Teaching isn’t for everyone. And for a long time, I didn’t think teaching was for me. (“Oh, so you’re going to teach?” is one of the most exhausting questions of an English/French double major.) That all changed when in October, days after starting, a 13-year-old student looked up at me and said, “I’m proud of myself!” The same week, two…
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It should come as no surprise that the open-air markets are one of my favorite things in Aix and France. Though I never got up the Julia Child courage to buy a full fish at the market, I did buy a slew of other things on a daily basis from people who became fixtures in my memory of the city. If…
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There was a time, not so long ago, when I had seven euros to my name. Seven euros, scavenged from the bottom of purses and wallets and laundry baskets. Seven euros in coins. (The rent was paid and I had enough to eat and I was just waiting for a money transfer to go through so don’t freak out too fast, everyone.)…
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Grocery stores are always where culture shock – and reverse culture shock – hit me hardest. Why do you have so many yogurts, France? Why do you have so many canned foods and fake cheeses, America? But no, more importantly, why is the wine $10, America?? I was more prepared for reverse culture shock this time. Last time, after studying abroad,…
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My favorite French word is dégustation. It used to be grenouille until I realized how difficult it is to pronounce if you are saying it correctly (which I still can’t). Dégustation means you can try just a little bit of everything, whether a wine or chocolate or gelato or pesto mousse (more on this later). The direct translation would be savoring…
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