My Ten Favorite Days in France

10. Being done with work (April)

This was a day I felt really relieved. Although this job gave me the opportunity to play in France for a year, teaching English to high schoolers is not my thing. I did my job, and I am content to strike out in another direction.

9. Partying in Vitré (February)

This was the first time I went out in France since my arrival in September, if you can believe it, and it was in little Vitré! Between the people, the food, the beer, and the dancing, I had an AWESOME time. These are the people I will miss when I leave France: Caitlin, Katherine, Amanda, and David.

8. Shopping all over Rennes with Katherine (April)

I had to throw this in because it was the most fun I’ve ever had in one afternoon. Picture this: sunshine, caramel mini-muffins, lattes at Haricot Rouge, shopping, impulse shoe buying, conversation! How could it get any better than that?!

7. Christmas with the Levillains (December)

Though I missed my traditional family Christmas, I was so happy to be with Pierre-Antoine and his family. They were so sweet feeding me and even giving me lovely gifts! PA even bought me a vest so I could pretend to be super-French! Hooray! I also think I gained 10 lbs in three days!

6. Valentine’s lesson in my classes (February)

This was my favorite lesson all year, when I asked kids for the advantages and disadvantages of being single or in a relationship. Refer to the post here if you need a refresher: http://laureninrennes.blogspot.com/2011/02/valentines-week.html

5. St. Malo photo shoot (December)

This is when Katherine and I solidified our friendship by roaming around rainy St. Malo by the sea—taking pictures, shopping, enjoying the Christmas market, and just café hopping to warm up every few hours. We have very compatible tourist agendas—probably because we’re both café-loving introverts!

4. Disneyland Paris with PA (January)

I love Disney, and I love Pierre-Antoine—PERFECT COMBO! Despite losing my phone on Space Mountain, I loved eating Mickey brioches, riding my favorite rides, and breaking in to Adventureland^^

3. Winter break in Prague/Brussels/Bruges (February/March)

You’ll have to read about all the awesomeness in the original posts, but I got to spend two weeks exploring with some of my favorite people in the world! And I got to drink tons of Starbucks and the best chai tea lattes in Europe :)

2. PA and Clementine’s birthday weekend (March)

I loved getting PA silly birthday gifts and hanging out with him, of course, but the other magical moment was when Martin sat in my lap at the table for about half an hour! I felt so accepted! This was also the day that PA hit the buzzer-beating, game winning shot at his basketball game! What a gift to himself!

1. Fougeres picnic (March)

At number one is the day I felt most content to be in France this year—picnicking in the sun next to the Fougeres castle walls. Good people, good food, good music, and a good photo shoot are all I need to make me happy. Before the sunburn set in, I was so happy to just chill there.

So there you have it! Apparently if you mix humans, food, and a little adventure, I'm happy :) Ten magical moments, and I still have a little over two months of fun to go! Friends and family, get ready!

A day at the zoo!

The hunting hounds of Bourbansais.

As a belated birthday gift to PA and a way to celebrate the sunshine, PA and I went to the Zoo de la Bourbansais north of Rennes. We visited it back last July when I came to Europe for a month to see him, and suffice it to say that this visit was much less eventful... No hawk attacks or saving baby humans from a pack of hungry lemurs!

Cool things we did see this time around:
baby goats;
baby monkeys clinging to their parents' backs as they leaped around;
little nocturnal lemurs sleeping in the trees;
a tiger growling at a thorny bushed that dared to prick his nose;
lions dozing and yawning right in front of us;
meerkats competing for human attention;
the hunting hounds show in front of the château;
and lemurs trying to steal a little girl's stroller!

Looking up at PA who was wearing his meerkat shirt!

See the babies on their backs?! Click image for a larger view.

Up close and personal!

For all the photos from that day, see my zoo album.

It was a lovely warm and windy day spent outside of the city, making me miss going to stables and farms and being truly outdoors! Maybe someone can take me hiking when I get home?!

Flowers of the Parc de Thabor

A frivolous weekend

Friday was my last workday with only two classes where I taught kids the Cupid Shuffle, fed them jelly beans, and played Pictionary. Super fun, and my last students asked to be facebook friends with me^^ I was pumped, obviously, so I went on a nice evening run in the park.

[Author's Note: Europeans use A LOT of emoticons online, a habit which I seem to have picked up. I apologize to any offended parties.]

That night I celebrated the end of work by going out. Some assistant girls came over for hookah and chatting and we headed to Pym's around 12h30 for dancing! The music was great in 2/3 of the rooms, but we mostly stuck to the rap/R&B/salsa floor :) They wanted to leave by 2:20 because of tiredness, so I had to go home still bursting with dance energy! Oh well, I'll party in Paris soon!

Saturday was the greatest day! Katherine came at 9am, and we spent the day: marketing for mini-muffins, eating galette saucisse for breakfast, sitting outside at Haricot Rouge for an almond latte, shopping (black strappy heels! and cute mugs withcartoon kittens that say, "Je retombe amoureuse tous les matins [I fall in love again every morning]"!), and eating bread/cheese/fig jam/saucisse sèche/strawberries for lunch :) It was 79 F out!!! I think every human being in Rennes was outside on the streets shopping and/or eating today.

Cutest purchase EVER!

Katherine wanted cute French placemats to take home, so we checked all the kitchen stores in town and got adorable ones. Back at my apartment, we had quiet time for reading/napping. Afterwards, we rivived ourselves with an evening coffee and snacking on baguettes while listening to the guitar guy outside playing songs like "Umbrella," "Wonderwall," and "Take Me Home Coutry Roads" in a slight French accent. It's so warm here, and I have no air conditioning so the windows are constantly open to the breeze.

And what I am assuming is the last big assistants party took place Saturday night chez Tara of New Jersey. I went over around 9:30 and was home around midnight. There was a mix of English, French, and Spanish conversations going on with some assistants I hadn't seen in months and some I had never met at all! Unfortunately, my night was dampened by a drunk man passed out in my building's hallway... He was gone in the morning, but I was still creeped out :/

On Eater Sunday, Katherine came back over for a food marathon. We started the day with a brunch of scrambled eggs with lardons, onions and cheese, and mimosas, serenaded by Michael Buble. We had also bought festive chocolates in bunny and bell forms because in France, it is flying bells that deliver the candy to kids--delicious and purchased 2 for 1 ;)

Easter brunch :)

Easter chocolates! Miam!

After coffee, we went for a stroll in the park in sundresses and our new heels^^, and I took tons of artsy flower phots (see my Rennes Spring 2011 album!). We spent the late afternoon watching 10 Things I Hate About You (the movie) online and dozing until dinner. For the grande finale of Easter, we went to an Indian restaurant and ordered lamb dishes, miam miam! We were stuffed full and ended up in pjs to watch Disney's Beauty and the Beast. It was a lovely, relaxing day :)

Last week reflections

It's been a whirlwind last week here! Lots of people to see and goodbyes to say.

First, Amanda of Fougeres stayed over to catch an early train to Paris. We had an evening of kebab in the park and internet tv watching and she left at 6am Tuesday.

Tuesday I spent with Caitlin and Katherine, and we headed to the last big assistants dinner at Creperie St Melaine. It was a big table covered in yummy food and surrounded by chattering assistants!

Wednesday was a chill day with my homies C and K, actually the last time we'll see each other besides a meal in Vitre on May 25th, then Caitlin and Katherine will be gone for good! Wow! We just ate and sat outside and ate ice cream and chatted like normal. That night I was at Adrien's house with PA, Wajd, Cynthia, and Philouze for dinner and Lord of the Rings. It was funny to watch it in French!

So Thursday morning is when it hit me that life-in-France-as-I-know-it has changed for good! People are scattering, work is ending, and the sun is inexplicably shining! Ahhh!

I'm off to do my last two hours of class, then I will be setting up for a party at my place tonight. Then there will be a party at Tara's on Saturday. I'll be spending Easter with Katherine, eating chocolate and lamb curry :)

Wish me luck!

:*

Bittersweet gatherings

Another fun-filled weekend here! PA was in town Friday, so we got to hang out. Saturday was Katherine day! She came around 10am to go to the market, and then we ran out to the library and did some shopping throughout the day. It's nice out again, so skirts were welcome! I also had my first galette saucisse and an AMAZING falafal sandwich from Le Mont liban, right across the place from my apartment! Mmm...

Caitlin joined us, and we headed over to Kelsey's for a little asisstants' party. Chatting and dancing with a finish at Le Delicatessen for more dancing :) Katherine left for home, and Caitlin stayed with me for Sunday. We ran errands, finally checked out the interior of the church that I see from my windows, and ate another falafal sandwich. The afternoon was spent in the grass at the park with a million other people because there is a music festival going on in town with two stages set up in the park as well. It was delightful!

Now it's a quiet Monday, still sunny! I'm doing laundry and preparing my lesson on line dances for my students this afternoon... The Cupid Shuffle and the Cha Cha Slide! It's all because I had a dream about teaching them dancing! I figure, it's the last week, so why not?!

Graduation Goggles

How apt that this week's How I Met Your Mother was about "graduation goggles," describing how we become nostalgic about things when we are about to leave them forever. Now, France has not been a cakewalk for me this year, and I really want to go home, but maybe some of the tough times are already getting blurred by the beginning of final goodbyes... And lately, I have been often surrounded by assistants wanting a few last hurrahs before we all scatter, so the champagne cocktails and snacks and dance music all around us is a nice cushion from the dull realities of these seven months of an assistant's life.

So on Tuesday, Katherine and Caitlin came into Rennes for one last dinner out at Casa Pépé, just the three of us. It was DELICIOUS as usual! We also watched a movie and just chatted, as classic slumber parties require. Then today, Amanda and David came over from Fougères for lunch. Sadly, it was too chilly for picnicking, but we ate yummy burgers at Snack My Dwitch Up and hung out, with a late afternoon stop at Le Haricot Rouge for their spring chocolate flavors menu! Mmm, coconut! Hooray for other humans!

But now, again, my apartment is empty and the sky is grey (as it is 90% of the time here...), and the graduation goggles are thrown aside yet again. *sigh*

Luckily, I have a cocktail party on Saturday and an assistants' dinner next Tuesday. But by next Friday, pretty much everyone will have left. The family then shows up May 4th! Ack!

Weekend in Fougères!

Peek-a-boo from Fougères castle!

In the spirit of doing as much as I can at the end of my time here, I hopped a bus to Fougères with Katherine on Friday evening. About 90 minutes later, we were there, the home of the biggest medieval castle in Europe and of the American assistants Amanda and David. Caitlin had already arrived, so we all walked to their apartment through the hilly streets.

Basically, this weekend we did a lot of eating, dancing, and wandering. Friday night we drank wine, ate a platter of cheese and falafal, and went bowling until 3am. Saturday we spent mostly outside--buying food at the market, picnicking at the foot of the castle, napping in the grass with Pride radio on, walking around the castle, sitting at a cafe, napping in the apartment, watching youtube videos together, and eating mussels and fries and ice cream while finishing a mini-keg. Dancing was interspersed throughout the days. Sadly, I did get a touch of sunburn, so I was sore on Sunday morning. We ate a breakfast of coffee, eggs and sausage à la américain and chilled until taking an afternoon bus home. It was low-key but very satisfying--good company, gorgeous weather, and great fun! I was so content in that park on Saturday!

Caitlin, Katherine and me--my France clique

Fougères' castle!

More photos in my Rennes Spring album (link on right).

My last month of working in France!

Friday was one of the sadder days of my French children teaching career--three students just cut my class! I was in my room at 11:30 and waited for twenty minutes before going to ask the teacher if I had the right hour. Apparently, she had sent three students to me and they decided to leave campus for an early lunch instead of working with me :( It was rather heart-breaking...

I had another class where the prof asked me to prepare them for presenting texts for their final oral exam. The problem is that no one explained to me how it works, so I couldn't really answer their questions! Ugh. Only eleven more workdays to go.

Friday evening I went to Vitré to hang out with the ever-cool Caitlin and Katherine. We ate spicy chili, made brownies and pumpkin bread, and danced. The next morning was when we ate the pumpkin bread... Then we had to catch the train to Rennes.

At 5, assistant Kelsey was hosting a party to exchange clothes and books and just mingle in general with other assistants. She made a delicious champagne, vodka, and pineapple juice punch, and I brought White Russian fixin's. The offical invite was from 5 to 7, but we all stayed until 11ish, dancing and eating up all the snacks available because we had all missed our dinner! The last group of me, Caitlin, Kelsey, and Kelsey's French boyfriend Steven went to my place for hookah, then us girls went to the nearby club Delicatessan to dance awhile. I think we only made it to 2:30am this time, but we also didn't spend money getting in or buying drinks at the club, so it worked out just fine.

This morning, Caitlin and I are relaxing over leftover spicy chili and fresh pico de gallo with tortilla chips. It's gonna be a lazy day because her next train home isn't until 7pm. So movies, books, chillin'... My abs and legs are soooo sore from the hours of dancing I've put my body through this weekend.

Also, I officially enrolled at George Washington University! Hooray! Come visit me in Washington, D.C. next year!