La Fete des Lumieres

A lit up statue at La Fete des Lumieres!

This weekend I went down to Lyon for La Fete des Lumieres and to see Dianne! Le Fete started to honor Mary(as in the mother of Jesus), who is the patron of Lyon and each December 8th the people in Lyon would put candles in their windows. Now it has become a giant spectacle with about 3 million people visiting the city for each Fete. It started on Wednesday and went through Saturday night. As I have to work, I was only able to make it on Friday night, but Dianne and I made the most of our time.

Friday night we went to a bouchon, which are restaurants that Lyon is famous for. This not being the second time I went to Lyon, nor my first time at a bouchon, I was excited to go to one that was better. According to Dianne, the bouchon that we went to two years ago was the worst one (I believe her, because my meal was disgusting). So at the bouchon I ate chicken livers and sausage made out of something (I think it's best we just forget what was in it), but it was AMAZING! Dessert was even better, praline pie. It's bright red and delicious =)

That's right! I'm eating chicken liver =)

After dinner we walked around and looked at all the different light shows. One of my favorites was where this man is singing into the microphone and you see his face projected onto the facade of a building and it MOVES. I uploaded the video onto my facebook if you want to see it (I highly recommend it).

A picture of the moving face

Saturday, Dianne, Miriam (the Spanish assistant at her school) and I went to one of their professor's house for lunch and it was an interesting way to spend the afternoon. As usual French meals last awhile so it was almost dark when we finished, so it was time for the lights to start! We decided to go to the giant park, because there were fire installations! I love fire so I thought it would be really cool to see, and it was! It looked like a post-apocalyptic world because it was dark, there was fire, smoke, and dead trees.

Post-Apocalyptic World!

Another cool light show was where there was an old church and they projected this movie onto it where they were building the church brick-by-brick and then they fast-forwarded to it's destruction (I also uploaded that video onto my facebook). Afterwards we went to one of Dianne's favorite bars, the drunken parrot.

At the Drunken Parrot!

Unfortunately, Sunday was my last day, but we spent it in a great fashion, we went to a gastronomie fair, where there were many different French food vendors, selling foie gras, jam, champagne, wine, cheese, sausage, pasta, escargot, chocolate, pastries, basically anything you can imagine. You may ask why would you want to go? I will tell you, EVERYONE gave free samples. It was like Costco, but with high class French food. Everyone wanted you to try their food. I did buy some of the best foie gras I've ever eaten, some jam that literally tastes like heaven, and some really good cheese. I think it was a well spent afternoon.

After the amazing food at the fair, I had to go back to Metz, another 6 hour train ride, but I am so glad I was able to see La Fete des Lumieres and Dianne.

Marche de Noel in Strasbourg

In order to get the full "Marche de Noel" experience, Ilaria, Megan, Patrick, and I decided to go to the one in Strasbourg as everyone says that it is the biggest and the best as the one in Metz is a little touristy. So the day started off early with an 8 AM train. Which was good because all of the trains were running late because of the snow, so if we had taken a later train, it would have meant less time in Strasbourg.

The one thing I will say about Strasbourg it is COLD! I was freezing the whole entire time, but the marche de Noel was a lot of fun. There was more to look at (and buy) and the cuisine in Strasbourg is different and definitely helps warm one up =) Basically a lot of cheese and bread, you can't really go wrong with that!

Ilaria and I in front of one of the stands at the Christmas Market

In Strasbourg, there is this Cathedral that is PINK (because it is made out of pink stone) and inside it has this giant clock and at every 12:30PM all these little animitronics come out and do things, unfortunately we were an hour late. But this clock is amazing it can tell you everything about what is happening in the world, it says where all the planets are.

Part of the clock I mentioned

At the end of walking around we (I) decided to go to this bar called "L'academie de bieres" (The Beer Academy), that has just about any beer ever in the bar. It was pretty cool, I ordered some beer from a tap and the glass was rounded on the bottom. It was a little difficult to figure out at first.

And then we had to catch the train, which was late! All in all not a bad way to spend a day =)

Marche de Noel

Christmas Markets!

Europe has this obsession with Christmas Markets, which basically are little elf houses within which people sell Christmasy things like ornaments and foie gras and liqueurs, sometimes also little gifts like scarves and jewelery. They also have food stands with churros, waffles, hot dogs, tartiflette, latkas, frog legs, escargots, and oysters! Even better are the vin chaud (hot wine) stands everywhere that really help keep you warm as it is getting progressively colder everyday.

The opening day of the markets all of the assistants walked around and checked out each area of the markets. It was a great way to spend the day.

"Russian" Area of the Christmas Markets

There are 4 different Squares in Metz covered with the markets and each has its own theme. This was my favorite because it was the weirdest.

Me in the playground that I pass everyday

OFII Medical Visit/Thanksgiving

OFII or Office de Francais Immigration et Integration (French Office of Immigration and Integration) makes all foreigners have a medical visit in order to validate their visa. My visit was scheduled for Thanksgiving, which was a little good and a little bad. That way I didn't have to go to class, but it meant I had to go to that. Luckily everyone had the same appointment so we had to all go together. It was painless but a little weird, but I passed and am now able leave France and come back =) They did have to add this ugly stamp into my passport, but c'est la vie.

For Thanksgiving, the Americans decided to cook dinner for all of the other assistants. It took a bit of searching, but we found a turkey. A whopping 4 kilos! And only 12 euros a kilo, what a steal! hahaha Turkies are more of a Christmas meal in France, so they aren't as common at this time so we had to special order one. So for the meal I made biscuits, garlic mashed potatos, and a peacan pie. While Megan made homemade stuffing, sweet potatos, and a broccoli casserole, while Pat cooked the turkey (I helped but he did all the dirty work). Overall it turned out really well, the other assistants really seemed to enjoy their first Thanksgiving. It was really nice to share something American with the others.

So all and all I think it was a successful Thanksgiving =)

The table is set for Thanksgiving!

Falling into a Routine

Now that the greves are over and I have actually started teaching, I have fallen into a nice routine. I am getting to know the students better and falling into a rhythm of teaching and am getting used to it. Sometimes I actually like it! Especially when I get to teach something that I actually like, such as politics, which makes me rethink my decision NOT to become a professor.

The other assistants at my high school and around Metz are really nice. There is Patricia (the Spanish assistant at my school), Christiane (the German assistant, even though she is Italian, at my school), Martina (the German assistant, from Austria), Megan (another American), Patrick (another American), and Ilaria (an Italian assistant). We all hang out and it's a lot of fun getting to know everyone since we all come from different backgrounds.

Armistice Day

YAY for France having a lot of holidays! Today we had of because of the end of World War I. However, since everything in France would be closed, Megan and I decided to leave and go to Luxembourg for the day (Yes, you read that right I just hopped over to another country for the afternoon).

The trains were running fairly often because half of Metz works in Luxembourg, since Luxembourg has the highest minimum wage in all of the EU, but it is expensive to live there. So many Messins commute everyday, about 130 Kms every day round trip (imagine that!)

Luxembourg was an interesting little country, it's weird that it's so close but English is way more common than in France. Also they have their own weird dialect Luxemburgish.

But it was a great little day trip. We went to the city's museum to learn more about Luxembourg.

Angers, Nantes, Samur, et Bordeaux

Toussaint Vacation came and went. It started off a bit rough because of the greves (strikes) that have been happening everywhere because of the raising of the retirement age. So my train from Paris to Angers (it may look like Anger, but it is pronounced ON-JAY) was late because there were strikers on the railways blocking the trains.

In Angers I met with my friend Kat who is an English assistant in a primary school in Angers. Our other friend Dianne met us the next day. Dianne and I went to the Chateau d'Angers where they have the Apocalypse tapestries. I didn't know that when I went and I just followed the sign to the Apocalypse, like I told Dianne, when there is a sign that tells you there will be an Apocalypse you HAVE to follow. They were actually pretty interesting, accept I kept mistranslating a word, bete, which can either be stupid or beast. I thought it was stupid, which wasn't making any sense in the context.

In Nantes, Dianne and I wanted to go to this Renaissance Chateau but without a car I guess it is practically impossible. But it actually turned out for the better because we went to L'ile des machine (The island of machines), which is a magically wonderland of Jules Vernes machines. They are trying to make a 3 story carousel filled with little animals that one can ride. Dianne and I, each got to try one, it was a lot of fun! We also went on this 30 meter high elephant that walks. It was a great afternoon. We also saw the Chateau de Nantes which was pretty cool as well.

The elephant!

Me inside a fish!

One day Kat, Dianne, and I went to this little town called Samur which is about 45 minutes outside of Angers, where there is this Chateau that overlooks the Loire river. When we got off the train we asked for directions on how to get there, and the people just laughed at us, but actually it wasn't that far of a walk. But the views from the Chateau were fantastic, even though the Chateau wasn't that pretty. Unfortunately we didn't have enough time to go to the Mushroom Museum(!!!), even though they were in the middle of a Mushroom FESTIVAL, because we had appointments for a guided tour of the Cointreau factory!

Me in front of the Chateau

At the Cointreau factory, we were the only non-French speakers but we still we able to understand everything the guide told us! I learned that Cointreau is the first triple sec, and it's the best! It uses real essential oils you can tell if you add an ice cube, the way the water mixes it looks silvery. The name triple sec, comes from the French word - sec meaning dry, so it's 3 times more dry, or less sugary than the other liqueurs on the market at the time. After the tour, there was a little "degustation" or tasting of Cointreau where we learned how to make different drinks with it. It was really good =) Another little interesting fact, 85% of the Cointreau that is made is sold to the US.

Kat and I smelling the different orange peels that they use for Cointreau

After all that fun, we all went down to Bordeaux. There my only goal was to go to a vineyard and we went to TWO! Unfortunately the day we went, I was bit by a bug on my eyelid and my eye swelled so it was a little hard to see. Luckily it is all better now.

Me in front of a vineyard (Notice my large sunglasses covering my giant swollen eye)

But before the bug incident happened, there was a carnival in town! And it was Halloween it was a lot of fun! (A lot better than the carnival in Grenoble, no near deaths incidents) We went on a special Halloween themed ride, it was actually scary, complete with a man that came out in the dark and grabbed our shoulders, I am almost 100% that would not be allowed in the US, for fear of a lawsuit. We also went on a ferris wheel at dusk and got to see all of Bordeaux, it was gorgeous.

Halloween Themed Ride

View of Bordeaux from the Ferris Wheel

Then I had to take a 6 hour train ride back to Metz, but all in all it was a great vacation with great friends, and even better food =)

Michelle X23

So far I've seen 23 classes and had to introduce myself that many times, it's getting a little boring talking about myself. Who would have thought?

Soon it's Toussaint Vacances (All Saints' Day Vacation) and because my visa isn't valid I'm not allowed to leave France or they might not let me back in (ooops!) Since I've already tested my luck once, going to Germany, I don't want to try again, seeing as how I have terrible luck. So I am going to Angers to see a friend and Bordeaux after.

First Day Jitters

Today was my first day of "teaching." It was 7 hours of answering the same questions over and over again. Or just staring at each other. Although all of the students were warned that I was coming and to prepare some questions for me, they just stared at me most of the time. Getting them to talk was like pulling teeth. I discovered that the best way to get them to talk is if I choose one student to ask a question, then they choose the next person, and so on and so forth. But generally I just felt like a weird alien most of the time, I really hope it gets better, or else this will be an awkward year! Luckily there were always at least one or two students who were curious and asked questions. It makes me feel for the teachers I've had because honestly I never internalized how hard it is, I guess objectively yes teaching is hard, but unless you actually try to do it, it's hard to really SEE how difficult it is.

Nuit Blanche

Tonight was Metz's thrid annual Nuit Blanche, which is translated in sleepless night. It started at 6PM and went to 6AM (I only made it to 1AM). Basically they opened up art installations all around the city, whether it was performance art, synchronized swimming, light shows, or paintings. It was a nice way to visit the city. They also opened up buildings that are not usually open, like the Hotel de Ville.

I went with a girl, Megan, I met early in the week, her roommate Sophie (a German assistant), Ilaria (Italian assistant), and Patrick (another American assistant). It was nice to meet other assistants who live in Metz, or around Metz.

We all went to the synchronized swimming which was interesting to say the least, because sometimes it was just one person. And I ask myself if that can really be considered synchronized... But oh well. We also saw a church that was transformed into a night club. There were giant balls of light suspended from the ceiling and different DJs would come and spin for a bit. It was all pretty interesting.

Oktoberfest

Long before I went to France I knew that I wanted to go to Oktoberfest and being placed in Metz made it ideal because I am right next to the German border. I looked into train tickets and found one that wasn't too expensive, the only problem was finding housing. It was way too expensive. Some hostels wanted 80 euros a night for a 20 person room. I don't mind hostels but even I thought that was ridiculous, especially considering everyone would probably be drunk out of their mind. So I decided to take an overnight train to Munich, arriving at 7:15 AM and then leave at 10:30PM to get in to Metz at 6 AM. It was a long train ride but totally worth it!

The train to Munich was uneventful, there were only 3 people in a 8 person car so we all got a little stretching room. So I was able to sleep a little bit. When I first got into Munich I did a little sight seeing looking at the big squares, getting a little lost, you know the usual for me =) Around 10:30AM I made my way over to the fairgrounds where they have all the tents and met up with some people from couchsurfing.com As much as I love to travel alone, I didn't think it was a good (or very fun) idea to be drinking alone. So I met up with other travelers in Munich and had a great time! In all I visited 3 tents, and drank 4 liters of beer! (Don't worry it was over the whole day and not at once, so I wasn't drunk) But it was amazing to see literally thousands of people standing and dancing on tables singing songs together!

In all of the tents they play this one song it must be every 20 minutes. It's a German song, so I don't know the words, I just know that you have to drink some beer at the end of the song. But the first time I heard the German word for cheers, Proust, I thought it was everyone saying cheers to their favorite author, who just happened to be the French author Marcel Proust. Needless to say I was wrong!

First Days in Metz

I'm really glad that my teacher was able to pick me up at the train station because it made my life so much easier! Before I left I e-mailed her a picture of myself so that she would be able to find me (I thought it was a good idea) and it actually worked! After helping me carry my bags to her car she drove me the my new home (at least for the next 7 months) at the Foyer (a dorm-like place for students or young workers, mine is specifically for girls).

She then invited me to dinner at her place and I said I would love, I just wanted to unpack a bit. So she went back to school to teach, while I unpacked and then promptly passed out. Apparently I was dead to the world because she waited for me on the street, where we agreed on, but then knocked on my door many different times. So I woke up when someone came into my room, because they weren't sure if I was even there or if I was sick, speaking French. I was so confused, I didn't even realize where I was or when it was. I was SO tired. Well after we all worked out that I was alive and did want to go to dinner, we left.

I had a great time at dinner at my teacher's house, she lives out like in Montbonnot, in a house right next to her parents. Her daughter was at dinner, she works for SNCF (the national train company). My teacher then dropped me back off at my place, after she showed me a bit of Metz.

The first couple of days I just walked around Metz, trying to find a grocery store, buying a cell phone, just getting acquainted with the town and figuring out where everything is. It didn't take long though because Metz isn't very big =)

I went to school on the 27th to meet the Proviseur (the principle) and all of the administrative people to do some of the paperwork to make sure that I will get paid. It was funny because I was waiting outside the gates of the school and my teacher didn't even recognize me because she thought I was a student (I don't think this will be the last time this happens)

Arriving in Metz

My flight to Paris was via DC this time and left at 6:45 in the morning from SF. Because it was so early, I thought it would be a good idea to stay up the whole night. I thought wrong, I was exhqusted for the whole trip. And even though we left in plenty of time, we (my parents and I) waited at the wrong terminal for 45 mintues. So then we wait in line to check in, but because my trip is for so long, it won't let me, so we have to wait some more. After finally getting checked in I waited in the security line, and of corse chose the slower one ( I think i get that trait from my dad...) When I finally made it on the plane, there was no more overhead room, but I didn't want to check in my carry-on because it had my computers and everything. Luckily I finally found room at the back of the plane, despite the fact that the man in front of me put TWO suitases in the overhead compartment!!

After an uneventful layover in DC I was on the plane to CDG; which went without incident except for a man next to me literally yelling at the flight attendents, which of course woke me up, making me not a happy camper, as you can imagine. When the plane landed I was happy to get out of the airport and make sure my bags had made it safely, which they did but unfortunately they were the last ones of of the plane!

With my bags baack again in my posession, I went outside to try and meet the shuttle ( I reserved a shuttle this time because I didn't want a repeat of the Paris Metro, a year and a half ago, so I gladly paid the 15 more to not deal with all of my luggage on the metro). I had booked. After 30 minutes of wandering around with EVERYTHING I finally found the shuttle. Only to be greeted with very cranky passengers because I guess they had been waiting for 90 minutes. Oh well... The shuttle dropped me off first at the gare de l'est, where my train to Metz was departing from.

The 87 mintue train between the two cities was uneventful and I was met at the train station by a teacher who drove me to the foyer where I will be staying while in Mtz.

Nervous

I am a lot more nervous this time than the last time. It might be because I haven't spoken French in a year and a half (I really can't believe it's been that long). Or the fact that I have no idea what to expect. All I know is that I am to be teaching 12 hours a week and the rest of the time is my own. I'm also not 100% sure about the housing situation. But I hope this will all work itself out.

But the biggest worry I have is the LUGGAGE situation. For those of you who don't remember, you can reread my post about Paris. Unlucky for me is that the Paris Metro is etched in my mind because of that horrendous trip with all of our luggage. Unfortunately, this time I will be travelling alone, so I will have to handle all of my baggage on my own. So I need to strike a balance between bringing too much and not being able to carry it and not bringing enough so I have to buy a million things over here, which will get expensive.

Like the other problems I am sure that it'll all work itself out over time. Sometimes though I do wonder if I made the right choice in deciding to take a job which I am not sure what is expected of me, but I figure now, when I'm young, is the time to take risks =)

Return to France

Well I never wrote about my last vacations to Italy, Amsterdam, and Ireland....Well it's a little late for that, but I guess I get a second chance to update this blog because I am returning to France as a language assistant. My official title is an assistante de langue. I will be working in a French high school, assisting the English professors. Basically my understanding is that I am there as a native speaker and to help the students with their fluency and oral comprehension of native speakers.

This is a pretty cool program that is through the Ministry of Education in France, where they place people all throughout France and the DOM (Departments D'outre Mer, like Martinique). I was luckily placed in the Nancy - Metz Academy (another name for the region is Lorraine), specifically in Metz, in the Department Moselle. For those of you who don't know it's pronouced MESS and it's about 90 minutes by train East of Paris and 60 minutes South of Luxembourg. Nancy - Metz is actually surrounded by three different countries; Belgium, Luxembourg, and Germany.

For those in the know Lorraine has been occupied by Germany for many different times and thus has a unique history and culture than the rest of France, so I am excited to explore and learn about another area of France.