Kissing the Lipless - An Exploration in Limoges

Here it is finally! I started this video back in october when I first got to France and then it quickly became rainy and cold and I had to wait until spring to finish it. Makes me a bit homesick for my old room at Donzelot. I had to make it a real small size to get it to upload and the quality suffers a bit but such is life. Enjoy :)

You Will Miss Us

There were days during this experience as an assistant when I just wanted to roll over and stay in bed. There were days when I did just roll over and stay in bed (I had the flu, calm down). There were days when I dreaded teaching certain classes, and then days - sometimes the same day - when I couldn't wait to see how the kids would react to what I prepared.

My children love me in fact. Even the craphead kids. On my last week my kids presented me with all kinds of presents and hand made cards! I in turn presented them with (the demanded) cakes and treats that I love to make - banana bread and buttermilk cake.


This girl looks like a mini Natalie Portman - and she's a really great student too - never gave me any flack, even when we did kinda boring stuff like filling in a map of the US. Plus...she remembered Hibou in her drawing!


This card came from a girl who I thought was totally bored to death by me. Maybe she was bored to death so she decided to make this card instead of listen to me talk :)


Inside of the same card.


Did you know I was famous?


Obviously if my kids learned anything about me - they learned I have a cat named Hibou. Im satisfied.


This was my favorite - so cute translation wise. The reason its so adorable is because its translated the way they would say it in French. For example - when they say "You will miss us a lot," what they mean to say is "We will miss you a lot." But in French you change the positions. This is a mistake I made a lot learning French and I didn't actually learn it correctly until I came here this year. To say I miss you in French you say "tu me manque" - translated literally " you are missing to me".


Two of my little girls in the 6eme Euro (6th grade 2 hour English class) bought me this Limoges porcelain! It was so cute - as I unwrapped it they kept saying "It's fragile, It's fragile!" and then right before I took off the last of the paper one of the little gift givers leaned over and said "Do you drink tea?" Not one for surprises that one :)

Thank you children - you will miss me!

Lemony Goat Cheese Pasta with Sautéed Asparagus

Item # 3 of eating down the pantry : Pasta. I haven't been eating much pasta at all in France - Im just so obsessed with quesadillas and quiche and soup. But now it's time to finish it up. I was blog browsing and I came across a lemony goat cheese with asparagus pasta dish. Unfortunately I don't remember where I found it - sorry!



I made this dish for my birthday and invited Therese and Paula to come over and share it with me. I had been craving some asparagus ever since the last dinner in Italy when the 4 of us went to the market in Florence and made a huge going away dinner together. Plus, it's in season right now and veggies and fruits are always best in season.

So I trekked up to the market the morning of my birthday and ordered a kilo of asparagus. I had no idea how big a kilo would be - but its manageable once you cut the stems down. Plus - I was pleased to find that the asparagus that is grown here locally is a bit different than what we have at home....see below.


Does this look like an asparagus to you?


Have you ever zested with a potato peeler? Takes forever!

Lemony Goat Cheese Pasta with Sauteed Asparagus
Serves 4

1 kilo (2 and a half pounds I think) fresh asparagus, trimmed
1 large log of goat cheese
1 large lemon, zested
several cups of pasta (I always eyeball it)
1/4 cup olive oil plus 2 tbsp
1 tbsp herbs de provence
salt and pepper

1. Put a pot of water on the stove and bring it to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente. When you drain the pasta reserve about a cup of the pasta water.
2. While the pasta is cooking, heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet. Add the asparagus, season with salt and pepper, and sauté until the asparagus is tender but not mushy,5-7 minutes.
3. In the pot you used for the pasta (which has now been drained and is still in the colander) combine the goat cheese, olive oil, herbs de provence and lemon zest. Mix well until the cheese has melted. Little by little add the reserved pasta water until you get the desired consistency.
4. Add the pasta back to the pot and mix well. Then fold in the asparagus and serve.


It may not be the prettiest dish you ever prepare but it's quite satisfying.


These pretty little flowers came from Therese. May Day in France is actually a national holiday, like our Labor Day - which means everything is closed and if it were not that way I guarantee you there would be strikes - but it also means that people are selling Muguet des Bois or Lily of the Valley in English! I found a really great explanation of this tradition on Paris Postcard that I really recommend you check out. She explains it so well I don't even want to bother trying!

I had a pretty lovely birthday and I closed out the day with drinks at the Bibliotheque with friends.

Coast to Cote Week 17

Sorry this is so late folks! I was on vacay. Also...sorry Im only uploading half the picture. I have tried about a million times to upload the whole image but there is something wrong with the file, so this is only my half. To see the full image go to Pang's page.







Pang: The weather couldn't be more perfect today. My buddy and I took a blanket and our lunches and headed up to the monument and had ourselves a grand ol' picnic. While taking photographs of our fun day, I noticed a paper crane hanging from the tree we were sitting under. I love finding little random beauties like this.

Me: Same idea as last week really. Documenting the things I see on a regular basis that will remind me of home when I go back to old home. Im going to be seeing a good bit of this in the next few weeks. This is our train station - down on the .....what's the word in English for voie? I forget. Anyhow, Limoges has one of the prettiest train stations in France (its documented as such! but this isnt a picture of the pretty part) and I really love living so close to it. Next week I will hopefully have a travel picture for you - but its supposed to rain in Barcelona. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Week 16 Coast to Cote

Pang: April showers bring May flowers...that has never been more true. It has rained cats and dogs for the past two days. We were even on a tornado watch on Sunday! We were at a cook out and most people migrated to the basement for safety. Anywho, rainy days are especially hard when it comes to babysitting. Nothing dampens your plans more, especially if there is no TV/movie involved. My poor little buddy was dying to be outdoors (although it doesn't look it in the photograph, it was pouring) and just sat there staring, looking super sorry. Poor thing.

Me: Im pretty much convinced now that the only way to learn a langauge is to live in a place where the language is spoken. I really really love it here in France and I have yet to get over the novelty that everything is written in French and all you hear on the street (for the most part) is French. I am going to miss this place so much - so I have been taking more pictures of everyday mundane things - just to have them to look back at one day.

Les Bougeoirs

So recently I stumbled upon a new clothing/bric a brac shop in Limoges called J&M. The guy that owns the shop is Polish and speak great English and when Mariella and I came in and started gushing about the stuff he had he quickly struck up a conversation with us. A few days later I brought Alex and Anais back and fell upon these little candle holder and just had to have them.



The thing thats interesting is that in France there are not considered antiques. They really are just bric-a-brac and they cant be sold for much. I told the owner straight off that he should be doing business in America because he could get a lot more for this kind of stuff! I have my eye on a old fashioned French clock that you wind up with a key! Birthday present to myself?


And only 6 euros, what a steal!


Im bound to like anything in this color! I already have video ideas for when I get back of dark alleys and playing hide and seek by candle light! Cant wait to get home and film it!


This one was the second to catch my eye. I really couldnt decide between the two but since this one I felt was a little more masculine? (however masculine a candle holder can be), I decided to get this one for Ryan. That way I could buy both! I am absolutely prepared for him to tell me its not cool enough for him and then I can keep both :)

Coast to Cote Week 11

Pang: For as long as I can remember, I've been drawn to the beauty of a horse. Their eyes are so expressive and there's something mysterious about them. Horses aren't my favorite animals or anything, but I just really love photographing their faces. Last Friday I chaperoned on a field trip to a farm and got a great shot (or so I think) of a horse looking right at me. The midday sun was high and the temperature was climbing. I just wanted to reach in there and swat the flies from it's eyes. Pesky little flies.

Lacey: This weekend was so nice. I stayed out late every night and slept in late every morning. I felt like a rebellious teenager letting her dishes pile up in the sink and not making her bed. On Sunday the sun was shining just right into the girls bathroom in the school. I've been wanting to take pictures in this bathroom since the first day I came to Donzelot but am only just getting to it now. To express my weekend of reckless abandon I decided to follow the lead of the little French girls and write salope all over the walls. Kidding. But its surprising how many times its already been written on the walls. Come on girls!

Coast to Cote Week 9

Is there enough going on in the pictures this week?

Pang: I love Anthropologie. Period. But not because I love their clothes and their accessories and their lovely home decor. Ok, I do, but honestly, I can't afford them (like the pieces of furniture I've been drooling over online). What pulls at my heartstrings most are the displays. They come up with the most unique displays sometimes. While visiting the one in Georgetown on my birthday, there was a floor to ceiling shelf full of little blue bottles, all labled, and filled with dried flowers. There were more great displays, but this one caught my eye the most. I loved the fact that it seemed so simple, yet the flowers and the rows of bottles makes the photograph so busy. One day, my future home will look like this...but I might have to hire someone from their display team...hmm.

Lacey: This weekend was Carnival in Limoges! It was soooo cold and fittingly the theme was Limoges in the Wind. We watched the parade of girls in skimpy costumes and elaborately decorated floats but by far the most fun was throwing confetti around afterwards! These are my friends, the other assistants. That guy in the foreground is some stranger. Thanks for getting in my picture dude! geeze!

January Flea Market - Creepy Doll of the Month

Somehow I never got around to posting flea market pictures this month! The ground was freshly powdered and iced on this particular day, which made for a sad turnout both in prospective junk buyers and in vendors. Regardless I bundled up and went out for my churro and browsing.




Far fewer creepy babydolls this time - but there is always at least one!


I wanted this brooch like you can't imagine. Pretty much anything with a face on it I'm bound to love. Old man face? Even better.


My self portrait for the day.




Some friends dropped by.

First Video - Clips from France

This is a short video of clips I have been taking here and there since getting to France - still kinda learning how video works. I put it to the song Mimizan by Beirut. Hope you like it. My "artistic" video will have to wait for warmer weather - I need that nice afternoon light that we no longer get now that it's winter.

Gallette du Rois

On the third of January the Epiphany was celebrated in France, at least in theory, I don't know anyone personally that celebrated it. I don't know much about the biblical aspects of this holiday (perhaps Tess can fill me in) but I believe the Epiphany is the celebration of the feast of kings, which marks the end of the 12 days of Christmas, which is when the 3 wisemen got finally got to Bethlaham to see Jesus?
In any case, its a feast that is celebrated on the first Sunday of January which follows a Saturday. My interest in it, as usual, is the baked good that accompanies this religious holiday.
The Gallette du Roi is a round flat pastry filled with frangipane, an almond cream paste. It can also be made with fruit or conserves. Inside the cake is a fève (which translates to bean, which is what used to be put in the cakes.) These days the fève is a tiny figure, and if you are oh so lucky enough to be living in Limoges, it will usually be a porcelain figure.



The cake is cut into equal parts based on the number of people present and each person takes a slice. Originally the cake was cut into as many slices as people plus one. This extra slice was called the "share of the poor" and was meant to be given to the first poor person who came to your home.
Whichever way you do it, whoever is lucky enough to discover the figure or trinket (as it doesn't have to be a figure) in their slice then has the pleasure of being king for the day and claims the crown that comes along with the cake. We tried this at the Christmas party and we learned quite quickly that the fewer people you have playing the more exciting the game. We had to cut our cake into so many pieces that the poor king was sticking out of someones piece, shamefully exposed, before we had even had a chance to start munching.

What I don't quite get about this tradition is the fact that the winner - the king for the day, is supposed to "offer" the next cake. How is it winning if I have to buy the next one?






Poor little guy is still covered in holiday.

Happy New Years Everyone!

On Being Cold, Radiators that Ignore Me, and Children Who Draw Genitals

The cold. How cold? I couldn't tell you. When I check the weather reports or walk by the pharmacy with the handy little temperature display I see numbers like 2 or -4. Alright sure, I think to myself - that's pretty much what it feels like. Oddly enough, my coworkers, who spent all of October and November whining about how cold it was, have stopped mentioning the chill.
I haven't got a car and I haven't got the patience to wait for buses. So I walk. Here is my dressing routine before I go out:

- 2 pairs of knee high socks (put on before the jeans because there is just no way
those jeans will be pushed or rolled any higher than my lower calf)
- a long sleeve shirt
- a scarf wrapped twice
- elbow length fingerless gloves
- a zip-up hoodie - zipped so my scarf is inside and doesn't have the possibility to
be windblown ever, and my elbow-length gloves are snug at my elbow. PS Im pretty
sure Im the only girl who wears zip up hoodies. So American.
- jaunty red hat. More than once I have been called little red riding hood (petite
chapeau rouge) by strangers.
- mittens that go over my finger-less gloves but under the sleeve of my hoodie.
- My trench coat - buttoned uncomfortably all the way up to my chin.

I tell myself I am ready - loaded down with Earth bags to go to the grocery store or books to go to the library. As soon as I walk out my nose is immediately assaulted. That's my indication that it is really really cold. Back in November when the French would tell me how cold it was and ask how I could stand to wear t-shirts I was always confused. But I can still feel me nose! How can it be cold if I can still feel my nose? No doubts now.
My toes are next to go and within minutes they are useless lumps in my shoes. Evil heart, I think to myself, if you were just a tiny bit stronger or just a tiny bit more courageous, perhaps you could see fit to pump a bit of blood down there and properly circulate my extremities rather than sacrifice them within the first 5 minutes.

And unfortunately the cold cannot always be escaped. Upon returning to my little bedroom from my trip to the States, I found my bed cold and unwelcoming. The radiator sat in the corner, ignoring me. No heat to give me tonight, little radiator? Nor the next day unfortunately. It wasn't until mid-day Monday that the sweet sound of hot running water creaking through the pipes could be heard. I slept with my hat and gloves on for two nights. I have never truly had bed-head until now.
In comparison to my bedroom - the classrooms are saunas. Saunas that bake the children until they are sweaty, smelly little balls of excitement.

The only redeeming quality that the cold has to offer me is that it has been snowing on a very regular basis. Huge, ogre-sized globs of snow. Yesterday it snowed in the morning. During my classes as my children sat quietly writing (wait quietly? yes!) I gazed out the window at the lovely snow. Lovely until my gaze fell upon the playground pavement. My lovely quiet little children had celebrated the falling snow by drawing giant genitals and writing the words RAT MAN all over the freshly blanketed ground. Nothing seems to delight little boys (well perhaps boys in general) more than drawing wieners. I would have delighted you with a picture but by the time my classes were finished the snow had either melted away or some scandalized adult had destroyed all traces.

If you have made it this far in the post - thanks for reading. I didn't have a picture to post and frankly I feel I have been letting my pictures do most of the narrating, and while they probably do that just fine, I enjoy writing as well. In other news, Pang and I will be starting a new tandem photo project so look for that next week, I also promise to post a video of clips I have taken while in France. Not the piece I am most excited about but still something I have been working on for a little bit.

Stay warm.

Creepy Poupees and Churro

Every second Sunday of the month there is a huge flea market in town here. Despite the freezing cold I decided to go out because...well what else is there to do on a Sunday? I noticed last time I went that there were an awful lot of creepy dolls being sold so this time I decided to snap a few portraits to share. Didn't get many - my hands were too cold!










They love dolls here! They even have a little doll hospital!


The one thing I saw here that I would have bought if I lived here was this giant seed container. I would have used it as a jewelry box and learned all the different veggies in French at the same time! The guy tried to convince me that it's possible to ship stuff to the US. Yeah I know...the presents I sent home cost more in shipping than it did to buy the stuff! No fanks!


Of course I wasn't too cold to take off my mittens for some Churro!

Didn't get any stranger pics this week...failure. Had planned on doing that at the flea market but I was too cold. Seriously, I couldn't feel my feet or fingers.

Naughty and Nice

So this week with my little kids I did a lesson on Christmas vocab. Basically we drew together and then labeled the parts. I drew on the board and they drew on paper. Here is what my little drawings looked like:



I tell them up front that Im not a good drawer and invite them to improve on my modest attempts in their own drawings. They laugh as I start to draw Santa first. Santa is a difficult concept for a lot of them. They have been taught to say Father Christmas (they say Pere Noel) and they kept asking me to translate the word Santa for them. Is Santa the same as Father? Its just what we call him kids! I dont know everything!Apparently in the UK both Santa and Father Christmas is used although Callum assures me that only the posh kids would say Father Christmas.



It started out alright with my first class. A little over energetic, wouldnt stop talking, but Im no fan of a silent class anyhow so I let it go. One of the little boys gave me his drawings as a present. Granted that kinda defeats the purpose of having a vocab sheet and doing the lesson if you cant look back on it but whatever- its almost vacations - so I let it go.



The kids were cute and the phrase "il est moche!" (he's so ugly! Moche is a familiar term, the "proper" word would be laid - I'm learning all kinds of improper words from these kids) was thrown around quite a bit as the children tried to draw there little Santa Claus.

And then I had a class of kids who honestly made me want to sit on the floor and cry. They talked the entire time, ignoring me when I yelled in English, blinking for a second and then continuing to talk when I yelled in French. Every time I would turn my back to draw on the board I would hear a noise, turn around and one of them would be on the floor, "J'ai tombe." Oh sure...you just "fell" out of your chair. Or I would turn around and the kid would be half way across the room from his/her seat getting her pencil. Oh it just fell?

Finally two of the kids who were acting up the worst I got so fed up with that I took them back. The noise, the sheer noise as I opened the door to the class. The teacher literally started screaming at the two guilty children. I will never get used to the way they handle things here. If you tell the prof that the children have been bad, they want a full report, names, specific acts, and you can bet that they will be publicly reamed for each and every offense. They came to me one at a time and made their apologies then were put in the back of the class while she continued to yell about how they constantly misbehave.

Needless to say the children left after I took the other children back were better behaved afterwards. The little girls were sure to tell me "You are so pretty today, Madame." I always have problems with this particular class - they think they can play the whole time. Nothing I can do. When I tell the prof she says...yup, they're just bad.



One of the boys I took back drew this as his Santa....