lets hit the slopes!

So i woke up this morning to about 6 inches of snow and it is still falling! Teachers had a hell of a time getting to school at all let alone on time. The mountains are so beautiful with the snow i cant wait to hit the ski slopes. *Later* This last weekend i didnt go skiing but i did some other great winter activities. On sat i went 'snowshoeing' in the alps with a great view of the largest mountain in Europe and on Sun i went ice skating! Its been so many years since ive been skating and so i was a bit wobbly at first. I went to the rink in Albertville where the 1992 winter olympics were held, so i skated on the same rink as olympic champions. (I think thats pretty cool) Classes are going just fine. I got my first italian exam back and i did well with 13.5/20. That may not seem good, but the french system is a little wacky and i started the class a month after everyone else. Teaching is getting a bit on my nerves as of late. The students are getting cabin fever i think, they want to be out in the snow, and vacation was several weeks ago. We are all getting tired. Some other good news is last night i went to a ColdPlay Concert in the town of Lyon. They played a lot of the hits and i knew all the songs except for a few. It was really a great concert even though i went with 2 people i didnt know. One of these people ended up the be the son of an Ambassador of Canada. His father was in Senegal about 10 years ago for a post, had a son, and now that person (so the bro of the guy i went to the concert with) is in international affairs as well, did an internship with the CIA and now works for nuclear energy watchdog organization in Ottawa. The people you can meet can be so interesting! In other news, im trying to figure out my Christmas holiday plans and well im in quite a pickle.

Small town connections....are great!

So time is starting to fly with all my classes, taking italian, giving supplementary english lessons, and social life. I have met some really great people here in the past few weeks. For one, the owners of the book store here has family in the USA and so invited me over one night to talk about the differences between France and the States. It became a four hour long heated discussion mostly about politics and as a result i think i have friends for life. They ordered an international english newspaper for me and so now i know whats going on! In addition, one of the finance people at the high school has pretty much adopted me. I eat with her and her family a few times a week and our rendez vous together are always so fun and interesting. There are three girls in the family and last weekend for example we all went to their little chalet in the mountains for a traditional french dinner complete with red wine and chocolate mousse. I ate so much i couldn't move afterwards! They have all taken an interest in the USA and have been helping me learn french idiomatique phrases and cultural facts especially when it comes to food. I feel truly blessed to be able to spend time with them. Speaking of food, another employee of the high school invited me over and after i expressed an interest in finding a job in a bakery, offered to teach me how to make french breads and patisseries. I can not wait to make my own baguettes and tartes! We made a 'fruit cake' the other day and it was so good. Its the first time in my life i can make something worth eating! SO with all this food you'd think im getting fat, but on the contraire im slimming down and since im so active here (walking; hiking, traveling) i really feel good. In other news, i finally got a cell phone so let me know if you want the number.....oh and if anyone wants to send me something, pumpkin pie filling is the first on my wish list. I would like to make it for the family that has made me feel so welcome here. Thanks and take care!

A word about the riots....

Hello all, in response to the many emails i have received concerning the rioting in Paris, i would like to say first of all, im in no danger whatsoever. My town is very far away from Paris and the other cities where violence has sprung up. So dont worry, im just fine......For those of you who want some info on the situation, i found an article on the ny times website 'France has an Underclass, but its roots are still shallow' which i can send to you. The gist of the article however states that Frances means of dealing with its growing population of immigrants primarily from north and west africa has been by extensive welfare programs. They have not handled the ethnic and religious discrimination experienced by these people especially in their search of work. As a result, a dangerous degree of isolation is being felt by the young immigrant population in particular who now dont feel the connection to their mother country like their parents, yet dont consider themselves french either. Affirmative action is taboo in France, and yet the article states that in America the conditions are much worse for the minority populations present. A association was set up in france only a few years ago (i think 2003) to act as a middle person between the immigrant population and the state, and the only main change that was made was students are no longer allowed to wear veils in school. In summary, France has been ignoring this group of people for far too long and im hopeful that with these acts of violence the state can figure out the best way to improve relations.

the 6 region, 11 day tour (part II)

Nice was rather beautiful overall, so i opted to visit another city on the coast of southern france. I spent the day in Marseilles which is the 2nd largest city in the country and is known for its large harbors and dense immigration numbers. Over 100,000 people are from north africa alone! I met two other american english assistants who wanted to see the town as well (one girl from kenosha and a guy from South Dakota). The three us of did 'Le grand tour' where you climb into a open air double decker bus and are paraded around the town. The major attractions of the city include a gold topped church on the tallest point of the town, the drastic coast line of the mediteranean and the three islands in the distance, the ancient cathedrale, the harbor, a ancient fort, and a road called canebiere. The place is famous because it was a major stop for World War GI's back in the day. The street is lined with shops and bars and is the most 'sketchy' place to hang out at night. So of course i saw it!
After the grand tour, my camarades and i took a boat out to one of the islands 'Ile d'If.' On the island rests a chateau (castle) from the 1500's which protected the port of Marseilles during the many struggles for territory. The castle is also known to be the setting of the Count of Monte Cristo as well as the man in the iron mask. I took a lot of great pictures of the islands, and the coastline of Marseilles. I had nostalgia of looking at Dakar from the Ile de Madelines of the west coast of africa. I really missed Senegal at that moment. France is great but so commercial and built up, there is something so appealing about the simplicity of Africa.....Anyway, i really need to read the count of monte cristo now, the castle was something out of a dream.
I stayed in the town of Aix en Provence for two nights during my venture to Marseilles. Aix is in the provence region of france and is the great artist Cezanne's former dwelling place. The main attraction in Aix is the Cours Mirabeau which is just a street lined with restaurants, shops, twinkling lights, and large trees. A french version of state street if you will. The other americans and i spent a lot of time wandering through the streets of Aix near the Cours Mirabeau; eating fries and drinking hot chocolate (among other things) in the same restaurants that Cezanne had. Aix is very charming and it would be a great place to study. No worries though, im not staying!
After Aix, i took a long train ride to the center of France to Clermont Ferrand. Clermont is a city surrounded by hibernating volcanoes in the massif central region of the country. Many of the cities buildings like the cathedrale and the police station were created with the black volcanic rock. It was quite a sight to see! Also in Clermont is my friend George from Connecticut. He was in senegal with me two years ago and so it was great to be able to connect with him again. We took a tour of the town, I went to my first rugby match ever, and we had a great time hitting a few of the towns clubs and restaurants.

After 11 days of travel, hostels, cheap food, and endless attractions and train rides, i was pretty happy to come back to school to relax!

the six region, 11 day tour (pt 1)

I've have just returned from my first vacation of the school year where i took the opportunity to visit six regions in the south eastern part of france. I wont tell you all the details because that could constitute a book and on top of that make you all really jealous. However, i will say that theres nothing else like traveling on your own without an itinerary. I flew by the seat of my pants, chose my next destinations at random and had a great time!
Last sat i traveled by train to the mediteranean coast and to the town of Nice. After the 5.5 hrs train ride i was thrilled to see there was a youth hostel very close to the train station. My first two days there i toured the city. I saw several museums including the international naive art museum. This museum celebrates new artistic talent by showing pieces from children artists from all over. I was fortunate to enjoy an exposition from young brazilian talent where images of bright vibrant colors and crowds dominate. The museum of henry matisse (a well known artist of nice) was anothe place i visited. Matisse was a student his entire lifetime. He tried many types of artwork including sculpture, painting, drawing, paper cut out art ect. His museum was one of the most diverse as far as works go and i really enjoyed learning about his constant curiosity of the art world. The same day i visited the former site of an ancient roman city where you can still walk the cobblestone streets of 300 AD and see the pillars of governmental buildings. That was really amazing! The museum of contemporary art was really different. The artists on display were americans from the early 60's and their techniques of 'living brushes' was something ive never seen. Only in france..... in additional i was asked out twice in the matter of 30 mins by 2 north africans who worked in the museum! I guess thats what you get for being nice and waiting to practice your 2nd language. Also the beaches and markets of nice are world known for their variety and beauty. The third day i took a short train ride to Monaco and Monte Carlo with two girls i met in the hostel. One was from montreal and spoke french with a new accent to my ears, and the other an austrailian girl with no french background. Considering how different we all were, we enjoyed our day visiting the Palace of the Albert II, King of Monaco (including the changing of the guard like they do in london), the napolian museum of history and artifacts, and wandering through the rich streets and beautiful beaches of Monte Carlo. We marveled at the wealth displayed all around us, from the rolls royce parked on the street in from of the famous casino in monte carlo (which i couldnt see because of a dress code) to the mile long boats and yachts in the harbor. It was quite an experience and even though no one invited us on their yacht for a cocktail, i was a beautiful day. Back at the hostel, i met people from hong kong, germany, and other parts of france. We exchanged email addresses but you never know if they will keep in touch....traveling may be so exhausting but so good for the soul.