventy-somethings don’t always see eye to eye. If I had to do it all over again, I would definitely still chose to live at 9 rue Chateaubriand, but I’m not planning on rooming with any other senior citizens in the near future.
• Smoke. I’ve never been one to hate on smokers, but oh my gawd do Europeans know how to suck down a pack of cigarettes. I’m all about letting people do what they want, but it’s nice to be back in a place where you have to step outside to take a puff.
• French t.v./radio. It’s awful. They tend to take all of the bad parts of American television and music and leave out all of the good parts. It’s amazing how few true French t.v. shows, movies and musicians actually exist.

I’m sure there are other things I should/could/would like to add to these lists, but my brain is feeling drained. I’ve been working on these lists on and off for nearly 12 hours now, and I can think no more. The lists may change slightly over the next few days if anything else pops into my head, but that’s all she wrote for now. Thanks for reading y’all. It’s been real. A million and one bisous to everyone who’s kept up with my European exploits over the past eight months, and a million and one bisous even to those who haven’t. I love you all to Europe and back.

xoxoxo Stephen

Disparate Youth

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Remember that time I had a blog? I do. Do you? I wouldn’t be surprised if you happened to forget about it over my past three and a half week absence. It’s not necessarily that I haven’t had the time to write, but more that the thought of writing has become incredibly overwhelming each day I don’t write. There were so many stories and adventures to share from my Eastern European adventure with Victoria that I didn’t even know where to start! Since we got back two Saturdays ago, I’ve had the best intentions of writing, but there has just been crazy amounts of activities and so much planning an preparation going on leaving me no time to sit down and blabber on about my life. The days pass by quickly, and the sun in Bretagne is insanely deceptive. Sunset has been consistently holding out until 9:30 or later over the past month or so which has continued to blow my mind and throw me completely off balance.

Anyway, in a pathetic and lazy attempt to assuage any resentment you may have towards me for not writing about Poland, the Czech Republic, and Hungary, I’m providing you with the following cinematic masterpieces: video updates that Victoria recorded during our trip! To be perfectly honest with you, I haven’t actually watched them since I despise the sound of my own voice, but from what I remember of recording them, they’re a pretty decent (and mildly comedic?) recap of what we did. Please enjoy and accept them as the best I can do right now. Also, there are PLENTY of pictures on facebook! (I’ll try and post some on here later for anyone who happens to not be my fb-friend)

Jumpin around Euroland!

In other news, Kate has come to visit me! I’ve been kind of a booger of a host since I’ve been stressed with planning the rest of my trips/figure out my life… For example, I’m writing on my blog right now instead of spending time with her. I’m the worst, and I know it. We’ve been doing our best to have a good time though! Listening to k-pop, watching 90s movies, eating lots of delicious foods. We’re also going to try and get out a little the rest of the week, seeing some more typically “Bretagne” things like Ile-de-Bréhat and Rennes (to also conveniently return my cello). We’ll see what happens.

Also, my travel plans are almost finalized! Thank the lawd. I’ve been a giant ball of stress trying to figure it all out. My rough plan is as follows:

• May 5th to the 8th: Paris
• May 8th to the 10th: Budapest (again!)
• May 10th to 15th: Belgrade with my lovely friend Kristina!
• May 15th to 21st: Germany (cities TBD) to visit my roomie Alex!
• May 21st to June 6th: WWOOFing in Ireland (city/farm TBD)
• June 6th to June 8th: Paris
• June 8th: MINNEAPOLIS! Yes! My trip home has finally been planned!

I’m excited for all of these things, but already a little tired out just thinking about it all. Part of me is jealous of the other assistants who are already heading home this week, but I know I would regret not taking advantage of my time left in Europe. It’s going to be great, and coming home will surely be oh so lovely after my last month away.

Dark Blue/Grey

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I’m not sure what my problem is today, but I for the life of me cannot finish the simple task of packing my one tiny little suitcase for my Eastern European adventure. I washed and folded all of my clothes earlier this week. I neatly arranged all of my options on my bed between classes this morning. So why can’t I just pick out what I want and put it in that damn purple bag?! One of my main hang ups seems to be choosing between my dark blue and my light grey jeans. This is probably the dumbest problem anyone has ever had. It seems to be symbolic of my life: easy and comfortable but often made “difficult” by trivial choices that I often overanalyze. My indecisiveness is clearly one of my more attractive qualities.

It’s also probably somewhat the result of my current “limbo” state of being. Not knowing when I’ll be heading home. Not knowing if I’ll be hired for the most amazing summer job of my life. Having absolutely no backup to said wonderful summer job. Having no future projections past said wonderful summer job. Feeling so unbelievably ready to be done with teaching and return to Minnesota/feeling an overwhelming surge of jealousy at the sight of five friends posting joyful facebook statuses of their acceptance as teaching assistants for the fall. Wanting to go out and enjoy the last Friday before vacation/wanting to stay in to shake off the lasting dregs of yet another cold. Flurgh. Boy needs to get it together.

On a much happier note… I’M GOING TO POLAND TOMORROW AND I COULD NOT BE MORE JAZZED! My friend Victoria and I have planned a stellar tour of Poland, the Czech Republic, and Hungary, mostly with the intent to make headlines by running all of Eastern Europe into a terrible food crisis by eating anything and everything they have to offer. Watch out Slavs – one dynamic digestion duo is coming for your provisions. As Tina Fey so aptly described Slavic food in her book Bossypants (which I highly recommend you read/listen to on audiobook) “… it’s buttery and delicious. It’s just potatoes, rice, meat, and cabbage in an endless series of combinations.” I fully intend to eat my entire body weight in pierogi. Every night. This may actually be possible since Eastern European currency is worth approximately nothing compared to the Euro. It’s going to be fabulously gluttonous, and I can’t wait!

Because of this wonderful 13 day voyage, I probably won’t be posting anything new until I get back. At that point, be ready for me to lay it on thick. Like Polish butter thick. Or thin if all we end up doing is eating and I have nothing else to describe but the appetizing confections I have consumed. Since I’ll be missing two photo sundays, I’m going to get a head start and show you what I’ve been up to over the past five days (I had to retype that 4 times to keep myself from saying “fast pive days”). It hasn’t been a whole lot since I caught myself  a lovely cold on Sunday and have been pretty bummed about the fact that Alex had to head home to Germany on Wednesday… That being said, here are some pix for your viewing displeasure:

Day 19: sick and sleepy

Day 20: sickness continued. my ever so lovely tonsils.

Day 21: Alex left today. The house feels rather empty without her here. Bisous ma chérie!

Day 22: Day trip to Binic. Taken with the assistance of Kate P!

Day 23: sunny afternoon spent reading "Le Neveu Du Magicien" by C.S. Lewis in my favorite reading tree

Must go to sleep now! Travel day tomorrow! Bisous xoxoxoxoxoxo

P.S. For those of your concerned, I decided on the dark blue over the grey.

Two Weeks

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Two weeks. That’s all that rests of my obligations as an English teaching assistant. One week on either side of my upcoming two week Easter vacation. Um… how is this possible!? The past six months have slipped away so quickly. Some days it feels like I’ve been here forever, and others it feels like I just arrived. I’ll likely still be in Europe for the next two or three months (depending on what happens with some summer job applications), but this time will no doubt pass by just as quickly. I’m feeling a bit conflicted about the imminent end of my year abroad, but I’m mostly at ease with the idea. Giving up extravagant European adventures, delicious French cuisine, and my twelve hour work week won’t be easy, but I am very much ready to see family and friends again. But enough about that for now. There is still time, and I plan to make the most of it!

It’s also been two weeks (and a few days) since I started my new photography project. It’s crazy to think that I’m only on day 18 of 365, but I’m pleased with how it’s been going so far. I’ve been discovering a lot about my camera, photoshop, and myself.

Day 12

Day 13: Spring has sprung

Day 14: Day trip to the beautiful Ile de Bréhat

Day 15: The aftermath of a sunny day on the island, sans sunscreen

Day 16: levitating in the backyard

Day 17: Feets

Celebrating Erinn's birthday with a bbq chez moi

Day 18: APRIL FOOLS! I TRICKED YOU! I'M NOT ACTUALLY NAKED!

Bisous bisous

French Pronunciation Exercises

Could. Not. Stop. Laughing.

Feisty, Dark Narcissism

Why am I feeling so feisty? So dark? So narcissistic? All good questions, each with a good answer!

First of all, the feistiness is a result of seeing the one and only Leslie Feist, a.k.a. FEIST, this past Thursday night at Le Transbordeur in Lyon with Anna and Daniel! Let me tell you, that girl can jam. I had always just thought of her as an eloquent lyricist with an amazing voice, but as it turns out, she is also a kick ass guitarist with wonderful stage presence. Much of her stage banter was sadly lost on the subdued francophone crowd, but she got a lot of giggles and appreciation when she attempted to speak French. Her nearly two hour set was beautiful from start to finish, mixing the old with the new, and the somber with the dancey. She also brought along the group Mountain Man to sing backup for her, and they made some fabulous harmonies to fill in the tracks. If you ever get a chance to see her live, I would most highly recommend it. You will not be disappointed!

My feisty mood is closely linked to my dark mood. While I was in Lyon, I also got to see Minnesotan band Dark Dark Dark at the Marché Gare! It was an interesting venue, resembling a small theater in an old elementary school. Because of it’s small size, it was also extreeeeeeeemely hot, but it was worth it for the music. If you don’t know them, you should, because even France knows about them. Seriously, I could not believe how many French fans they have! I also could not believe how incredibly unenthusiastic their banjo/clarinet player was about having fellow Minnesotans in the audience… Kate, Anna, Daniel and I went up to talk with the band at the merchandise table afterward, and were rather underwhelmed by his, “Oh, you’re from Minnesota?” He then turned away and started talking to someone else. Feeling a little dejected, I stole a poster off the wall, and we left trying to pretend that humiliating situation didn’t happen. At least the music was good.

Finally, I’ve been feeling rather narcissistic as a result of my 365 project. As I mentioned before starting, I was a little hesitant about starting this slightly daunting task, but I’ve been thoroughly enjoying it thus far! Following the advice of my good friend and fellow blogger Clara suggested, I’ve decided to post the pictures in weekly installments every Sunday. This way, I can avoid obnoxiously overposting, and you can all see what I’ve been up to each week! If you really can’t wait for the end of the week, however, I will be doing my best to add them to my flickr as they are taken. Since I started the project on Thursday the 15th and didn’t want to post just 4 photos, there will be a few extras this week. Lucky you, getting to see so many pix of meee!

Day 1

Day 2: Rediscovering the joys of reading!

Day 3: Beach plans ruined by rain.

Day 3 continued: Rain turns into sun, once it is of course too late to go to the beach.

Day 4: Canker sores won't stop attacking my mouth. It's killing me.

Day 4 continued: The sun came and stayed among delicious clouds.

Day 5

Day 5: Charlie crashed my photo shoot. A welcomed distraction.

Day 6: Computer addict.

Day 7: Walking around Lyon, relying on my camera phone.

Day 8: Stretching in Kate's apartment.

Day 9: Still feeling giddy the day after Feist!

Day 9 continued: Visiting Fouvière in Lyon

Day 9 continued: beautiful budding blossoms!

Day 10: MACARONS

Day 10: Kate - disappointing macaron flavor choices.

Day 10: Dark Dark Dark

Day 11: Sad to leave Lyon, but pleased by the clear skies

Well that’s all for now, folks. Time for me to make up some lesson plans, aka games. Bisous, bisous!

Come Wind, Come Rain

Song of the day: “Come wind, come rain” by Vashti Bunyan

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Last night, as I tossed and turned in bed, I decided I needed to start a new project. Something to give focus to my free time, to busy my idle hands and idle mind. There are hundreds of unfulfilled intentions floating around in my mind at any given moment, and seldom do I actually act upon them. But today was different. Spring is in the air, and I’m ready for new things!

Today, I took the first step in a photography project that I’ve been thinking about doing for quite some time: A 365 Day Portrait Project. It’s by no means a unique endeavor, but an interesting challenge nonetheless. If you’ve ever browsed around “Flickr” (or any other photo-sharing site) you have undoubtedly seen examples of this type of undertaking, some much better than others. For those of you unfamiliar, the concept is simple: take at least one picture of yourself every single day for 365 days, otherwise known as a year [minus February 29th]. It’s an interesting way to see yourself in new ways, document your life/surroundings, push your creative boundaries, and force yourself to take out your camera more often.

I’ve been waiting for the right moment to start, but I realized today that waiting was silly and senseless. What was I waiting for? A new beginning? A new month? A new year? A new setting? I’ve already had all of these things come and go within the past year, and yet I’ve failed to seize these opportunities to start my project. So today I said goodbye to waiting. The Ides of March is as good a time as any, right? Plus, I have been watching an inane amount of America’s Next Top Model with Victoria over the past week or so, and it’s been making me want to take pictures (and buy new clothes) like crazy.

Without further ado, here is numero uno:

Waiting? I'm over it

I haven’t decided whether or not I’ll be posting them here everyday, but they will definitely be available for viewing on my flickr photostream. Depends on how interesting they end up being I suppose!

In addition to my self-portraits, I’m going to try and take at least one photo of some other part of my day as well. A place I visit, someone I spend time with, something delicious I eat, and so on and so forth. My time in France is quickly disappearing, and I want to document it!

Today’s photo: MY NEW LIBRARY CARD!

Having fun, isn't hard, when you've got a library card!

Why it has taken me nearly six months to get my ass to the library, I have no idea. Ridiculous. I’ve had so much free time to read, yet I’ve only made it through three books since I got to France. Also, there are about 2350984608236 books I should/want to read. Leave it on the internet and reality television to turn my brain to mush. While I’m sure my t.v. addiction will not cease, I’m going to do my best to break up t.v. streaks with books from now on. I’m pumped to start checking out books and movies again! Today I found:

1. Fresh et Bio: a vegetarian/organic cook book with some delish looking recettes
2. Paris: a film by  Cederic Klapisch (director of L’Auberge Espagnole)
3. Une forme de vie and Acide sulfurique: two novels by Belgium author Amélie Nothomb, the first of which I’m already halfway done with, thanks to a lovely afternoon spent reading in the grass.

I was also lucky enough to end my day with a skype call from my dear friend, Sarah G. We caught up, of course, but more importantly, we made faces at each other. As it turns out, Sarah’s nose does a great mushroom impression.

q.t.p.2.t.

All in all, today was a good day. Bisous bisous! xoxoxo

This Is What Dreams Are Made Of

Ladies and gentlemen of the friends and family variety,

Please accept my apologies for dropping off the face of the earth for the past couple of weeks. In my defense, I legitimately couldn’t write for a majority of the month of February since I was only home for less than a week of it thanks to four trips to Normandie, Rennes, Picardie, and Italy. Still not much of an excuse for my absence over the past relatively un-busy week. I’ve thought about writing nearly everyday since I returned from my last trip, but every day that I put it off, it unfortunately seems like more and more of a chore. With more than three weeks since my last entry, it seems like there are a million things to write about, but no logical or interesting way to go about it. Please forgive my momentary lack of creativity. Basically, I have gone to a lot of pretty places, seen a lot of really cool things, eaten a lot of delicious foods, and spent time with a lot of great people. All good things.

When I last left y’all, I was getting ready to head to Picardie in Northwestern France with my roomie, Alex, and my landlord, a.k.a. French grandpa, René. We were invited to stay with René’s girlfriend, Monique, for a week in the French countryside. It was an unbelievably relaxing week full of extravagant dinners, thoughtful conversations, interesting day trips, and music. Also, I got to cuddle with an enormous cat which made me giddy! This laid-back lifestyle made me want to be an 80 year old retired Frenchman in the middle-of-nowhere France. Then I realized that my current life is essentially that of an 80 year old retired Frenchman, with two exceptions: the handful of hours that I “work” at the high school, and the late nights spent out with friends. Strange. Anyway, here are some pictures from my time in Nord-Pas-de-Calais:

Monique's charming house

Le jardin

Alex waiting for dinner by the fire!

Funny anecdote: One of the things René had planned for us during the week was a day trip to the Baie de Somme on the northern coast. It is a beautiful, expansive bay with amazing views and exciting wildlife. René was really excited to bring us there because there was a chance we might see seals. The night before, he said to Alex and me:

“Peut-être on va voir des PHOQUES!”

While this simply translates to, “Maybe we’ll see some seals!”, it sounds a lot more like, “Maybe we’ll see some FUCKS!” to an anglophone. Being the mature 22 year old that I am, I of course burst out laughing, knowing full well what “phoques” meant. I luckily managed to avoid explaining myself. Even more luckily, I actually got to see a real seal in real life the next day!

A real-life phoque!

After this first calm and meticulously planned week in Picardie, I hopped on a plane and headed to Venice for an extremely unorganized and somewhat last minute trip with my travel buddy and BFFL, Kate! We basically decided to go to Italy because I had found a Ryanair flight from Paris to Venice for 10.99€, and who could resist that?! Italy was on the top of my must-visit list, and it was during our winter break and during the world famous Carnaval of Venice. Perfect on a million levels.

Before my trip, a majority of my knowledge of Italy came from movies like Letters to Juliet, When in Rome featuring Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen, and The Lizzie McGuire Movie (which Kate and I may or may not have watched on her iPod touch, and which may or my not have inspired title of this post…) leaving me with the expectations of a prepubescent American girl. Sadly, I didn’t get to mend the broken heart of an elderly British woman, I wasn’t offered a job working for a high-profile fashion designer, nor was I mistaken for an Italian pop idol, but I did manage to have an unforgettable trip nonetheless.

Which one is your fave!?

It became extremely clear from the get-go that our trip was spontaneous, a.k.a. not thought out. Kate and I had been searching for a couchsurfing host for about a week to no avail. Everyone was out of town or already busy with other visitors, since it was Carnaval after all. We held out until the very end, hoping that something would turn up, but around 11pm the night before my flight, we decided it was probably best to try and find alternative lodging. All of the good hostels were of course booked by this point, but we did somehow manage to find a hotel that was only 22€ a night! Skeptical of the price, but willing to take the risk and persuaded by the charming photographs, we booked it for two nights with little hesitation.

Knowing how small the city is, we figured it would be easy to get around, right? Wrong. That city, while beyond gorgeous, is a crazy messed up labyrinth that is impossible to navigate. I had printed out directions from the train station to our hotel, but these FORTY-TWO STEPS proved to be rather unhelpful, as you can imagine…

Don’t worry, we eventually made it there after taking a number of detours and deciding that it was probably best to just find our way to the coast and circumnavigate the island until we we closer to our destination. We were together, and we were in Venice, and we were happy. But we were also very hungry. And it was also very late. We had hoped to find a grocery store after checking in, but this was a silly an unrealistic wish at 10pm in Europe. We gave up pretty quickly on the idea of finding a grocery store, and instead went in search of a restaurant near our hotel. No dice. Everything in our area was unfortunately already closed. Well, we said, at least there are vending machines in our hotel lobby! That should be fine until tomorrow, right? Wrong. With only 2 euros in coins between the two of us, and a hotel receptionist who refused to give us change for our paper money, we weren’t going to feast tonight. To top it off, one of our two selections got stuck in the machine! Kate wiggled it out eventually, thank god. In the end, our menu consisted of a 0.5 liter bottle of fizzy water and six saltine crackers, split between the two of us. Proof that planning is helpful when traveling.

Please, laugh at this.

After a full night of sleep, the rest of our stay in Venice was much more enjoyable. We wandered everywhere, snapped a lot of photos, saw the main sights, happened upon magical allies filled with colorful laundry, took a boat trip over the island of Murano to buy teeny tiny glass figurines, ate some mediocre pizza and pretended to be in postcards. If you ever get a chance to visit this lovely city, I would HIGHLY recommend it. There are tourists galore, but it is a beautiful destination, and it is going to sink into the ocean one day, so you should get there before that happens. Also, if you like tacky chandeliers, cats greeting you in the morning, and you don’t mind crumbling walls, I would suggest staying at the Hotel Alla Salute! The location is great (once you find it) and the prices were surprisingly low for a hotel in Venice! Seriously. Not the nicest place I’ve ever stayed, but definitely worth it for the price and location.

PURE MAGIC

Postcards from Italy

SO TINY! SO CUTE!

These pictures were not featured on their website...

After Venice, we hit up Florence for one day. You might be thinking, “But there is so much to see in Florence! Why would you go for just one day!?” I was a little worried about this at first too, but after visiting, I can attest to the fact that you can get through pretty much everything in 24 hours. Maaaybe 48 if you want to do absolutely EVERYTHING, but really, one day was plenty for us since everything is so centrally located. We climbed the tour next the Il Duomo, saw [the replica of] David, walked through the Medici residence, went on a mini-hike to take in a panoramic view, ate some delicious Italian cuisine, saw Rossini’s dead body, and went to the Uffizi Gallery to see more Botticelli than you could shake a stick at. To be completely honest, the Uffizi was rather disappointing after having been to The Louvre in Paris. So much of the same thing. No variety! It would’ve been better like this…

Birth of MEOW

View of the Cathedral after 300-some steps up the tower next-door!

We were too lazy and too cheap to go to the museum where the real deal is hiding, but we figured this was good enough

After Florence, the rest of our winter break was spent in the one and only Roma! Unlike Florence, Rome can definitely not be seen in a day. There is a buttload of old things to see, and an abundance of pizza and gelato to be eaten there. Luckily for us, the weather was beyond perfect for exploring, sunny with a light breeze everyday. We did the tourist circuit, of course, in order to follow in Hilary Duff’s Lizzie McGuire’s footsteps, but we did fit in a few other things that were off the beaten track. For example, visiting a bone museum disguised as “catacombs” (with an extremely racist entrance guard who forces visitors to “donate” a euro to enter), going to the museum of ancient musical instruments, and playing with kitties at the AMAZING cat sanctuary hidden in the city center under some ruins! Should you find yourself in Rome, I would suggest skipping the bones and going straight to the CATS! The people that work there are incredibly nice and caring, and the cats are ADORABLE!

I WANT TO ADOPT THEM ALL

We also ate the world’s best pizza at Pizza Roma in the Trastevere neighborhood. If you go to Rome, you HAVE to look this place up because their pizza is fantastic, and really well priced!

THE BEST PIZZA I'VE EVER EATEN EVER

Kate and I kimchi-ing like crazy (photo collage courtesy of Kate)

The kimchi-ing continues (Courtesy of Kate)

This is real life. One of the most amazing sunsets in the history of sunsets.

Colosseum by night, where Kate and I attempted about 1230518351 times to get a nice photo of us, and never succeeded.

This bird, or one of his friends, pooped on my hood at the Vatican. That was some holy shit.

There are more pictures (which can be seen here if we’re FB friends!) and more stories to be told, but I’ve been uploading/writing/sitting in front of my computer for far too long, so this will have to suffice for now, dear readers. Chat me up if you’d like to hear or see more!

Bisous bbs! xoxo

How Stephen Got His Groove Back

Well shit. Looks like another month has come and gone without much notice, and without much commentary on my behalf. I’d like to say that I barely wrote anything during the second half of January because I was out and about, busy beyond belief without a second to spare and never on the internet, but that would be a blatant lie. The truth is quite the opposite to be perfectly honest. As I mentioned before, I had gotten myself into a bit of a mid-year slump after the holidays, and though I tried to pull myself out of it as quickly as possible, these things take some time. Cooking and baking and blogging have all been helpful tools, but being stuck in Saint-Brieuc for the the entire month of January was a bit of a road block. When I wasn’t preoccupied with the oven, I found myself in my room watching things like Downton Abbey (which, by the way, is an amazing show that I highly recommend watching if you haven’t yet) and eating more than my fair share of desserts. I was far from being clinically depressed, but was still highly unmotivated thanks to a bout cold weather, the unglamorous ‘city’ of Saint-Brieuc, and an ever impending sense of doom looming over my undecided future. Dramatic much? Oui.

Luckily, February has thus far been a breath of fresh air and the rest of the month is full of promise. Out of nowhere, there seems to be so much to do and see! Being too busy to write has become a legitimate excuse over the past week, and the fun of February isn’t even half over! With a road trip to Normandy and a pseudo-weekend in Rennes already under my belt, I still have a week long trip to Picardie followed by an Italian tour to look forward to! My mind has been a little all over the place lately trying to keep the travel plans straight for all four of these trips, but it’s kept me busy and anxious in an excited way. Places to go! People to see! Much better than brooding in my bed. Who ever would’ve thought February could be so grand?

As I headed out to Normandy this past weekend in a nine person “mini-bus” with my Franco-American crew, I couldn’t help but recall another voyage made not so long ago. Last January during interim break, I headed South with my friends Sarah, Clara, Ann, and Laurel for an Arkansan adventure that I’ll never forget. The week we spent in Conway was by far one of the most hilarious and enjoyable times of my conscious life, both extremely exciting and incredibly relaxing. Being in warm weather, going on mountainous walks, singing show tunes at the dinner table, drinking $1.99 margarita’s at JJ’s, giving into/falling in love with country music, cave diving, curling up on couches, learning about places like Pickle’s Gap and Toad Suck, baking buttloads of cookies and decorating a staggering number of Valentine’s Day cards made for a welcome recess from freezing/studying our asses off at Olaf. Breaking routine, visiting somewhere new, and being surrounded by wonderful people gave everything a new light. There was a sense of comfort and openness with my friends after being together day and night for the entirety of break. It’s so easy to get caught up in the stresses of life, but weeks like that help you notice how happy things can be when you let go and have some uninhibited fun. #clichécentralbutwhateveritstrue #ewijustusedahashtag

The beginning of something beautiful

happy beings behind falsely angry façades

hot potatoes make the world go round and cause awkward photographic reactions

The MOST Valentine's Arkansas has ever seen

The weekend at my friend Leslie’s in Normandy essentially served the same revitalizing purpose as the week in Arkansas but in a much more urgently-needed and heightened sense. Getting the heck out of St-B. and letting things loose in the country shook things up and made me giddy. Making homemade pizza in a giant brick oven, sipping on cidre and wine, cuddling with an adorable dog, seeing the tragically beautiful beaches of Normandy, visiting the epic tapestry of Bayeux, gathering around a raclette, wandering around the countryside, playing charades and trivial pursuit, watching the Superbowl (for the sake of Madonna), getting snowed-in and missing a full day of work (snow days do still exist!), and marveling at Le Mont Saint-Michel made for a memorable weekend that has given me a firm shove out of my previous slump status. My life is nuts, in a good way. I’m sending out a MILLION thanks to Leslie and Allie for making this weekend happen! You two are the bomb.

Kate presenting Leslie's cozy little home

HOMEMADE PIZZA

Raclette Dinner chez Leslie

Le Mont St-Michel

Even though the characters and settings of my life continue to change, there are certain things that remain true:

• traveling with someone is one of the best ways to really get to know them
• cold weather is relative
• snow days are always the best days
• road trips are always the best trips
• food brings people together, namely potatoes
• charades requires more skill than you think
• sleeping between two people is starts out as a wonderful idea until you become a fiery hot mess
• 90s jams alway make the perfect car ride soundtrack

My upgraded emotional status stuck with me throughout this week as more classes were canceled (making this a four-day-work-MONTH) and as I headed to Rennes on Tuesday afternoon for a mid-week weekend. Our last-minute-guest-conductor-turned-new-found-friend from last year’s orchestra tour, Tito Munoz, was in town directing Bejamin Britten’s opera,  The Turn of the Screw. I got to see the show with my resident Rennes friends (Mary Claire, Berit, and most recently relocated Steph!), and got a chance to hang out/catch up with Tito after the show which was great! Talking about last year’s tour made me freshly miss orchestra, but there was a welcomed sense of nostalgia and plenty of other things to talk about to keep us from focusing too heavily on the past. My days off gave me plenty of time to get in some good one-on-one time with Steph and Berit as well, nicely rounding off my time in Rennes.

So that’s more or less where my life is at. There’s still plenty to worry about (and a mouthful of canker sores to prove it), with my sister out of commission thanks to her gallbladder, open-ended travel plans, unplanned lessons to teach, and my future continuing to be 100% uncertain, but present life is pretty good with trips on either side of me. My chin is up, and I’m ready for more fun. Come and join my party! Catch ya on the other side of Italy!

Bisous bisous xoxo

A Foray in Fried Food: Adventures in Falafel

Growing up in the land of hot dishes and deep fried delicacies gave me profound appreciation for rich, heavy foods. Many of my favorite dishes involve ample amounts of cheese, butter, potatoes and carbs. As a  born and raised Minnesotan, it seemed inevitable that I would one day try my hand at frying food. Today was that day. While I love me a good plate of onion rings or a nice boat of cheese curds, I opted for a something not expected from the State Fair. Instead of making something from the Midwest, I made something from the Middle East: Falafel! Tasty, light, and 100% VEGAN!

I’ve been craving these delicious chickpea fritters for quite sometime, and I’m pleased as punch that I finally took the plunge and whipped some up with my friend Victoria! Having never fried anything before, cooking was not without a few minor bumps and set backs, but as Julia Child once said, “No matter what happens in the kitchen, never apologize!” There were a couple “testers” that flopped, but the end result was fantastic, well worth it and much easier than originally anticipated. If you’ve never plopped anything in a rolling pot of oil, you are missing out. There is something strangely satisfying about watching something bubble and boil until its outsides are crispy and brown. As it turns out, this is also not as bad for your health as you may have thought! A recent article from BBC says that experts found no heightened risk of heart disease or premature death linked to food that had been fried using olive or sunflower oil! Awesome.

Per usual, I created my own recipe using a combination of different suggestions found via google. My two main sources were about.com and foodnetwork, helped along with my personal experiences of successful falafel tastings. Victoria and were quite pleased with the results. We served our falafel with a simple couscous salad (recipe below), but they can also be enjoyed in a warm pita with cucumbers, tomatoes, and shredded lettuce. Without further ado…

Falafel and Couscous Salad

INGREDIENTS:

100% VEGAN!

2 (15 oz.) cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed

1 tsp. baking powder

1 medium sized onion, coarsely chopped

5 garlic cloves, smashed and chopped

1 T. tahini

1 T. ground cumin

2 tsp. ground coriander

1/2 tsp. ground cayenne or red pepper flakes

1/4 tsp. ground ginger

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1 handful of fresh parsley, finely chopped

5-7 T. all-purpose flour

Olive or sunflower oil for frying

WHAT TO DO:

1) GRIND UP ON IT: Using either a food processor or a medium sized bowl and an immersion blender, grind up the chickpeas. Don’t go crazy – a few lumps should remain, but make sure there are no whole chickpeas left.

2) MIX, AND KEEP ON GRINDIN: Add in the baking powder, onion, garlic, tahini, spices, and herbs, then keep on keepin on. Blend until a thick paste is formed, scrapping down the sides of the bowl as needed. A few chunks here and there are kinda nice in my opinion, but make sure the spices and flour are evenly incorporated.

3) COOL DOWN AND HEAT UP: Put the mixture in the fridge for at least fifteen minutes. The cooler it is, the better it will stick together while frying. At the same time, start heating up about 3 inches of oil in a small pot or deep frying pan. It should be around 375° F (190° C), but if you don’t have a cooking thermometer, “medium-high” should suffice.

4) FRY THAT SHIT: Form the batter into ping-pong size balls, and carefully plop them into the hot oil making sure they don’t stick to the bottom of the pan. Fry, turning as needed until they’re crispy and golden brown on all sides. Remove with a slotted spoon to drain off excess oil, and let dry slightly on a plate lined with paper towels.

5) IMPORTANT FRYING TIPS:

• Do a test run! Before sacrificing precious batter, try frying just one at first. This will give you a chance to test the temperature of the oil and the consistency of the batter.
• If a strange bubble forms at the top of the falafel, the oil may not be hot enough, or the dough not cool enough.
• If the ball falls apart while frying, add a little more flour to the batter to thicken it up.
• Don’t crowd the balls! They need some space to get nice and brown on all sides, plus it will be easier to scoop them out with out damage if you have some space to move around!
• Make sure the oil is deep enough. If the falafel isn’t fully submerged, it won’t brown properly on all sides!

6) EAT AND BE HAPPY: As I mentioned above, falafel can be served a number of different ways. No matter how you eat it, though, falafel is sure to put a smile on your face, and happiness in your stomach. Unless you messed up and give yourself food poisoning.

LEMON THYME COUSCOUS SALAD À LA VICTORIA MEADER

INGREDIENTS:

ALSO 100% VEGAN!

1 cup couscous

1 cup water

1 T. olive oil

1/2 T. lemon juice

1/2 tsp. dried thyme

1/4 tsp. garlic salt

Salt

Pepper

1/2 medium onion, diced

3 medium size tomatoes, diced

1/2 cucumber, diced

WHAT TO DO:

1) COOK THE COUSCOUS: Instructions on your preferred brand of couscous may vary, but generally speaking here’s what you do. Bring a cup of water and a dash of salt to a boil over high heat. Once the water is nice and bubbly, remove from the burner, add the couscous, stir, and cover. It should be ready in 4 or 5 minutes.

2) GIVE IT SOME FLAVA: After fluffing the couscous with a fork, add the oil, lemon juice, thyme, and garlic and give it a nice stir. Salt and pepper to taste.

3) MIX IN SOME VEGGIES: Enough said.

4) EAT HOT OR COLD: Simple as that! It serves wonderfully as a bed for the falafel, but is definitely just as good on it’s own.

Happy Middle Eastern dining! XOXO