I've also added pictures from my trip to Bordeaux! http://picasaweb.google.com/mary.a.hollis/ToussaintsParisEtBordeaux#
I'm feeling especially lucky, because I lost my computer yesterday and I found it this morning! I realized I'd misplaced it yesterday, and I was certain I'd left it on the bus on the way to school. After a wild goose chase to the central bus office, the bus depot, and then the commissariat, I returned home last night feeling pretty discouraged. While eating sympathy crêpes prepared for me by my sweet roommates, I remembered that I'd stopped in a little Tabac by my school to buy candy prizes for my students before class. Cloé drove me there this morning, and sure enough the nice lady working there had my laptop waiting for me behind the counter!
Also, after a chest x-ray, a medical exam, and a meeting with the office of immigration, I now officially hold a validated visa and am free to travel in and out of France as I please! Looks like I'll make it home for Christmas!
I've been up to a lot since my last trip! I've got a nice routine here in Valence, and we always find fun things to sprinkle in. Halloween is not widely celebrated in France, but my friend Carey and I bought a little pumpkin at the market and had a fun afternoon carving it, turning it into pumpkin muffins, and of course doing my Biggest Loser workout video (which has become SO popular here, especially with Cloé! It was super funny trying to explain the premise of Biggest Loser to her because there are practically no obese people in France and, therefore, no need for a reality weight loss show). We capped off our Halloween celebration by going to our French friend's house to watch, quite literally, the worst english Halloween movie of all time, but, hey, our options were limited.
Another highlight was my friend Susan's visit to Valence! She's an assistant in Strasbourg this year, but she came to visit for a couple of days and we went hiking with some other girls to the ruins of Château Crussol that overlook Valence. These ruins are at the top of the mountain across the river and are easily seen from most places in the city. We had a little bit of trouble finding the way up the mountain, but after a couple failed attempts through a vineyard and a forest, and a run in with some donkeys, we made it to the summit!
The next holiday that we celebrated was the 5 of November, courtesy of our British assistant friends. This day, a British tribute to the brutal death of the traitor Guy Fawkes, involves bonfires and fireworks! Our friend Fiona had lots of people over, and we celebrated with smores, sparklers, pommes d'amour (caramel apples), and bien sûr les feux d'artifice (fireworks)!
We're continuing to have pretty weather over here, so Carey and I went to the nearby town of Crest one Saturday to do some exploring! Crest, confusingly pronounced "cray," is a tiny little place about an hour away that is home to a famous tower that was used as a dungeon for hundreds of years.
We have a couple of assistant friends there from all over the world, so we spent the day wandering around, making lunch, exploring the tower, and playing down by the river! We got beautiful views of the surrounding countryside.
Teaching has started back, and time is just flying by until Christmas! I've been continuing to make friends through tennis, running, and church, and I'm always adding new recipes to my repertoire. Some of my recent projects include chicken teriyaki, baked pumpkin pasta, and mustard chicken. AND I invested in a purée machine! French people purée everything, and I've never had mashed potatoes so good. À bientôt!
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